Game-Based Learning and Training · Gameplay experience → playing a card game with a group of people in person is different than playing with them online… What is required to

CSCI 5530: Serious Games Development (Simulations and Serious Games)

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Winter 2012

Bill Kapralos

CSCI 5530, Winter 2012 Bill Kapralos

Winter 2012

Game-Based Learning and TrainingFriday, January 27 2012

Bill Kapralos

Overview (1):Something to Consider

The learning pyramid

Synergy

Analog meets digital

The effects of going digital

As and Aside

Further terminology

As an Aside – Second Life

Overview (2):The Millennials

The millennial student

Video games and learning

Serious Games

Overview

A couple of videos


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Synergy

Analog Meets Digital (1):Analog Simulations and Games Meet Computer Simulations and Games

Computer simulations and games made for research,

corporate, and commercial purposes before 2000 →

considerable differences with the what is currently

available, at least externally

Simulations produced most of their output in the

form of numbers while games included some form

of visual interface → this divide has eroded away

and currently simulations and games are very

much inter-mixed

Analog Meets Digital (2):Analog Simulations and Games Meet Computer Simulations and Games (cont.)

Early computer simulations (“sims”) → automated

versions of their analog counterparts

Crude approximations of their analog versions and

lacked depth in almost any attribute → visuals,

interaction, etc.

Part of this was due to the limited computational

power available at the time → but over the past

couple of decades computing power has increased

tremendously and we now have the proliferation of

the Internet


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Analog Meets Digital (3):What Analog and Digital Sims Share

The five critical characteristics defined by Thiagarajan

are common to all simulations (“sims”) and games

Conflict/challenge, constraints, closure,

contrivance, and correspondence → present in all

games and sims whether they are implemented on

a computer, paper, or acted out in real life

However all of the five except for challenge are

profoundly affected by going digital → challenge is

designed into the game or sim from the outset (at

least it should be!) whether designed as digital or

analog

Analog Meets Digital (4):The Effects of Going Digital

Fundamental differences between analog sims and

games and digital ones with respect to

Gameplay experience → playing a card game with

a group of people in person is different than

playing with them online…

What is required to support the sim/game ?

What participants can and cannot do → you can

cheat at solitaire when you play with a deck of

cards but you can’t cheat when playing solitaire on

a computer (at least not in the same manner)

Analog Meets Digital (5):The Effects of Going Digital (cont.)

Fundamental differences between analog sims and

games and digital ones with respect to (cont.)

Of course, there are many games that only exist as

computer games → Tetris, Mario, various MMOs…

Important difference → going digital changes things!

Although there is some overlap, there is a different

body of literature (and researchers) dealing with

digital games as opposed to traditional games

Some see this as a continuum → for those coming

from CS or IT there is no continuum


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The Effects of Going Digital (1):Base Model

In analog educational simulations much of the details

on original system which sim is based are taken for

granted and not made explicit

Example: live simulations of an emergency

evacuation at many workplaces usually take

environment for granted but you cannot take the

environment for granted in a computer simulation

→ many resources allocated to developing

environment and verifying that the simulation

environment is an accurate reflection of the model

being implemented

The Effects of Going Digital (2):Base model (cont.)

There are also aspects of a simulation that could

never be implemented in an analog simulation

Toxic smoke, nuclear plant explosion/accident,

landing a plane in fog/adverse weather conditions

→ too costly and too dangerous!

But this can be done within digital simulation with

no safety concerns → this is one of the benefits of

using digital simulations/games for education and

training!

The Effects of Going Digital (3):Rules

Rule enforcement hard-coded in digital games/sims

All board and card games also have rules associated with them but compliance is by the honor system → rules are written and players agree to abide by them

Rules in live-action sims may also be written but enforcement is done “on the fly” → player or facilitator controlled so basically they can be bent, broken, or changed when the simulation is running

Rule structures pre-determined in digital sims/games → must be written into the original model descriptions so that they could be implemented by the program


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As an Aside

Further Terminology (1):

Virtual Words

3D environments where participants from different

(remote) locations can meet with each other at the

same time

Can capture and convey enough social cues , such

as body language, interactive props, and the look

and feel of “real” surroundings to convince some

part of the participants’ brains that they are

physically in the other world

• Some virtual worlds allow users to build and

modify the environment → Second Life


Virtual Words

3D environments where participants from different

(remote) locations can meet with each other at the

same time

Can capture and convey enough social cues , such

as body language, interactive props, and the look

and feel of “real” surroundings to convince some

part of the participants’ brains that they are

physically in the other world

• Some virtual worlds allow users to build and

modify the environment → Second Life


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Virtual Reality

A medium composed of interactive computer

simulations that sense the participant’s position and

actions and replace or augment the feedback to one

or more senses, giving the feeling of being mentally

immersed or present in the simulation (a virtual world)

