Signing Up: Due 8 am Sat Two forms: Calendar is fixed Critique Research Calendar is fixed Choose a game that you want to critique Actually 5 possible games Choose a topic Can choose a team to work with Again choose 5 topics

Why Serious games work

learning

Evolution Games to teach individual concepts Multiplayer classrooms Schools structured as games Quest to Learn (NPR story)

What’s the idea? But is there science behind this? Games engage people Engaged people work longer, learn better Along with a learning curve, there is a forgetting curve People forget slower with games … because they learned it better? But is there science behind this?

Learning Theory Support Experiential learning Inquiry-based learning Authenticity Self-efficacy Goal-setting Continual feedback Cooperation

Biology Support Brain retains only the important Important = emotionally significant Releases dopamine in amygdala Game playing increases dopamine But what about studies?

University of Virginia Studies Business Economics Means of Test Scores Management

Games or Multimedia? New generation, New paradigms … Geology Explorer North Dakota State University Geology Explorer Virtual Cell Lecture baseline Web-based presentation No significant increase Virtual world game 15-40% increase Lecture baseline Web-based presentation 13-30% increase Virtual world game 30-63% increase New generation, New paradigms …

Digital Natives (vs Digital Immigrants) Receive information rapidly Parallel process Multi-task Prefer graphics first Prefer random access Thrive on instant gratification and frequent rewards Fundamentally think and process information differently

Population Changes Boomer ‘46-’64 Gen X ‘65-’79 Gen Y ‘80-’94 Gen Z ‘95- Training Too much and I’ll leave Required to keep me Continuous and expected Learning Style Facilitated Independent Collaborative and networked Problem solving Structured Collaborative Feedback Once per year Weekly or daily On demand Task changing Slows me down Necessary Part of my daily routine Lancaster & Stillman

Health

Managing Illness (2 SNE games 1995) Bronkie the Bronchiasaurus Asthma 45% reduction in crises Packy and Marlon Diabetes 70% reduction in crises

Pain Management Free Dive SnowWorld

Rehabilitation: PTSD Tailor environments to traumatic experience Relive as much as can tolerate Significant results Full Spectrum Warrior

Physical Therapy Injury Surgery Stroke Alzheimer Parkinson’s Burns More fun = more time

Exergaming Started with Wii Better than videos? Now on Wii Fit EA Active Now on Kinect (Microsoft, Nike) Playstation Move And smartphones Zombies Run! Better than videos? Are these games? Does it matter?

Games With A Purpose

Gaming can make a better world Jane McGonigal Gaming can make a better world TED talk

The Big Idea There are things that people can do better than machines There are lots of people with a bit of time The more people, the more diversity, the more different approaches Crowdsourcing!

Two Examples FoldIt GWAP Folding Proteins Goal: to fold a protein according to constraints at the lowest energy level Recent: Misfolding and Alzheimer’s EteRNA: for RNA Knowledge Gathering Various Games Human association Image tagging

Social Impact Games

Social Change: Opinions Letters to the editor Articles Books Television shows Documentaries Movies Web Sites Blogs Radio shows Music Paintings Sculptures Photographs Signs

Social Change Transform Awareness Commentary PeaceMaker Garbage Glut 3rd World Farmer Darfur is Dying

Resources

Some Interesting Web Sites The Educational Game Database Games for Change Marc Prensky