international educational program for developing health games
DESCRIPTION
International educational program for developing Health Games, lessons learned. A student program for developing health games in developing countries (South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Kenya). Presentation at IIT conference in Vilnius 2013TRANSCRIPT
GameOn!: international educational program for developing Health Games, lessons learned
Harro Leupen, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen, the Netherlands
Introduction
Harro Leupen,o Coordinator & Lecturer: Game On!, Game Innovation.o Co-developer major Game Design & Developmento Member expert group of the international major Game Design
& Development (starting September 2014)o School of Communication, Media & ITo Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen, the
Netherlands.
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What is my talk about?
Game On: the student program
Projects: development of games addressing health and social issues in developing countries.
Lessons learned
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A third year, elective program (30ECTS)
The goal:
to develop a serious game that aims to change behaviour.
The setup:Multi cultural and multi disciplinary teams, that combine expertise from didactic and game production backgrounds, produce an educational game for an international learning environment.
The context:o An international assignment and international cliento Developing countrieso 20 weeks of production timeo Experts: domain and game design & productiono Virtual collaboration
Game On, the program
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George Onyango, HelpHeal Organization, Community Based Organization, Kisumu, Kenya
Nataly Martini, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, New Zealand (Card Game, Malaria)
Rob Willems, School of Communication, Media & IT Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen, The Netherlands
William Novak, School of Media, Culture & Design, Burbank, CA Chair, Game Art & Design Department, The United States.
Stakeholders
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A closer look at the program
Theory:o psychology & developing game conceptso cultural differences and sensitivitieso programming/scripting in Flash, Assetso kaleidoscope (meet and discuss with experts from a domain, e.g. malaria,
game design, )o researching effectiveness
Design & Production:o Orientation/Blueprint/Design phase: research target audience, game
concept -> Game Design Documento Preparation/production/finalization: programming, artwork, playtest
prototypes -> final game.
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Keywords: field experts, end-users, game experts, game solution.
A closer look: Design & Production
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Client : assignment
Keywords: experts, focus group, psychology, cultural sensitivity.
A closer look: Design & Production
Game expertise
Courses:
Game concept
Kaleidoscope
Programming
Research
Field expertise: domain
Courses:
Psychology
Cultural
sensitivity,
Kaleidoscope
Focus Groups:
Educational Institute:
learning principles
University of Auckland:
Health & medicine
Focus Groups
Woodbury
UniversityAssignment/target group/end-user
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Client : assignment
Keywords: game concept, paper prototype, agile development, beta testing, finalization.
A closer look: Design & Production
Game expertise
Field expertise:
domain
Client/Assignment
Game based
solution: Design
Game based
solution:
Production
End-user/target group
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Client : assignment
Keywords: game concept, paper prototype, agile development, beta testing, finalization.
A closer look: Design & Production
Game expertise
Field expertise:
domain
Client/Assignment
Game based
solution: Design
Game based
solution:
Production
End-user/target group
Feedback and Test:
Game Concept
Paper prototype
Game Blueprint
SCRUM based
production:
Sprints & testing
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Past projects: South Sudan
Client: War Child, a Dutch NGO for helping war affected children by using creative therapy and social educational programs.
Assignment:o Create awareness and acceptance about children with a disability among in-
school children in South-Sudan. o Create a learning experience in a “fun” way
Target Groupo South Sudanese Children o Between the ages of 10-14 yearso Female and Male school going children,
not disabled.
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Past projects: South Sudan
Raise awareness and acceptance for disabled children in South Sudan
Features:
o Flash based PC- game, low system requirements
o Point and click, adventure game
o Story: help and build a community by solving quests (+20, random generated).
o The main character is helped by handicapped children and is confronted with a handicap
(e.g. Illness/difficulty to walk).
o Identifiable environment/character.
o The use of role models in the game (e.g. Mother, Elderly people)
o Reward: in-game and real life (e.g. instructions to make a real toy or game)
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Past projects: South Sudan
Testing:o Paper prototype testing at a
primary school in The Netherlandso Final game tested in South Sudano Questionnaires and interviews
carried out by War Child employees
Results: low response rate, difficult to interpret.
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Past projects: Sri Lanka
Client: War Child, a Dutch NGO for helping war affected children by using creative therapy and social educational programs.
Assignment: o Introduce topics of gender relations and choices
around sexual behavior in Sri Lanka (part of War Child’s Big Deal Program)
Target Groupo Sri Lanka: Tamil and Sinhalese.o Between the ages of 16-20 yearso Two languages
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Past projects: Sri Lanka
Introduce topics of gender related behavior
Features:
o Flash based PC- game, low system requirements
o Point and click, adventure game, dialogue driven
o Story: for the main character (first person) to become a detective, he/she must solve
cases
o Cases relate to War Child’s Big Deal Gender Module
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Past projects: Sri Lanka
Testing:o paper prototype testing at a primary school in The Netherlandso No testing of final gameso Shipped to Sri Lanka for playtest, difficult to establish exchange
of findings.
The Sudan game and the Sri Lanka game were targeting war affected areas. Proper evaluation of the games was impossible.
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Past projects: Kisumu (Kenya)
Malaria is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Kenya and it kills an estimated 34,000 children under five in Kenya every year. 77% of Kenya’s population lives in areas where the disease is transmitted.
