• 1. Games are a form of fun. That gives us enjoyment and pleasure.• 2. Games are form of play. That gives us intense and passionate involvement.• 3. Games have rules. That gives us structure.• 4. Games have goals. That gives us motivation.• 5. Games are interactive. That gives us doing.• 6. Games are adaptive. That gives us flow.• 7. Games have outcomes and feedback. That gives us learning.• 8. Games have win states. That gives us ego gratification.• 9. Games have conflict/competition/challenge/opposition. That gives us

adrenaline.• 10. Games have problem solving. That sparks our creativity.• 11. Games have interaction. That gives us social groups.• 12. Games have representation and story. That gives us emotion. (Prensky)

Chapter 7

Games and Simulations

How are games, tests, and simulations related?

?We may have immediate feedback in tests

?We may have recorded scores in games

My definition• Simulations are simplified real world situations in a controlled

environment. They are about things or systems and how they behave. Games are either all about fun OR a combination of fun and learning.

• Tests are merely about learning. In test the feedback is written in games the feedback is the consequence of the player’s actions/decisions.

Demos Tests Simulations learning games fun games

Formal Informal

Less Interactive More Interactive

Less fun More fun

Range of games

• From a simple spreadsheet to complex and expensive designs.

Demos are not true simulations

Why Games

• Show consequences not normally visible• Let learners make mistakes without suffering

permanent consequences• Encourage learners to pause, reflect, and revise• Provide a laboratory• Simplify complex situations• Give opportunities for abundant practice and

feedback• Reawaken learning by play

When to use games

• Costs of failure are high• Learning with real systems is not practical• Learners need individual attention• Many people must be educated• Tasks are complex and time is short• Skills to be taught are subtle and complex• You have time and budget to see the project

through

8 TYPES OF LEARNING GAMES (Simulations)

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1- Quiz-show games

• Who wants to be a millionaire?• Jeopardy• Deal or no deal

2- Word Games

• Crossword Puzzles• Letter arrangement games• Spelling bee• Hangman

3- Jigsaw Puzzles

• A scrambled-tile puzzle can help learners recall images, visualize relationship, or notice discriminating details.

http://www.horton.com/portfolio/jigsaw/jigSawHierarchyPractice.htm

4- Branching scenarios

5- Task simulations

• Software simulations• Device simulations

5.A Software Simulation

5.B Device simulation

6- Personal-response simulations

6- Personal-response simulations

7- Environmental simulations

Immersive role-playing games

EAP Employee Assistance Program

DESIGN GAMES FOR LEARNING

General guidelines to design games

1- Choose the type of game based on your objective

Decide

Do

Know

Believe

Feel

IAT Implicit Association Test

2-Express the goal as a specific task

ETEC 444 What to buy with $3000

3- Pick the right sized game

4-Emphasize learning, not just doing

• Make winning the game require creativity and careful decisions, not just fast reflexes

• Avoid arbitrary limitations on how the learner accomplishes the goal.

5- Specify challenge and motivation

6- Manage competitiveness

• Excessive competitiveness can get in the way of effective learning

7- Provide multiple ways to win (learn)

• Provide hints or links to resources not just trial-and-error

CREATE A MICRO-WORLDMore specific design guides

1- Specify the game's world

Specify • Characters• Objects (tools, furniture,…that the users will interact with)

• Locations• Relationships• Laws of math and science• Other dynamics and conditions (too much fertilizer)

2- create a storyline

• Starting point• Ending point• Learner’s role• Path from start to end

3- Create a back story

• For complex games you need to explain the context or the back story

4- Specify the game structure

• Good structure keeps the game simple enough tor learners to comprehend.

5- Assign the learner’s role

• Pose the learner a problem to solve in a specified situation.

6- Make the game meaningfully realistic

• It does not mean use realistic 3D images• A game is realistic if it:

7- Specify rules of the game

• What the player can do and how the game responds or evaluates.

8- Design a rich, realistic environment

9- Provide a deep, unifying challenge

• Unify the game around a primary mission or goal.

10- Define indicators of game state and feedback

• Decide what kind of feedback you will provide and where and where it will appear to the learner

SPECIFY THE DETAILSVery Specific Design Guides

• Sketch out the user interface• Write the words• Specify the graphical style• Specify other media

Specify other media

ENGAGE LEARNERS

• Hook the learner• Ask learners to suspend disbelief• Set the context• Provide real-world prompting and support• Present solvable problems• Adapt to the learner’s needs• Challenge with time limits• Let learners try multiple strategies• Program variety into the game• Involve the learner

TEACH THROUGH FEEDBACK

1- Provide intrinsic feedback

• Good games deliver feedback naturally within the context of the game

2- Inject educational feedback where needed

• It is justified to interrupt the play if an important educational feedback is needed to correct a misconception

3- Provide continual feedback

4- Give crucial feedback immediately

5- Confront bad behavior and choices

6- Defer lengthy feedback

7-Anticipate feedback (feedforward?)

• Consider all possible actions by the learners and prepare proper feedback for it.

8- Enable learning through a variety of experiences

• In a well designed game the learner can experience several hypothetical but meaningful learning that is almost impossible to experience in real life.

9- Provide complete, detailed feedback

Teaching complex, difficult objectives require complete, detailed feedback.

10- Help learners correct mistakes

• Specific error messages should identify the items in error.

• It should point out where to locate the error on the screen

• It should spell out the type of error,(the value entered is too high or too low)

11- Offer abundant practice

• Plentiful practice gives opportunities for discovery, helps learners refine their strategy and tactics, smooths and automates performance, and builds confidence.

• Use try again, start over, replay, new game,.. Etc.

Acknowledge achievement

PROGRESSIVELY CHALLENGE LEARNERS

1-Use scaffolding method

2- Ratchet up the challenge

• Make the game easy to start but hard to master

3- Give closure between phases

• Signal the end of phases in the overall sequence.

• State the results so far• Recap the steps of the phaseejust completed• Preview the next phase • Invite learner to continue

4- Control the rhythm of difficult

• Learning improves if we alternate hard and easy activities

5- include some low tension events meanwhile

6- Require consolidating small steps

• As learners advance through the game require them to combine small steps at once to advance in a faster rate.

MANAGE GAME COMPLEXITY

1- Beware combinatorial explosion

2- Mission-sequential structure

• This structure works best for objectives that can be taught in sequence.

3- Short-leash strategy

• Learners are not allowed to tray far from successful path.

• Getting more than a few steps of the path triggers corrective guidance that nudges them back toward the successful path.

4- Safari structure

5- Breakthrough structure

SIMPLIFY LEARNING THE GAME

Simplify learning the game

1. Guide actions with instructions2. Explain the game clearly3. Start with training wheels4. Assist when needed5. Show solution after a few attempts6. Let learners request assistance7. Include pertinent hints8. Simplify the display for quick response9. Minimize distractions (10. Accept all successful actions (mouse or key press)

Similar to what was said about games

• DESIGN COACHED TASK SIMULATIONS• DESIGN BRANCHING-SCENARIO GAMES• USE GAMES AS E-LEARNING COURSES