Four Key Elements of Virtual Reality Experience

1. The virtual world

2. Immersion

3. Sensory feedback

4. Interactivity


Virtual Environment

Virtual environment (VE) often used as a synonym

for both virtual reality and virtual world

The term VE actually pre-dates the term VR

VE ambiguous → defined as a virtual world or as a world presented in a particular VR hardware config.

Definition of virtual environment

A virtual world

An instance of a virtual world presented in an interactive medium such as virtual reality


Educational Simulation

Structured environments abstracted from some real

life activity with stated levels and goals

Allow participants to practice real-world skills with

appropriate feedback but without affecting real

processes or people


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Further Terminology (5):Putting it all Together

HIVEs, virtual worlds, games, educational simulations

Further Terminology (6):Putting it all Together (cont.)

Overlap of simulation, games, and pedagogy

As an Aside (1):

Second Life An Internet-based, multi-user, 3D world construction set that emphasizes creativity, collaboration, socializing and self-government

Users communicate through their graphical avatars (virtual personifications) using gestures, text messages, and their voice (via VoIP)

Avatar’s can be personalized → this is considered by many to be compelling and fun


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As an Aside (2):

Second Life (cont.)Comprised of “virtual land” → can be purchased directly from Linden Labs or from 3rd party usersVirtual land is divided into regions that have a specific name and represent 65,536 square meters of area (often called “sims”)Mainland regions typically consist of many landowners residing side-by-sideIslands are owned by individuals, a corporation, or institution and typically their development is dictated by a particular theme

As n Aside (3):

Second Life (cont.)

Is Second Life a game ? Is it a simulation ? Is it an

educational simulation ?

What do you think ?

Something to Consider


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The Learning Pyramid (1):Overview

In the early 1960s the National Training Laboratories

(NTL) in the US developed The Learning Pyramid,

which identifies the average level of knowledge

retention achieved when information is delivered in

various formats

Transmission oriented learning activities (where

students are passive listeners or observers) →

lowest levels of knowledge retention

Activities that require students to discuss

information, apply knowledge, and demonstrate

knowledge → highest levels of knowledge retention

The Learning Pyramid (2):Graphical Summary

Long before video games and the web!

The Learning Pyramid (3):Controversial and Debated ?

The source of the learning pyramid is sometimes

disputed but according to the NTL, it was developed

and used by the NTL at the Bethel, Maine campus in

the early sixties

But NTL no longer has or can we find, the original

research that supports the stated numbers

In 1954 a similar pyramid with slightly different

numbers appeared on p. 43 of a book called Audio-

Visual Methods in Teaching


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The Learning Pyramid (4):Controversial and

Debated ? (cont.)

Page 43 of the book

“Audio-Visual

Methods in Teaching”

The Millennials

Continued From Last Week (1):An Interesting Quotes

Marshall McLuhan

A Canadian educator, philosopher, and scholar

His work is viewed as one of the cornerstones of the study of media theory

Known for coining the expressions "the medium is the message" and "the global village" and predicted the Internet almost thirty years before its invention

“Anyone who makes a distinction between education and entertainment doesn’t know the first thing about either one”


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The Millennial Student (1):

Who are the Millennial Students ?

Born between 1981 - 1999

The generation raised in the sensory-flooded

environment of digital technology/mass media

The internet generation digital natives as

opposed to digital immigrants

Very technologically literate see technology as a

necessity, both in life and in learning


Challenges for Educators

Millennials view traditional teaching-and-learning

environments as boring

Traditional teaching doesn’t address their learning

needs

This generation has always been digitally connected,

leading to a mindset unlike any that faculty have seen

The Millennial Student (3):Expect Learning to be Fun & Interactive

They prefer learning by doing (trial and error)

This is the same learning that occurs in video

games

Obtain knowledge when given opportunities to

rehearse or practice skills reinforcement, application,

repetition, practice


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The Millennial Student (4):Challenges for Educators (cont.)

