What do serious game players think?

JC Kinnamon Christopher Rousseau

R & D DivisionPADLA

West Chester University

November 13, 2013

Games

Richard Mayer

John Sweller

vs.

Jane McGonigal

PRO CON

Why this topic?

• What do... players think?

Why this topic?

• What do... players think?

Pedagogical effectiveness

Why this topic?

• What do... players think?

User acceptance

Game descriptionSkills• Planning• Interviewing• Gathering information• Eliciting cooperation• Challenging lies• Documenting• Reporting out findings

Game samples

Why this game? At this time?

Upgrade the learning experience

Address “reluctant leaners”

Data Collection Methods

Live observations

Remote observation

Post-experience

surveys

Post-experience debriefings

Concurrent self reports

Data Collection Methods

Formal Informal

Live / remote 6 7

Homework/debrief 12 3

Subjects

Formal Informal

Live / remote 6 Attorneys 7 Attorneys / staff

Homework/debrief 12 Law students 3 Attorneys

“Serious Game”

They had no idea what we were talking about

Cognitive Load

Maximize the Content(not actual data)

ManagedEarly challenges Figured things out

Designers made changes to lessen extraneous

cognitive load

ContentUIStoryOther

MotivationGame elements were powerful motivators

Grabbed pads of paperRestarted

Paid attention / checked things

StoryPowerful element in the

pull of the gameLearners were well aware

of the narrative Need for closure

Be careful—has to be relevant

Younger audience had harder time

Reading on-screen text

% of on-screen text read is normally low in compulsory

training

Startling high level witnessed

Hawthorne effect?

Read when necessary

EngagementAnnoyed by technical

glitchesLittle tolerance for

distractionsFocused on relevant details

Mastering techniques

DisclosureOpen- ended questions

Gaining cooperationGeneral questions before

focused questionsPlanning strategies

Challenging lies

FeedbackProcessed

Changed behaviorFocused on learning from

errorsChallenged evaluations

DebriefingsQuotable Quotes

• “I couldn’t multitask. I had to stop whatever else I was doing.”

• “I had never done an internal investigation before. I want to do one now.”

• “I would pick a sim over a lecture; particularly for a skill topic.”

• “It was fun. That is not something I thought I would say.”

• “It is more valuable to do it vs. hear about it.”

• I wouldn’t have thought to use evidence that way.

• “It is wonderful to see how it is done. Better than sitting and listening.”

• “The game throws you in.... gives an associate a taste of how things happen.”

• “If I have the choice of a PowerPoint lecture and a game, I will choose the game.”

• “After the first episode I stopped playing a game and I did it like it was real.”

Summary• Acceptance of game approach by professionals• Preference for the approach – 100%• High levels of engagement• High completion rate• Trade-off: Cognitive load vs. motivational factors

Thanks for coming!

jckinnamon@pli.edu(212) 824-5813