Katrin Becker University of Calgary July 2006 Learning From Games Based on the paper: Classifying Learning Objectives in Commercial Video Games This session focuses on games for learning, why they are a natural fit for learning*, and what we can learn from blockbusters. Partly a report on a work in progress Partly an introduction to a new discipline Partly intended to provoke a reaction Prepared for the  GDER Summer Institute July 7-9 2006 *if not for education Katrin Becker University of Calgary July 2006 K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

Bit of a wild ride… Kids today (sheesh) Importance of play (what makes us human) New Ways (again) Games (and learning) The Masters (and learning from them) Figuring it out: Phase 1: Pedagogy (by way of superimposition) Phase 2: Implementation (by way of reverse engineering) So far Propose to take you on a short ride… Please bear with me Work in progress K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

Attributed to SOCRATES by Plato Kids Today (sheesh) "The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.” Who said this? Attributed to SOCRATES by Plato K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

“Kids Today” have been “Kids Today” for thousands of years, BUT… K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

Kids Today Really Are different Tech Savvy Still Naive Digital Natives yet Still Naive Digital Natives Producers, not just Consumers K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

Kids Today HELP THEM Prepare them Cure them? Their future or our past? Are different What do we do about it? HELP THEM Prepare them Cure them? Their future or our past? Geoff Southworth 2002 K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

We’ve come a long way, right? “Our schools have been scientifically designed to prevent over-education from happening...The average American [should be] content with their humble role in life, because they're not tempted to think about any other role." - William Harris, U.S. Commissioner of Education, 1889 Vocational training is the training of animals or slaves. It fits them to become cogs in the industrial machine. Free men need liberal education to prepare them to make a good use of their freedom. -John Dewey, 1916 K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

Importance of play (it makes us human) Games: Joint attention Imitation games precede language development Mimetic games form culture… Knucklebones 3-400 BC http://www.attalus.org/info/howto.html Progress of hominid cognition // progress of game forms - Merlin Donald Mimesis: intentional non-linguistic representational or imitative acts [Janet Murray] 2500 BCE http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/x/wxk116/romeball.html K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

Culture ratchets cognition – our brains and culture co-evolve. Games are media of interpersonal communication Marshall McLuhan Ur ~3000 BC Culture ratchets cognition – our brains and culture co-evolve. Michael Tomasello Senet ~3000 BC K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

Games are Natural Instructional Technologies As old as mankind. K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

New Ways K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

New Methods for “New” Ways “The invention of new methods that are adequate to the new ways in which problems are posed requires far more than a simple modification of previously accepted methods." Vygotsky K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

New Ways (again) Apprenticeship (PBL, case-based…) Everything old is new again K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

New Ways (again) Experiential Learning Everything old is new again One learns by doing a thing; for though you think you know it, you have no certainty until you try. - Sophocles Everything old is new again K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

Everything old is new again New Ways (again) Story-telling Everything old is new again K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

Everything old is new again New Ways (again) Visual Culture Everything old is new again K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

If Everything New is Old, Then What HAS Changed ? Media -> Digital Games = New Method K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

One View of Communication Media through History Story-Telling Performing Arts Passive: watch, listen, read Print Media Broadcast Radio Cinema Television Active / Interactive: Do, Act, Contribute Multimedia K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

Games (and learning) Learning from Games K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

Digital Games More than a simple modification of previously accepted methods… Now what? K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

If we are to take advantage of the medium, Digital Games If we are to take advantage of the medium, we must Look at HOW… Look at exemplars: “Old Media” New Media K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

The Masters (and learning from them) K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

Why are these such good teachers? Amos’n’Andy The West Wing K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

Are Games Good Teachers Too? K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

Figuring it out: To find out how games should teach, first look at how games do teach. Place in familiar context: Learning & Instructional Theories Find contact points. Gagné / Reigeluth / Kolb / Keirsey / Gregorc / Felder (This work has been done) K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

Phase 1: Pedagogy Premise: Games already incorporate sound pedagogy – even if it was not deliberate. Test: Can we superimpose accepted learning and instructional theories on existing games? K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

Answer: Yes, if they are good games. An example… Learning from Games K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

How Do Games Teach? Learning Theories Gagné’s Nine Events Levels Each of these elements can be seen as a tool that facilitates learning. Levels Valorization Attract Mode Back Story P.O.V. / Perspective Point of View Trailers 2. Informing Learners of the Objective (Expectancy) 3. Stimulating Recall of Prior Learning (Retrieval) H.U.D. Heads Up Display 1. Gaining Attention (Reception) Click to progress through events Story Mode 4. Presenting the Stimulus (Selective Perception) Sandbox Mode Gagné’s Nine Events 9. Enhancing Retention and Transfer (Generalization) N.P.C. Non-Playable Characters Tutorial Mode 5. Providing Learning Guidance (Semantic Encoding) 8. Assessing Performance (Retrieval) Fan Sites & Game Communities Boss Challenges 7. Providing Feedback (Reinforcement) 6. Eliciting Performance (Responding) Cut- Scenes A.I. Artificial Intelligence Variable L.O.D. Level of Detail Transmediality K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

All good games incorporate: Merrill’s First Principles Engagement – Solving realistic (real-life) problems Activation – Start Where the player/learner is. Demonstration – Show them what we want them to learn – don’t just tell them. Application – New knowledge must be applied to solve problems. Integration – Motivate to apply what was learned K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

Figuring it out: Phase 2: Implementation (by way of reverse engineering) …the attempt to recapture the top level specification by analyzing the product - "attempt" because it is not possible in practice, or even in theory, to recover everything in the original specification purely by studying the product… REVERSE ENGINEERING [DAVID C MUSKER] excerpt http://www.jenkins-ip.com/serv/serv_6.htm June 2 2006 K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

Why not just ask the designers? Figuring it out: Phase 2: Implementation (by way of reverse engineering) Why not just ask the designers? K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

Figuring it out: Phase 2: Implementation (by way of reverse engineering) Examine COTS games as if they had been designed for learning. Objectives exist. (minus societal value, i.e. education) K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

Phase 2: Implementation How can we know if games are effective? K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

Next Steps Knowing why a game is good is not the same as knowing how to make a good game, but it is a necessary first step. K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

Instructional Games Design will require a thorough grounding in Next Steps Instructional Games Design will require a thorough grounding in BOTH Instructional Design AND Games Design. K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

Thanks!! Official Game Sites Fan Art Game Images courtesy of: K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

Word play (definitions) 1 Learning 3 Instruction Education 2 5 Objective Outcome 6 Aim 4 K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

Education Done TO Initiation External Social Education is the organization of acquired habits of conduct and tendencies to behavior. (William James 1915, p15, Dover Edition 2001) Education Done TO Initiation *E* given/offered is not necessarily *E* received push External Social What we do (to induce/encourage learning) over and above that which is natural K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

Smaller in formal scope than Education Learning Acquisition Happens ALL the time Desirable result of education Internal Smaller in formal scope than Education K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

Teaching (more or less actively) Instruction Command Intentional Done TO push External Teaching (more or less actively) Subset of Education K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

Aim External Intent Target Deliberate WoW Learning from Games K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games WoW

Objective goal & objective are similar (each mentions the other in the dictionary) both somewhat external both having to do with intent goal is more singular and objective emphasizes characteristics or features K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games

Outcome Outcome has to do with result Effect Consequence K.Becker GDER Summer Institute ‘06 Learning from Games