It’s  More  than  a  Game:  Video  Games  and  Digital  Composi8on  

Presented  by  Kevin  Hodgson  and  Megan  Bilodeau  

WMWP  Best  Prac8ces  2011  

Connec8ons  to  New  MassachuseHs  Curriculum  Common  Core  Standards:  “Write  narra8ves  to  develop  real  or  imagined  experiences  or  events,  using  effec8ve  technique,  relevant  descrip8ve  details,  and  well-­‐structured  event  sequences.”  -­‐-­‐  Wri8ng  Standards  6-­‐12  

Ac8vity:  Inspired  by  Riven  

“Games  are  the  most  elevated  form  of  inves8ga8on.”  –  Albert  Einstein  

“By  the  age  of  twenty  one,  the  average  young  American  has  spent  somewhere  between  two  and  three  thousand  hours  reading  books  –  and  more  than  ten  thousand  hours  playing  computer  and  video  games.”  –  Jane  McGonigal,  Reality  is  Broken  

“In  just  three  weeks,  gamers  deciphered  the  structure  of  a  key  protein  in  the  development  of  AIDS  that  has  stumped  scien8sts  for  years.  According  to  a  study  published  Sunday  in  the  journal  Nature  Structural  &  Molecular  Biology,  the  findings  could  present  a  significant  breakthrough  for  AIDS  and  HIV  research.”  –  PC  Magazine  

hHp://www.onlinecolleges.net/2011/08/25/how-­‐video-­‐games-­‐are-­‐changing-­‐educa8on/  

From  Pew  Research:  hHp://pewresearch.org/pubs/953/  

Game  Design  Elements  

Created  by  middle  school  students  at  our  Game  Camp  

But  …  Gamifica8on  of  Everything  

Let’s  make  sure  our  students  are  not  just  consumers  of  informa8on,  but  also  producers  of  composi8ons  across  the  realm  of  tradi8onal  and  digital  wri8ng.  Make  them  aware  of  how  games  are  used  for  marke8ng  and  adver8sing.  

Classroom  Ac8vity:  Hack  a  Game  

•  Take  the  tradi8onal  game  of  Monopoly  

•  How  would  you  re-­‐envision  the  game?  

•  What  new  rules  would  you  invent?  

Connec8ons  to  New  MassachuseHs  Curriculum  Common  Core  Standards:  :  Wri8ng  an  expository  text  using  “…precise  language  and  domain-­‐specific  vocabulary  to  inform  or  explain  about  a  topic.”    -­‐-­‐  Wri8ng  Standards  6-­‐12  

Gamestar  Mechanic  “Gamestar  Mechanic  was  developed  on  the  belief  that  when  kids  learn  to  design  the  games  they  play,  they  “build  technological,  ar8s8c,  cogni8ve,  social  and  linguis8c  skills  necessary  for  a  highly  networked,  digital,  rapidly  evolving  21st-­‐century  world.”  –  from  Spotlight  Media  

Ac8vity:  Create  a  Game  

•  Come  up  with  concept    •  Sketch  out  storyboard  •  Sign  up  for  Gamestar  Mechanic  hHp://gamestarmechanic.com/  

•  Start  to  build  a  game  

Connec8ons  to  New  MassachuseHs  Curriculum  Common  Core  Standards:  :    “Use  technology  …  to  produce  and  publish  wri8ng  as  well  as  interact  and  collaborate  with  others.”  -­‐-­‐  Wri8ng  Standards  6-­‐12  

Reflec8ons?  Ques8ons?  Feedback?  

The  Scholas8c  Game  Challenge  

hHp://www.scholas8c.com/createvideogames/  

hHp://www.scholas8c.com/createvideogames/videoGetInspired.htm