Ten Principles We Can Learn From Game Designers Julie Dirksen Usable Learning

TEN PRINCIPLES WE CAN LEARN FROM GAME DESIGNERS

JULIE DIRKSENUSABLE LEARNING

Learning

BUT FIRST, MEET ALLISON

Allison is a brand new instructional designer, who just got hired for her first job.

I’m really excited – I studied game-based learning in school,

and my new boss is really enthusiastic about the idea!

Donald, Allison’s new boss is pretty enthusiastic.

HER BOSS IS ON BOARD…

We hired Allison partly because she can bring a fresh new perspective. I’ll need to

coach her on the business end, but she’s got some great

ideas.

We are going to find a learning game project for her

right away.

…there’s a new development…

BUT THEN….

Hey, Allison, I have some great news!

I just got the offer to head up all of South American training!

It’ll be a chance to perfect my salsa

moves.

And oh yeah – you’re getting a new boss.

Lena is not a “game-y” person.

THE NEW BOSS

I’m not sure I see the business value of games for

learning.

Allison is going to have be pretty convincing, and make

the case for this project.

Green Work Practices Software Training

Safety Compliance

ALLISON’S DILEMMA

MAKING THE CASE

Video Game Stare

Making the business case

MAKING THE CASE FOR GAMES

Lena needs more than “engagement”

to convince her.

Secret:It’s not really about engagement.

THE BOSS PRIZE OF E-LEARNING

FamiliarizationComprehension Conscious EffortConscious ActionProficiencyUnconscious Competence

- From Electronic Performance Support Systems by Gloria Gery

Glucose Metabolic Rate after several weeks of Tetris Practice

Tip #1DESIGN FOR

FEEDBACK

What does the feedback loop look like?

FEEDBACK

CYCLES OF EXPERTISE

Principle: Expertise is formed in any area by repeated cycles of learners practicing skills until they are nearly automatic, then having those skills fail in ways that cause the learners to have to think again and learn anew...

Games: Good games create and support the cycle of expertise...This is, in fact, part of what constitutes good pacing in a game.

- James Paul Gee

ANYBODY EVERY PLAYED DINER DASH?

How often do users get feedback in e-Learning?

FEEDBACK FREQUENCY

Positive FeedbackNegative FeedbackRewardPunishment

BETTER THAN A SKINNER BOX

Tip #2TALK TO THE

ELEPHANT

How long is your attention span?

FIRST, LET’S START WITH ATTENTION

Let’s talk about attention…

LET’S START WITH THE ELEPHANT

Jonathan Haidt, The Happiness Hypothesis

THE RIDER

THE ELEPHANT

SO, WHEN THERE’S A CONFLICT…

Who do you think wins?

Tip #3URGENCY MATTERS

URGENCY MATTERS

We are creatures of urgency:

Maybe I should

consider retirement planning…Basically, the elephant is

bad at waiting for stuff.

WE HAVE TROUBLE WITH THIS…

We are also loss averse…

WHICH DO YOU THINK WORKS BETTER:

I guess I’ll be glad I know this someday

I’m really glad I

know this now…

AND THE FUTURE IS SOOOOO FAR AWAY…

WE MAKE DECISIONS DIFFERENTLY FOR OUR FUTURE SELVES

Current self

Future self

Pronin et al 2008

IT’S ABOUT CAKE VS FRUIT SALAD

Shiv and Fedorikhin 1999Heart and Mind in Conflict: The Interplay of Affect and Cognition in Consumer Decision Making

Tip #4ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Instead of WIIFM, How about WCIDWT?

PURPOSE

WCIDWT?

A goal needs to be an accomplishment

GOALS = ACCOMPLISHMENTS

You completed Module 4!I crushed the quarterly sales goal!

Would you rather:

THEY NEED TO BE INTERESTING CHOICES

Go faste

Be safer

Tip #5STRUCTURED FLOW

OF GOALS

NEXT, LET’S TALK ABOUT GOALS

Image Credit – Sebastian Deterding http://www.slideshare.net/dings/dont-play-games-with-me-promises-and-pitfalls-of-gameful-design

EVER BEEN ROCK CLIMBING?

MICRO-LEVEL GOALS

MEDIUM GOALS

END GOAL!

BUT WAIT…

5.0 to 5.4 There are two hand- and two footholds for every move; the holds become progressively smaller as the number increases.5.5 to 5.6 The two hand- and two footholds are there, obvious to the experienced, but not necessarily so to the beginner.5.7 The move is missing one hand- or foothold.5.8 The move is missing two holds of the four, or missing only one but is very strenuous.5.9 The move has only one reasonable hold which may be for either a foot or a hand.5.10 No hand- or footholds. The choices are to pretend a hold is there, pray a lot, or go home.5.11 After thorough inspection you conclude this move is obviously impossible; however, occasionally someone actually accomplishes it. Since there is nothing for a handhold, grab it with both hands.5.12 The surface is as smooth as glass and vertical. No one has really ever made this move, although a few claim they have.5.13 This is identical to 5.12 except it is located under overhanging rock."

