1. Creating an Educational Game Program for Higher Education
GameQuest
Creating an Educational Game Program for Higher Education
Steve Ackerman
and
Kathy Christoph
Welcome participants and introduce yourselves.
Time: 2 min.
Total presentation time: 50 mins.
© 2008 Board of Regents
University of Wisconsin System

2. Session Focus and Goal
How to implement a campus simulation-games learning program
Apply a game quest metaphor for program development and planning
Learn and have fun
Describe goals of presentation
Time: 1 min.

3. A Presentational Paradigm Shift
Expository
Experiential
With games and simulations
experience is primary
and explanation secondary.
A Pedagogical Shift
Linear
Hierarchical
Didactic
Packaged
Instructor controlled
Formal
Detached
Decontextualized
Both our presentation and our topic reflect a paradigm shift in education today.
Traditional Education: tends toward formal expository approaches to teaching and learning where knowledge is explained and packaged
Educational Games and Simulations: tend toward experiential forms of learning – immersive environments
The pedagogical shift is from:
Explanation to experience
Passive to active
Time: 3 min.
Interactive
Immersive
Discovery & exploratory
User controlled
Realism and fantasy
Informal
Engaged & challenged
Contextualize

4. Some Definitions Simulation Game Sim-Game
A program/activity that contains a model of a natural or artificial process or system.
Simulation
A contrived rule-based activity with a goal of achieving certain measurable outcomes to win.
Game
Sim-Game
A simulation with integrated game-like features (competition, rules & rewards) often referred to as serious games.
Academics require definitions:
Key Points to bring out:
All games and simulations are contrived situations.
Simulations are of most relevance to higher education because they mimic real world situations and are based on models that can map onto much of what is taught in many courses. They may not necessarily be engaging or fun for learners.
Games often don’t model real world processes but can produce higher levels of participation, engagement and fun.
Simulation-games represent a hybrid because they bring together elements of both
Sim-games often referred to as “Serious Games”
Recommendation: don’t be too strict about these definitions they are still being developed – useful for us.
Time 3 min.
Game-ulation

5. Sim-Game Learning Experience
The Simulation-Game Space
Chris
Unique paths, adventures and stories
Carole
Kathy
Steve
Diagram represents the learning experience often provided by well designed simulation-games. Often referred to as simulation-game space or environment.
Characterized by:
Learners are free to take different paths, make mistakes and have unique experiences
Includes rich decision spaces within the sim-game environment
Individuals create their own story or narrative as they move throuth the sim-game space
You’ll develop your own story in this session.
Time: 2 min.

6. Return to Ordinary World
GameQuest Process
Call to Adventure
Preparation
Road of Trials
Return to Ordinary World
Many game developers have been inspired by the work of Joseph Campbell. Story structure is key to a good game.
Incorporate elements of his mythic quest of the hero’s journey
Includes 4 phases (we’ve added one, the preparation phase)
Call to adventure
Preparation
Road of Trials – we are here
Achieving the boon – evaluating success, receiving external funding – these are happening now (cyl 9/08)
Return to ordinary world
This process is reflected in many adventure game designs.
Time: 3 min.
Achieving the Boon

7. Your Call to Adventure
Creating a Campus Simulation-Games for Learning Program
Roles
Program planners for a fictitious campus
Work with a team of planners
Decide on strategies and assets
Goals
We are calling you to an adventure right now.
Your Role and Goal (these are key game design elements)
Time: 2 min.
Create a program that includes:
Campus community
Motivated faculty
Support staff
Funding

8. Your Call to Adventure
Getting Started
Form into groups of 3
Quickly introduce yourselves
Task
Identify 3 elements that would be essential for starting a campus simulation-games for learning program.
Activity set up:
Distribute cards to groups as they discuss questions
Time: 5 mins.
(5 minutes)

9. Preparation Set-up and Rules Do not begin until told
Card deck represents assets and strategies for developing a campus simulation-games for learning program
Work as a team to construct a program with each member contributing a certain number of cards per turn.
Do not look at cards in deck but can draw from deck when told
Can look at each other’s cards but can not exchange them.
Explain the structure of the game
No points or funding $ amounts

10. What is a winning combination?
Preparation
Goal:
Decide upon and select your program’s core assets and strategies using cards
What to do:
Open envelope and place the deck face down on a flat surface
Each member draws five cards from deck
Each member contributes 2 cards from their hand to the program
These cards may look like things you came up with during your discussion.
Describe winning hand – diversity of colors
Time: 10 min.
What is a winning combination?
(10 minutes)

11. The Road of Trials Get Ready Conflict Opportunities Set-backs Learning
Audio effect
This is where the Engage program is right now.
Trials we have experienced
Learning

