1 1

Games and Learning: An unhappy couple?

Ph.d stipendiat Simon Egenfeldt-Nielsen

22. sept 2002, KUA

2 2Agenda:

1. Introduction

2. Learning games now

3. Games: Counter-Strike & Europa Universalis

4. Sketching a theory for game learning dynamics

3 3Introduction:

Masters Degree in Psychology, Copenhagen University in 2000.

PhD Student at IT-University of Copenhagen. Currently in first phase of exploring in-depth my project.

Working paper

Consulting/work:

Framfab A Web agency where I was responsible for children, internet, gaming and entertainment. Placed in the department Centre for User experience.

Game Research Started to bridge the gap between arts, science and business within gaming.

Written two Danish books on games and learning.

I will talk about how to facilitate learning in games and what consequences it has for games.

4 4Agenda:

1. Introduction

2. Learning games now

3. Games: Counter Strike & Europa Universalis

4. Sketching a theory for game learning dynamics

5 5Agenda:

Different research initiatives on computer games and learning (in order):

• Adventure games: Riven, Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego.• Business & society simulations: Simcity, Doonesbury • Health training: Foodman, Bronkie • Virtual worlds: Everquest, Active worlds. • Mathematical: Logo, Through the Glasswall, E-gem. • Cognitive skills: All games to varying degrees (spatial, motor coordination).

Source: from meta-search on abstracts in database (Eric, Psych info, Medline, Emerald, Proquest, IJIL, web-sites)

Suffer the same problems as game research in general. The favorites are Adventure, simulation and strategy games, in that order – no action games.

6 6Agenda:

Deals with learning from different angles, with different potential and consequences:

The matrix of research interest:

Gam

e fo

cus

Low

High

Learning focus

Low High

Subject(Math, Language, geographic, history)

Competences(Spatial, perception, analysis, problem solving)

Genre(Adventure, simulation strategy, action)

User group(Pupils, students, disabled, maladjusted, business)

7 7Learning games gone bad:Learning games are actually even more focused on the unfortunate tendency of game designers - the desire to control the universe.

Often learning is conceived in a faulty way, through the glasses of an old behaviorist-learning paradigm. This game is clearly very subject oriented!

Problems:

You make a visual universe set in a Pyramid without relation to the learning.

You want to give the player a specific amount of learning. This you put first in the game.

Then you add little classic games with no relation to the Pyramids or the content available first in the game.

Picture: Chefrens Pyramide

8 8Learning games somewhat better:In the best cases the knowledge is part of the playing experience like in Bronkie the Bronchiasaurus, where you must fight asthma.

This game is very much from a genre perspectives – Lieberman set out to create an education action game.

Advantages:

You make a visual universe set in a play world with knowledge primers.

You give the player a specific amount of learning. Which you integrate into the actions in the game

The game remains cool and the learning is a natural part of the game universe.

Picture: Bronkie the Bronchiasaurus

9 9Other paths to follow:

Kids are far too smart to be cheated by discount games in the long run.

The game must be conceived as cool like commercial titles – if not, the learning has taken too much fun out of the game.

It is in commercial games that the learning potential lies and if we are to use the increased motivation and learning in games we must look here.

We must ensure that the learning does not make us forget the game part and thereby removes the fun.

1010Agenda:

1. Introduction

2. Learning games now

3. Games: Counter Strike & Europa Universalis

4. Sketching a theory for game learning dynamics

1111Counter-Strike: not the right learning I?

The problem of Counter-Strike is not that it does not contain factual correct data, because it does for example in relation to accuracy of the weapons, uniforms and avatar movement. However, from a society point of view this is not very valuable knowledge.

1212Counter Strike: not the right learning II?

1. The most basic premise of Counter-Strike is move and shoot. When you enter the game this is what you do instinctively.

2. Of course this will not get you anywhere fast. Instead you have to figure out the map, be able to plant the bomb and defuse it, know the strengths of each weapon etc. You will begin to construct working models for different scenarios and try different approaches.

3. Next you begin to question the working scenarios. If the opponent knows that I will hide behind the box, perhaps I should blast right ahead. Or perhaps all together redefine the game.

The learning process above is no different than other types of learning, what is missing is a ‘curriculum’. A curriculum that the game designers are surely not able to produce without experts in different subjects.

1313Europa Universalis: the facts of the game I? The game primarily covers the European history from 1419 to 1820. You can choose different scenarios within this period or the grand campaign spanning the whole period. A staggering amount of different states where you must manipulate on different levels to become successful: Military, technology, economy, religion, culture, diplomacy, colonization, fleet, trade etc.

The quality of this material make it relevant for use in other contexts.

1414Europa Universalis: the facts of the game II?

The combination of subject experts with game development professionals should be a goal.

What sets Europa Universalis aside is that it did not set out to encompass certain aspects of history but took it as an important ingredient in the overall playing experience.

