Gamedays 2014 - Darmstadt – Cat King’s metamorphosis

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The reuse of an educational game in a further technical domain

H. Söbke1 – E. Chan1 – R. von Buttlar2 – J. Große-Wortmann2 – J. Londong1

1 Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Germany2 Lernfreak UG, Berlin, Germany

Cat King‘s Metamorphosis

Gamedays 2014 - Darmstadt – Cat King’s metamorphosis

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Cat King

• Katzenkönigfall 1986• Well known case in German criminal law• Used in law education

Introduction Work Items Discussion Results

Gamedays 2014 - Darmstadt – Cat King’s metamorphosis

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Cat King App• Mobile app • Casual game play• Educational target: Memorizing basic definitions • Multiple response questions• iOS (App Store: „JuraShooter“)

• Developed by Lernfreak, a Berlin-based company

• Player‘s engagement measured indirectly• Apple Game Center

Introduction Work Items Discussion Results

Gamedays 2014 - Darmstadt – Cat King’s metamorphosis

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Sample Question:What are the defining characteristics of „perfidiousness“?

Gamedays 2014 - Darmstadt – Cat King’s metamorphosis

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Development of educational video games:Challenges

• Technical Challenge• Design Challenge

• Appropriate combination of game mechanics and content („intrinsic integration“ Habgood 2011)

• Well-known Failures• “Broccoli-covered chocolate” (Bruckman 1999)

• “Shavian Reversals” (Papert 1998)

• “Caricature of computer games and a reactionary use of learning theory” (Egenfeldt-Nielsen 2007)

Working educational video games

are precious!

Introduction Work Items Discussion Results

Gamedays 2014 - Darmstadt – Cat King’s metamorphosis

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The experiment of Cat King‘s reuse

• Technical Domain: • Urban wastewater management

• Educational Context (target group)• Undergraduate students of Environmental Engineering

• Course: Waste Water Management

• Game: extracurricular activity

Introduction Work Items Discussion Results

Gamedays 2014 - Darmstadt – Cat King’s metamorphosis

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System Structures

AppJuraShooter Engine

Server

CMS(Content

Management System)

Class ModelSystem Components

Introduction Work Items Discussion Results

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Work Items

• Story• (Educational) Content• Graphics• Sound Effects and Background Music• Introductory Video• (Voice effects)• Production

• Coordination• Compilation, Test and App Store Submission

Introduction Work Items Discussion Results

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Work Item: Story

• Brainstorming session of domain experts• Result: 6 Stories

• Online Survey• Assessment criteria: authenticity, challenge, favorites• Distribution via mailing list• Result: Short List of 3 Stories

• Expert Decision• Result:

“Sewer Rats – Attack from the underground” …

Introduction Work Items Discussion Results

Gamedays 2014 - Darmstadt – Cat King’s metamorphosis

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Work Item: Creation of Content

Methods1. Content creation

2. (Unstructured) play tests

Result areas3. Selection of Content

4. Level Building

5. Structure of Questions

6. False Answers

Introduction Work Items Discussion Results

Gamedays 2014 - Darmstadt – Cat King’s metamorphosis

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Results (1)1. Selection of Content

• Content: Factual Knowledge

2. Level Building• Optimal size of 10 to 15 questions• Topical cohesion

Introduction Work Items Discussion Results

Gamedays 2014 - Darmstadt – Cat King’s metamorphosis

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Results (2)

3. Structure of Questions• Ratio of correct and false answers• Minimum number of correct answers• Maximum number of correct answers• Length of texts• Attribute „Correct Order“

Introduction Work Items Discussion Results

Gamedays 2014 - Darmstadt – Cat King’s metamorphosis

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Results (3)

4. False Answers• Words with similar spelling• Similar words with different meaning• Correct answers of previous questions• Opposites of correct answers• Technical terms of other domains• Well known sentences• …

Introduction Work Items Discussion Results

Gamedays 2014 - Darmstadt – Cat King’s metamorphosis

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Work Items: Graphics / SFX / Video

• Graphics• Proposals based on story • Set of required graphics

• SFX• Input: story, graphics• Set of required SFX and loops

• Video• Function: Introduces story and mission• Input: story, additional graphics

Introduction Work Items Discussion Results

Gamedays 2014 - Darmstadt – Cat King’s metamorphosis

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Effort

Pos. Work item Effort (h)

1 Implementation of JuraShooter engine and Content Editor 800

2 Story 10

3 Graphics 50

4 Sound effects / background music 20

5 Introductory video 20

6 Voice effects (including studio effort) 10

7 Content 60

8 Coordination of the production process 20

9 Technical production (Compilation and submission to the App Store)

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Sum 1000

Effort „Cat King App“

Effort necessary for each app: 200 h

License fee(Break even: 10 apps): 80 h

Effort „Sewer Rats App“

200 + 80 = 280 h

approx. 30%

Introduction Work Items Discussion Results

Gamedays 2014 - Darmstadt – Cat King’s metamorphosis

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Restrictions

• Transferable Knowledge• Complexity • Structure

• Limited Usage• Gamer Type• OS Platform• Novelty

• Maintenance• Copyrights

Introduction Work Items Discussion Results

Gamedays 2014 - Darmstadt – Cat King’s metamorphosis

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Discussion

• Yielding Play Tests• Production process needs to mature

• Pipeline not automated• Graphics: 5 resolutions necessary• Missing documentation

• Support for additional OS platforms needed• 12 % iOS vs. 60% iOS + Android

Introduction Work Items Discussion Results

Gamedays 2014 - Darmstadt – Cat King’s metamorphosis

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Conclusions

Reuse of an educational video game in a further domains is possible

• There exist such games

But:• Cooperative game developer needed• Content generation requires domain experts• Technical problems may arise: game not yet ready for

reuse

Introduction Work Items Discussion Results

Gamedays 2014 - Darmstadt – Cat King’s metamorphosis

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Outlook

• Evaluation • Acceptance• Efficacy

• App / Technical• Streamline the production process• Usability Content Management System• Additional App features

Introduction Work Items Discussion Results

Gamedays 2014 - Darmstadt – Cat King’s metamorphosis

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Questions?

• Bauhaus-Universität Weimar

heinrich.soebke(at)uni-weimar.de• Lernfreak UG, Raban von Buttlar

mail(at)lernfreak.de• Sewer Rats App („KanalrattenShooter“)

Available on test devicesPublic availability: App Store, from April 15th

Introduction Work Items Discussion Results