The disease is responsible for 30% of out-patient visits (requiring more than eight million out-patient treatments at health facilities each year) and 15% of all hospital admissions.
About 3.5 million children are at risk of infection and developing severe malaria.
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Client: HelpHeal Organization, CBO (community based organization)
Assignment:To develop a computer game in the battle against malaria, for children in primary schools (10 -15) in Kenya (Nyanza province).
The game (s) would be a success if children are;o Able to tell signs of malaria clearly o Identify malaria transmission methods o Tell what times of the day mosquitoes bites occur o State cheap and effective ways of preventing malaria o The importance of going to the hospital and finishing drug doses
Past projects: Kisumu (Kenya)
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Computer games in Kenya?
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The result: three games
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Playtest at 3 schools
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Results
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Shared with the game production teams
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Current status
o Games shipped to HelpHealo Played at several schoolso Effectiveness (in relation to the learning
objectives) will be evaluatedo Keep evaluating
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Current Project: HIV/aids
o New project with HelpHeal (Kenya)o Subject is HIV/AIDSo Virtual collaboration in design and production with
JOOUST University and Woodbury University
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga
University of Science and
Technology (JOOUST)
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Lessons Learned
o The importance of a game development method that allows for regular testing, feedback moments and changes.
o The importance of a user/player centred design: the context of playful experiences, including the player and his personal elements contribute to the game.
o Cultural awareness in game design and development: consider and adapt to the values and beliefs of the target audience.
o Collaboration with local people/end-user in game development adds to game acceptance.
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Lessons Learned
o A very positive attitude towards the use of computers in education in the targeted areas: “When GameOn! came along; I was to second guess on one thing now my kids wanted to engage in. (….) I was convicted of the appropriateness of a computer based game tackling any disease; more so malaria. (….) Nothing arouses primary interest of a Kenyan child living on the fringes of Lake Victoria more than an opportunity to play a computer game. It allows them the realization that computers are not complex electronic gadgets that only adults have access to” (G. Onyango, HelpHeal Organization).
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Participation of Kenyan students
Cavendish Wachera Mwangi
There is much I would like to learn from this whole project. Most important
how to program. This would enhance my skills and enable me to be able to
create other programs that would be of help to the community. I also would
like to become better in teamwork which is a key component in building and
implementing of successful projects. In addition I would also like to learn
how to create a positive impact to the community around me and in the end
be proud of making an achievement.
Living in a community infected and affected by Hiv/Aids, watching people die
all because of this disease and knowing that I have a chance to change all
that and save the future generation by designing games is an opportunity I
can’t let pass me by. Thank you for this great chance that you have offered
to me.
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Cavendish Wachera Mwangi
There is much I would like to learn from this whole project. Most important
how to program. This would enhance my skills and enable me to be able to
create other programs that would be of help to the community. I also would
like to become better in teamwork which is a key component in building and
implementing of successful projects. In addition I would also like to learn
how to create a positive impact to the community around me and in the end
be proud of making an achievement.
Living in a community infected and affected by Hiv/Aids, watching people die
all because of this disease and knowing that I have a chance to change all
that and save the future generation by designing games is an opportunity I
can’t let pass me by. Thank you for this great chance that you have offered
to me.
Participation of Kenyan students
14-11-2013
Oliver Nyaswenta Nyagah
My motivation to join Game On is my interest in animation (especially
cartoons and playing games);and also the need to pass important lessons
and messages through the simplest and fun way, which captures their
attention, therefore reaching more people, hence making the message more
relevant. I would also want to learn something new aside from what I am
majoring in my university studies. This prompted me to be very interested in
the project and would love to be part of it.
Also living in a community that is infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, I have
seen the impacts of the disease to the community therefore I believe I will be
in a good position also to be a researcher to the team. Moreover that I would
like to learn programming and I am optimistic that being a team member in
Game On I will be able to achieve this ambition. I believe that being part of a
team I will be able to improve on my team work which is a major component
in any successful project.
Participation of Kenyan students
14-11-2013
Oliver Nyaswenta Nyagah
My motivation to join Game On is my interest in animation (especially
cartoons and playing games);and also the need to pass important lessons
and messages through the simplest and fun way, which captures their
attention, therefore reaching more people, hence making the message more
relevant. I would also want to learn something new aside from what I am
majoring in my university studies. This prompted me to be very interested in
the project and would love to be part of it.
Also living in a community that is infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, I have
seen the impacts of the disease to the community therefore I believe I will be
in a good position also to be a researcher to the team. Moreover that I would
like to learn programming and I am optimistic that being a team member in
Game On I will be able to achieve this ambition. I believe that being part of a
team I will be able to improve on my team work which is a major component
in any successful project.
Participation of Kenyan students
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GameOn!…it has been an exhilarating journey(George Onyango, HelpHeal)
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Lecturers GameOn
o Eelco Braad, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen, the Netherlands. (Game Design, Kaleidoscope)
o Manno Bult, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen, the Netherlands (Flash Programming)
o Loes Damhof, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen, the Netherlands (Cultural collaboration, dimensions, in game)
o Martijn Meutgeert, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen, the Netherlands (Game Concept)
o Lieke Drukker, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen, the Netherlands (Developmental and Learning Psychology)
o Rob Willems, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen, the Netherlands (Research)
o Myself
Harro LeupenHanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen, the NetherlandsEmail: [email protected]