Impact and Influence of Educators in Game Design

AnnMaria De Mars 7 Generation Games

Gifts for you #1 Download game demos now or later Run on Mac and Windows

SCHOOL IS THE ONE PLACE WHERE WE LABOR EACH ALONE So meet someone

Today’s agenda 1.Overview of educator roles in game design 2.Example of educator impact 3.Why it’s important 4.Game demos

Think What is an example of the WORST game design idea you can imagine? What is an example of GREAT teaching? Low-tech clickers -- Raise your hand when you hear it

… ISN’T ASKING FOR ADVICE, IT’S ASKING FOR THEIR CONSENT Asking educators for input after a game has been designed …

How it usually works

Video!

Best Teachers Do What? Direct instruction of English language Multiple modes of instruction (De Mars & Gill, 2007)

WHEN EDUCATORS ARE INVOLVED IN GAME DESIGN ? What does it look like …

An example

Step 1

Suggestions Bigger font Have numerator on top (Mathjax) Have a hint button

Step 2

Hint:

Suggestions Some of the hints should be videos Need to explain some of the English vocabulary and teach words in context

Done

Direct teaching of vocabulary wasn’t only requested by schools with large population of ELL students

Suggestions Have page after video that reinforces the take- away Allow students two tries at each question Give more points if question was answered correctly the first time

End Screen

FOR EVERY PROBLEM And we do this iteration …

Hundreds of problems

FOR EVERY EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE

It’s an iterative process Teacher Review Test in schools Software Design

RESULTS

Most games don’t design in QUALITY education

It’s not that educational games are designed by evil people But the process just described takes a LOT of time and a LOT of money

How We’re Different

How it’s possible Funded by Kickstarter

Gift #2 Teacher resources – Aligned with games – Aligned with standards

How about you? Teacher input Student input Blog posts

Gift #3 In order of development stage sandbox.7generationgames.com/forgotten_trail / summer.7generationgames.com