12. The Road of Trials - Take that!
Brain Drain: Your most influential faculty member is recruited away by another university. by
Read card with drama
Rule: If don’t have this card don’t loose anything
If have card you put it at bottom of deck face down unless…
See next slide

13. The Road of Trials - Take that!
Most Influential Faculty Member
Brain Drain: Your most influential faculty member is recruited away by another university. by
Lose your Most Influential Faculty Member card (if you have one)
Read card with drama
Rule: If don’t have this card don’t loose anything
If have card you put it at bottom of deck face down unless…
See next slide

14. The Road of Trials - Take that!
Most Influential Faculty Member
Brain Drain: Your most influential faculty member is recruited away by another university. by
Lose your Most Influential Faculty Member card (if you have one)
Read card with drama
Rule: If don’t have this card don’t loose anything
If have card you put it at bottom of deck face down unless…
See next slide

15. The Road of Trials –
Take that!!

16. The Road of Trials –
Take that!!

17. The Road of Trials –
Take that!!

18. The Road of Trials - Recovery
Each member draws 2 more cards from deck for a total of 5
Re-strategize
Replenish and refortify your program – each member contributes 1 card from their hand
Await the next trial
Time: 5 mins.
Reminder: Think about your earlier discussion and look for balance in a program.
(5 minutes)

19. The Road of Trials – Take that!
The group draws one card and places it on table.

20. The Road of Trials –
Take that!!

21. The Road of Trials – Take that!!
No penalty if you have a Games & Sims Research Lab or Game Developers.

22. The Road of Trials – Take that!!
No penalty if you have a Games & Sims Research Lab or Game Developers.

23. The Road of Trials – Recovery
Each member draws 1 more card from deck for a total of 5 in hand.
Re-strategize
Replenish and refortify your program – contribute 1 more card each
Await the next trial
Participants should have 4 cards in hand after discard.
(3 minutes)

24. The Road of Trials – Final Trial
Take that!!

25. The Road of Trials – Final Trial
Take that!!

26. The Road of Trials – Final Trial
Take that!!

27. The Road of Trials – Final Trial
Take that!!
Avoid through frequent
Usability Testing by students

28. The Road of Trials – Final Trial
Take that!!
Avoid through frequent
Usability Testing by students

29. The Road of Trials – Final Trial
Take that!!
Avoid through frequent
Usability Testing by students

30. Achieving the Goal or Not
What happened?
Did you construct a successful program?
What did you do well?
What would you do differently next time?
Reflect in your groups
Can ask additional questions to the full group.
How many groups think they have the ingredients for a successful program on their tables?
How many had each color represented on their table?
When were the learning moments?
Time 5 min.

31. Return to the Ordinary World
Reflect and apply what you learned
Work with team and select 9 cards which represent the core elements of an ideal program.
5 minutes ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
After groups select their 9 core cards have a few groups identify some of the most essential ones.

32. Return to the Ordinary World
What we discovered
Mention a few of the essential elements we discovered in our Engage experience.

33. Return to the Ordinary World
Engage Simulation and Games Program
In real program still in road of trials
The cards you played represent our experiences and found that all color types are necessary.

34. Engage Sims and Games Projects
Melody Mixer (Music Composition)
Malaria Prevention (Health Care)
Cool It (Engineering Cryogenics)
Transportation Simulator (Civil Engineering)
Speech Chain (Linguistics)
Voice Games (Communicative Disorders)
Johne’s Disease (Veterinary Medicine)
Virtual French House (French)
Critique It (Art Criticism)
Probability Theory (Math and Statistics)
Consulting with Student Writers (Writing Center)
Ice Cream Manufacturing (Food Science)
C’est La (seconde) vie! (French Lit. and Culture)
Cid
20 + faculty and academic staff

35. Where did we get the idea for GameQuest?
The Engage Faculty Advisory Group, with Kathy Christoph and Carole Turner.
Thanks to all who designed GameQuest:
Chris Blakesley
Jasun Carr
Cid Freitag
David Gagnon
Les Howles
Dan LaValley
Chris Lupton
AND our colleagues who willing play-tested round after round of the game.

36. Return to Ordinary World
The Quest Continues
Call to Adventure
Preparation
Road of Trials
Return to Ordinary World
What’s next?
StrategyQuest – in production for use with UW-Madison IT Strategic Planning campus-wide process (10/08)
DesignQuest – demo’d at GLS conference July 08
Handouts
GameQuest brochure
Sims/games projects brochure
Engage business cards
Envelope packs of GameQuest cards AND Road of Trials packs
Web site
Contacts
Achieving the Boon