What really makes a difference is the ability to integrate learning as compelling material thereby also making possible the transfer of more factual knowledge.

“The computer game development was drastically different from the board game….. While the board game has a deterministic view of history the philosophy for the computer game was to make historical changes possible to make a more enjoyable game.”

 Malmberg (2002) 

1515Easing down on the ambitions and being true to the game environment: An interesting project is Virtual U, which is based on the famous Simcity but is more serious. Here they have tried to put more realistic information into the simulation but still give it a game part.

However, it seems quite complex and overwhelming although rather well thought out.

1616Make an expandable universe:

A parameter too often overlooked is the degree of ability to dig in.

One of the challenges of complex simulation and learning is to ease down the ambitions, so to speak – by perhaps betting more on the playability in the first ¼ of the game’s life cycle with a player and then make it necessary for him to gather knowledge in order to advance.

The games below look alike on the surface but not when you dig in - they change.

Age of Empires I Age of Empires II

1717Compelling material build good universe: As an encouragement you can also see that the good game universes have different layers that the players can slowly immerse into. This should be easier to do by drawing more closely on real life artifacts and especially in history.

This layer approach is instead of branches which is something different. When branching you decide on different paths for the player but with layers you construct the game so factors on a deeper level can be uncovered like relations between specific units, countries or items.

The game universe must be rich and detailed enough to provide for layers, which is often not possible if you do not include enough real life artifacts. You could use detailed fantasy worlds like Tolkien’s.

Game Progression Game Progression

Technology trees

Units relation

Awareness of gamer

1818Agenda:

1. Introduction

2. Learning games now

3. Games: Counter Strike & Europa Universalis

4. Sketching a theory for game learning dynamics

1919

I believe we can identify three basic factors in making learning in games that works – furthermore, learning and knowledge share some problems:

Playing Knowledge

Story

Sketch of current learning dynamics:

I use story in a very pragmatic way not being a narratologist, meaning the content in the game that tells you something about the game universe context.

2020Sketch of current learning dynamics:

Note: Could also find other models like network, but these are the most occurring

Some (new) adventure games to some degree eliminate this story problem.

Pla

y

Story line

Scenario: Start-Finish:

End of game partStart of game part

Story line

Know- ledge

Know- ledgeP

lay

End of game partStart of game part

Kno

wle

dge

PlayS

tory

line

Scenario: Split screens:

Play

PlayPlay

Sto

ry

pro

ble

ms

Know

led

ge

pro

ble

ms

2121

Instead we must use knowledge like compelling material, treat it with the same buzz as story.

Maintaining degrees of freedom both in playing, story wise and knowledge use are essential to get the full effect of game dynamics.

Sketch for new game learning dynamics:

Game complexity

2222

My premise is not that we need to abandon game designers and instead put in experts of learning or history but to make these groups work closer together. The subject expert serving as consultants and “filling up the head” of the designers.

So what we need to do is to relinquish the desire to take over the gaming universe in favor of our way of understanding learning. Every time someone starts to make learning stuff, he thinks of it in a quite old fashioned way.

A couple of issues I am currently pursuing:

Different learning types: What are the consequences of the different underlying philosophically assumptions of learning theories – ontology/epistemology. Do any lend itself better to understanding games than the others.

The transfer problem: Do computer games pose a special problem when transferring experience/learning/knowledge/information from a game context to another.

Motivation and intentionality: Do the powerful, attention and hold on the players intentionality pose problems in relation to learning – the search and fitting of learning into existing boxes.

Happy hunting:

2323References: — Bateson, Gregory (1972). Steps to an Ecology of Mind. Chicago

— Egenfeldt-Nielsen, Simon & Smith, Jonas H. (2000). Digital Play – about computer games and kids. Copenhagen: Hans Reitzels Forlag (Danish only)

— Friedman, Ted (1999). Making Sense of Software: Computer Games as Interactive Textuality. http://www.game-research.com/art_making_sense_of_software.asp

— Lieberman, Debra A. (2001).Management of Chronic Pediatric Diseases with Interactive Health Games: Theory and Research Findings. Journal of Ambulatory Care management, Vol. 24, Issue 1, pp. 26-38 (2001)

— Prensky, Marc (2001). Digital game-based learning. New-York: McGraw-Hill.

— Resnick, Mitchel & Silverman, Brian (1996). Exploring Emergence. Epistemology and Learning Group, MIT Media Laboratory http://el.www.media.mit.edu/groups/el/projects/emergence/

2424Thanks for listening:

If you have questions or need to contact me in other regards, my email address is:

sen@it-c.dk or egenfeldt@game-research.com

Links:

www.it-c.dk

www.teem.org.uk

www.game-research.com

2525

2626Europa Universalis pic 1

2727Europa Universalis pic 2

2828Age of Empires pic 1

2929Age of Empires pic 2

3030Virtual U pic 1

3131Virtual U pic 2