Battling With Monsters Integrated Gamification in the First-Year Composition Classroom Lee Hibbard University of Alabama in Huntsville

Gaming the Classroom ● Research into the use of videogames in the classroom indicates positive student response. ● Two popular pedagogical methods make use of games and game principles in classrooms.

Definitions ● Game Studies: “The study of videogames in diverse academic disciplines that focus on videogames beyond their technical creation and mechanics.” ● Gamification Pedagogy: “A pedagogical system that makes use of videogame principles such as leveling up, achievements, and experience points to increase active student engagement.”

Move Towards Integration ● Both methods effective in increasing student engagement. ● Studies have not investigated what happens when the two pedagogies are combined. ● Combining the two is the next logical step.

New Definition ● Integrated Gamification: “a pedagogical method that combines the teaching of videogame texts in the classroom with elements of Gamification pedagogy under a unified course theme.”

Case Study: The Integrated Gamification Classroom ● Study that investigates uniting videogame texts and gamification through use of a classroom theme and how students respond to this combination.

Into The Abyss ● A section of Composition II that incorporated videogames into a gamified classroom format under the unifying theme of Monsters. ● Taught in the Fall Semester of 2014 at UAH.

Results of the Study ● Students find the integrated gamification classroom interesting and engaging even when it is applied to a General Education course such as composition II.

My Research Questions ● “What happens when game studies and gamification are integrated using a common theme in the classroom?” ● “How do students respond to videogames and gamification in the classroom?”

Integration Methods: XP ● Every action accumulates experience points, or XP. ● These points are applied to a Leveling system. ● Students earn XP and level up as they progress in the course.

LevelXPLetter Grade One0F Two40 Three120 Four220 Five340 Six480 Seven640- Eight820 Nine1020 D- Ten1260D Eleven1340 D+ Twelve1400 C- Thirteen1460C Fourteen1540 C+ Fifteen1600 B- Sixteen1660B Seventeen1740 B+ Eighteen1800 A- Nineteen1860A Twenty2000 A+ Fig. 1: XP and Level Up model for Into The Abyss.

Integration Methods: Achievements ● Awarded for reaching specific goals. ● Named in reference to the videogame texts studied in the class.

Integration Methods: Videogame Texts

Research Methods: Surveys ● Two student surveys asking about previous experience with both writing classes and videogames. ● One conducted on the first day of class, one on the last day of class.

Research Methods: Case Study Notes ● Notes made throughout the course of the semester to record student reactions to course format and material.

Case Study Notes: Class Session 3 ● First class session that included an in-class Game Demonstration. ● Lesson on Sigmund Freud’s The Uncanny and Silent Hill 2.

Case Study Notes: Class Format ● Class Discussion of the reading assignment (30 minutes). ● In-Class Game Demonstration (30 minutes). ● Group discussion on connections between the reading and the game (20 minutes).

Silent Hill 2: The Game Demonstration ● Game played via Xbox 360 connected to the projector. ● Students volunteered to play the game while the rest of the class watched and offered verbal assistance.

Why Play Silent Hill 2? ● Game themes relate to The Uncanny. ● Game mechanics also relate to The Uncanny. ● Aspects of the game’s connection to the reading only make sense when the game is being actively played.

Fig 2: Standard Xbox 360 Controls

Fig 3: Standard 3rd Person POV for Xbox 360

Fig 4: Silent Hill 2 POV for Xbox 360

Case Study Notes: Student Reactions ● Group Gameplay: helping the student holding the controller. ● Engaged discussion. ● Additional Context for understanding “Uncanny” aspects of the Monstrous.

Survey Findings: Pre-Semester 1.Students were more interested in Into The Abyss than past writing classes. 2.Students were enrolled in the class as part of their degree requirements. 3.All students had some experience playing or interacting with videogames.

Fig 5: Student response to Question 5

Fig 6: Student Response to Question 6

Fig 7: Student Response to Question 7

Fig 8: Student Response to Question 9

Survey Findings: End-of-Semester 1.Students considered videogame texts and discussion of content to be more effective than lectures 2.All students responded positively to the inclusion of games in the classroom. 3.Students would take a class in a gamified format again. 4.Students felt their writing improved as a result of taking the class.

Fig 9: Student Response to Question 2

Fig 10: Student Response to Question 4

Fig 11: Student Response to Question 6

Fig 12: Student Response to Question 8

Conclusion ● Students respond positively to the use of videogame texts and the gamified classroom format ● Integrated gamification provides a new and active classroom environment. ● Students benefit from the integration of game texts and gamification in the FYCC.