For the course, EDUC5105:91: Designing Web-Based Learning Prof: Kathy Snow

 Originally, I was looking for a way to do role- playing online. It’s because I try to instil in my students a sense of empathy. Therefore, a lot of exercises I do involve attempting to have my students be in the shoes of someone else. I looked at Telagami, considered Tinker, and even checked out using Vokis. In the end, nothing seemed to serve the purpose I wanted.

 I shared my frustration with a substitute teacher who graduated from university just a few years ago. She suggested I check out RealLives 2010 or Second Life. She told me that I could download RealLives from CNET, but when I tried, it was no longer free. I never like to buy things if I don’t have to. I contacted them, and despite the fact that they do not have an option for a free trial, they said that they would set me up with a free trial license (maybe because I had indicated that I would try to convince the other grade 6 teachers to purchase it if I liked it.

 As I awaited for the license to be ed to me (and after at least a week of difficulty getting it to work), I decided to do some research on RealLives to make sure it was viable. I got a good feel of what it was on YouTube; however, it would not suit the purpose for role-playing online. It did, nonetheless, answer to a problem I’ve always had with another assignment I do every fall. Students need to do research on 6 different elements of culture for a country of their choice (outside of Canada and the U.S.A. These grade 6’s always struggle to understand the complicated language, statistics, graphs, etc., whether in French or English. They also risk finding disturbing information and images as well. RealLives seemed to offer a unique source of information to cover all areas of research for their assignment.

 I decided to try and do this myself, instead of just going by the life simulations done on YouTube by someone else. Since I did not have the license yet, I did my research and found an excellent review by Courtney Marchelletta, a Sim Games Expert for “Computer Sim Games Reviews”. She describes it as a life simulator that allows you to grow up as another person in almost any country.

 You make decisions for the person (such as free time activities, career choices, pursuing romance, or decreasing spending), and it is a game of survival. Although my students found it to be a game, I did not. Perhaps it’s because of the poverty I saw in several developing countries, but I did not enjoy seeing family members get malaria, die from water-born diseases, etc. (in the simulation).

 Sometimes the “player” has no decisions to make, or you are limited. If your sibling gets malaria, or if your brother is executed, that is out of your hands.

 I was lucky to find a study done on RealLives 2010, in three different schools, for grade 7 classes. Struppert (2010) discusses how it was a very engaging game for these students, and that they were of an appropriate age to deal with issues like homosexuality or rape. I was quite shocked when I was a girl in India, and when I clicked “age 1 year”, I saw: “12 years old: I was raped”! As it does for diseases and other cultural aspects, it goes on to describe what rape (a brutal act that is more about power than about sex). I am not comfortable dealing with this with grade 6 students.

 Akilli, in Struppert (2010), says that this game can “provide an instantly interactive learning environmet, which is often considered more engaging, motivating and fun for all students.” (p. 365). After doing our first simulation together as a class, my students (after enthusiastically calling out their choices when possible), asked to stay in at lunch time to try it themselves.

 My students really liked how they could learn so much from the simulations (like about diseases they had never heard of; how hopeless your life could be from birth; and how these details are never in the news). Although I really like this “game” (my students did too – see next slide), I fear that even with a lot of monitoring by a teacher, there are some issues that may be too much for my students.

 Bachen, C. M, Hernandez-Ramos, P. F., Raphael, C., (2012). Simulating REAL LIVES: Promoting Global Empathy and Interest in learning Through Simulation Games. Simulating Gaming, Vol43, no10, p  Bramesfeld, K. D. (2015). The Game of Social Life: An Assessment of a Multidimensional Poverty Simulation. Teaching Socialolgy, vol43, no2, p  Gee, J. P. (2011, Aug 4). Games and Education Scholar James Paul Gee on Video Games, Learning, and Literacy. Retrieved from  ibx2cat (2013, Mar 31). Real Lives 2010 Lets Play. Retrieved from  Marchelletta, C (no date given). “Real Lives” Experience life in cultures around the globe in “Real Lives.” Sim Game Reviews : N-S. Taken from  Struppert, A (2010). “It’s a Whole New Fun different Way to Learn.” Students’ Perceptions of Learning with an Electronic Simulation: Selected Results from Three Case Studies in an Australian, an American and a Swiss Middle School. International Journal of Learning, vol17, no9, p  Wowcrendor (2013, July 25). I Felt Like Playing: Real Lives Retrieved from