THERE’S MORE…

5.0 to 5.4 There are two hand- and two footholds for every move; the holds become progressively smaller as the number increases.5.5 to 5.6 The two hand- and two footholds are there, obvious to the experienced, but not necessarily so to the beginner.5.7 The move is missing one hand- or foothold.5.8 The move is missing two holds of the four, or missing only one but is very strenuous.5.9 The move has only one reasonable hold which may be for either a foot or a hand.5.10 No hand- or footholds. The choices are to pretend a hold is there, pray a lot, or go home.5.11 After thorough inspection you conclude this move is obviously impossible; however, occasionally someone actually accomplishes it. Since there is nothing for a handhold, grab it with both hands.5.12 The surface is as smooth as glass and vertical. No one has really ever made this move, although a few claim they have.5.13 This is identical to 5.12 except it is located under overhanging rock."

Demo: Allen Interactions

Tip #6INCREASING

DIFFICULTY

EVEN IF YOU DON’T NOTICE IT…

The Art of Game Design

By Jesse Schell

HOW ABOUT MONOPOLY?

POP QUIZ

How you do you say:

“Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi”

cheat code

WHAT’S FLOW?

Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience

By Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

ArousalAnxiety

Worry Control

RelaxationApathy Boredom

Low Skill LevelHigh

THE FLOW CHANNEL

Challenge

Flow Channel

- Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Tip #7DESIGN FOR

AUTOMATICITY

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE BRAIN?

WHAT IS GOING ON WHEN YOU ARE LEARNING SOMETHING NEW?

Well, areas like your frontal cortex gets busy. It starts burning a lot of fuel, and hits its limits pretty quickly.

WHAT IS GOING ON WHEN YOU USING A REGULAR PATTERN YOU ALREADY KNOW?

That leverages parts of the brain/brain functions that can run without a lot of conscious attention.

MOST CLASSES ARE BIKING STRAIGHT UPHILL

New New New New New New

GAMES, ON THE OTHER HAND…

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Level 6

Some new stuff, pretty easy

though

Stuff you know plus a bit more

Stuff you

know, maybe a little faster

Stuff you

know plus a

bit more

Stuff you

know, kicked up a notch

Boss Fight

Glucose Metabolic Rate after several weeks of Tetris Practice

IT ALSO ALLOWS YOU TO PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT’S DIFFERENT.

In this model, everything is new and everything is important (so nothing is).

IT ALSO ALLOWS YOU TO PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT’S DIFFERENT.

In this model, the new material is mixed in with existing stuff, so the new material stands out.

KEEP IT BALANCED

Challenge

Flow Channel

Tip #8MAKE THINGS

VISCERAL

LET’S TALK ABOUT VISCERAL FEEDBACK

http://vhil.stanford.edu/pubs/2011/VHIL-technical-report.pdf

CONSEQUENCE-BASED FEEDBACK

“Incorrect, a better choice would be to establish a perimeter before proceeding into the secure area.”

“You just triggered a secondary device, killing yourself and several bystanders…”

This is opinion... …while this is data.

Tip #9MAKE IT FUN

TYPES OF FUN

Fiero or Hard Fun Overcoming Challenges, Solving Puzzles

Easy Fun Curiosity, Exploration, Discovery and Surprise

People Fun Socializing, Collaboration

Serious Fun Excitement, Relaxation

Nicole Lazzaro: The 4 Fun Keys

TAXONOMY OF GAME PLEASURES

Leblanc's Taxonomy of Game Pleasures

1. Sensation2. Fantasy3. Narrative4. Challenge5. Fellowship6. Discovery7. Expression8. Submission

Additional (Schell)

AnticipationDelight in another's

misfortuneGift givingHumorPossibilityPride in an accomplishmentPurifi cation (and Set

Completion)SurpriseThrillTriumph over adversityWonder

There’s no such thing as mandatory fun.

GAME EXPERIENCE - FUN

Hmm…I realize that gaming

experiences are fundamentally subjective, but

objectively speaking, this

game is just not fun.

Is five dollars a good reward?

BE CAREFUL ABOUT REWARDS

GOOD SURPRISES ARE GOOD

Pleasant surprises cause a dopamine spike

“PAY ATTENTION! If this is good, then you want

EVEN BAD SURPRISES ARE GOOD

Unpleasant surprises cause a dopamine drop.

“PAY ATTENTION! This is bad. Avoid in future.”

NO SURPRISES ARE BAD

Hmm. I wonder what I should

have for dinner...

GAMES DO THIS WELL

Gold Coin

Super Platinum Hammer of Death™ that lets you SQUASH

evildoers!!!

Tip #10DON’T MAKE CRAPPY

MATCH GAMEPLAY TO THE REAL TASK

Games are good at teaching you how to play games (not necessarily how to actually do things)

Is this a good game?

MATCH GAMEPLAY TO CONTENT

PLAYTEST LIKE CRAZY

You HAVE to test games out.

PLANTS VS ZOMBIES LEVEL DIFFICULTY

Green Work Practices Software Training

Safety Compliance

ALLISON’S DILEMMA

I need to decide.

Green Work Practices

Software Training

Safety Compliance

ALLISON’S DILEMMA

10 Tips:

1. Design for feedback

2. Talk to the Elephant

3. Urgency Matters

4. Design for accomplishments

5. Create a structured flow of goals

6. Increase difficulty

7. Design for Automaticity

8. Make it visceral

9. Make it fun (use surprise and unexpectedness)

10.Don’t make crappy games (Match gameplay to

real task)

Thanks! Julie DirksenUsable Learning julie@usablelearning.comTwitter: usablelearningLinkedin: Julie Dirksen

References here:

http://bit.ly/TKgame

QUESTION? COMMENTS? VIOLENT DISAGREEMENT?

Ten Principles We Can Learn From Game Designers Julie Dirksen Usable Learning

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