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Slides for a workshop on teaching with videogames.
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Teaching with Videogames Pietro Polsinelli
All links for this talk:
http://bit.ly/teachVG
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Example: learn about renewable energy
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Teaching with videogames – at its best: Ludwig.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nTG9Oigvd-E
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Ludwig: playludwig.com See trailer.
Search energy in a 3D environment.
Reach of videogames
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Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Addiction by Design Natascha Schull
http://gelconference.com/videos/2008/natasha_schull
97% is given by the slot machine – study IT
Learning & games: a workshop
This is our schedule.
Readings. From literary criticism to videogame criticism.
Fun is learning - but learning is not always fun. “Fun is a feedback we get in the mind when absorbing patterns for learning purposes” - Koster
From “Theory of Fun”
Crash course in game design
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Example analysis: Pinball
Which are the user inputs?
Works in different media – nice on the iPad.
Pinball game hermeneutics.
Progressive views: 1.Just keep the ball in play 2.Make point rich hits 3.Reach goals 4.Complete the story 5.Solo not fun any more. Can be fun just to show off (high scores, show to friends).
Game are made of loops
To analyze the mechanics of a game, you got to find the loops.
And loops are made of surprises
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinder_Surprise
Stick to basics
These are some of the mechanics – plus status competition …
This is very important in order to establish deep contact with your users: find the deep motivation.
Is this simple mechanic union relevant only for classical games? Union of drawing – racing
Drawing with your figer on the iPad is nice. Racing with small cars is beautiful.
Considers shape, speed. Also runtime “turbo” interventions. You don’t drive – which simplifies development, but is a plus here, not a minus.
Surprises
Flipper surprises us by say enabling additional bats Or by moving parts that were still. In videogames.
Using the same mechanics for different ends is usually very effective and preserves usability used so far.
HEROICA
Heroica: the hero’s journey, becomes engaging through mini games – typically a DUEL. Race, mystery solving. Most natural (and most difficoult) game design choice.
Interesting because of cross game gaming.
“This game is engaging”
Engagement can be caused by disparate reasons:
1. Engagement because of s fun base mechanic
2. Engagement by using a virtual world projection mechanics
Engaging design is ambiguous: can mean engaging by using a base mechanic (flipper tower defence, verify the chapter in theory of fun), or by using a virtual world projection mechanics
Koster – Deterding definition of fun.
“Fun is about learning in a context where there is no pressure”
But in school there is, and there has to be, pressure. There is here a dynamic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=x5YtkTw4wn4#!
the flow
The blurry edge between challenging and too difficoult.
There is the flow. We are tackling the tip of something complex. When we are
kept at the margin of our abilities – it’s the flow graph. So its complex,
there are exceptions everywhere.
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Author)
Learn more on Classical Game Design
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Games based on Narrative Enchantment
Another path for going beyond usability.
Metrics driven game design intro
Feedback is scary – but can help.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Measure, measure, measure.
No narrative ideal, no purpose beyond monetization. Lenses in a skeleton: The Sims Social.
From Bokardo’s Metric Driven Design
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Addiction by Design Natascha Schull
http://gelconference.com/videos/2008/natasha_schull
97% is given by the slot machine – study IT
Went there to get milk...
• Las Vegas Airport
Overall designed...
A different auro to the zone term
“So annoying when I do jackpot”
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Casino Gaming Magazine: indded motivated in working Uis. How to make the user feel she’s winning when she’s not”
The aim of game design is “get player EXTINCTION” – NO MONEY LEFT
Learn more on Metric driven game design
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Learn more on Metric driven game design
http://www.slideshare.net/wooga/killer-game-loops-in-social-games
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Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Link kahneman and game design.
New user models.
And from a teacher’s standpoint? A positive lesson is that games can be an opportunity for stats.
Videogames are a great opportunity for statistics. Statistics are way better than teachers reports or impressions – see Kahneman…
Example game designs
Game Dev Story
A small, simple game…
Game Dev Story reverse engineered (Zynga ) http://strategywiki.org/wiki/Game_Dev_Story/Walkthrough
Game genres, …
Learning & teaching with games from games
Cargo Bot http://twolivesleft.com/CargoBot/
Videogames are ideal for transmitting formal rules through concrete examples. This can cover a lot of ground.
Also probe – test – rethink – probe cycle.
Example mockups & storyboards
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
A Word storyboard
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Game flow graphs.
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Mockup. Tool: Balsamiq http://www.balsamiq.com/
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Exercises
Find a theme that it taught in school and that you like. And that maybe you don’t like how it is being thought. Reach as far as you can in this scheme:
Your turn.
Financials
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Estimation (sample) - Game design (game loops), model - Concept art - Logo, naming - Intro + options (only EN?) + theme music - Company setup (friends) - Running company - Game strategic choices - Getting professionals - Press reviews - Events (heuristics) - Game engine - Levels? Winning conditions? - Jingles - FB / Twitter integration - Presentation site + documentation, leaderboards - Balancing, testing
Production estimation. How much does a videogame cost? A lot:
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Example phases for a brower game: - Balsamiq mockup /game design - JavaScript prototype - Full game - Promo ?
Dev phases.
Teaching with Videogames
Pietro Polsinelli
All links for this talk: http://bit.ly/teachVG
Follow me on Twitter: @ppolsinelli
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