Millennial students are no longer the students our

educational system was designed to teach

This change is certainly not incremental from those

of the past nor simply changed their “slang”,

clothes, style, etc. as happened between previous

generations

A big discontinuity (“singularity”) has taken place →

an event that changes things so fundamentally that

there is no going back

Singularity → the arrival and rapid dissemination of

digital technology in the last few decades


As a result of the ubiquitous digital environment and

the sheer volume of their interaction with it

Millennials think and process information

fundamentally differently from their predecessors

→ these differences go far beyond and deeper

than most educators suspect or realize

Possible that current students’ brains have

physically changed → different from their parents

“Different kinds of experiences lead to different

brain structures” → Dr. Bruce D. Berry of Baylor

College of Medicine


As a result of the ubiquitous digital environment and

the sheer volume of their interaction with it (cont.)

Whether or not the millennials’ brains have literally

changed, one thing is certain → their thinking

patterns have changed


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Sample Video

“A vision of students today”

Ten Ways Millennials are Different (1):Overview

In the next few slides, we will cover a view presented

by Mark Prensky → “internationally acclaimed

speaker, writer, consultant, visionary and innovator in

the field of education and learning”

Mark argues 10 ways which millennials differ from

“digital immigrants” and provides some insight as

to how their education should reflect these

differences

Ten Ways Millennials are Different (2):Twitch Speed vs. Conventional Speed

Twitch speed → the rate that a game player’s thumbs

move up and down on the controller

Due to games and other experiences (phones,

other interactive media/devices), millennials have

far more experience at processing information

quicker than their predecessors → better at it

Of course, humans have always been able to

process information quickly (pilots, surgeons, etc.)

but this ability has now moved into a generation at

large and at an early age


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Ten Ways Millennials are Different (3):Twitch Speed vs. Conventional Speed (cont.)

Problem for millennials

Short of video games, little moves that fast

Traditional school which moves “slowly” feels very

boring to them!

We need to create learning experiences that maintain,

pace, and exploit this “twitch speed” while adding

content that is important and useful

Digital game-based learning!

Ten Ways Millennials are Different (4):Parallel vs. Linear Processing

Millennials always multitask and some of this stems

from games

Patricia Greenfield of UCLA (1984) cites parallel

processing as → “a cognitive requirement of skilful

video game playing”

The mind can actually process many tracks at once

(or in very quick succession)

People can learn to do much parallel processing in

certain job situations → fighter pilots, etc.

Ten Ways Millennials are Different (5):Parallel vs. Linear Processing (cont.)

Need to be thinking of additional ways to enhance

parallel processing for millennials to take advantage

of this now more highly enhanced human capability

Millennials are fed much more information at once

than has been done in the past → as in the games

they play, having all info at their fingertips

(numbers, video, links, simultaneous

conversations, etc.) with the ability to move

seamlessly between them is their “nature”


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Ten Ways Millennials are Different (6):Random Access vs. Linear thinking

Millennials were the first to experience hypertext and

“clicking around” in their games on the Web

Doing so, they have developed “hypertext minds”

as though their cognitive structures were parallel,

not sequential

This new random information access structure has

increased the millennials awareness of and ability

to make connections and has freed them from the

constraint of a single path of thought

Ten Ways Millennials are Different (7):Graphics First vs. Text First

In previous generations, graphics were illustrations

accompanying the text → make text clearer

Currently → the role of text is to clarify what was first

experienced as an image

Millennials are continuously exposed to high quality

visuals with little or no accompanying text →

sharpening of their visual sensitivity

Challenge → design ways to use this shift to

enhance comprehension while maintaining the

same or even greater richness of information in the

new visual context

Ten Ways Millennials are Different (8):Connected vs. Stand Alone

Millennials have become accustomed to the

worldwide connectedness of email, messaging,

multiplayer games, etc.

Both synchronous and asynchronous → there are

others that can be contacted, spoken to, and

played with, somewhere in the world 24/7/365

This connectedness has made them much more

less constrained by their physical location → willing

to work in “virtual teams”

Connectedness → information is available to them

at the click of their fingers…


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Ten Ways Millennials are Different (9):Active vs. Passive

The “just do it generation”

Much less tolerance for passive situations such as

lectures, classrooms, meetings

It has been theorized that this is directly from

growing up with video games → games are

designed to teach you as you go i.e., “trial and

error”

Ten Ways Millennials are Different (10):Payoff vs. Patience

Important lesson millennials learn from video games

If you put in the hours and master the game you

will be rewarded → with an advance to the next

level, with a win, with a place on the high score list

Games (and computers) can provide feedback very

quickly → has led to a huge intolerance on the part

of the millennials for things that don’t pay off at the

level expected (and quickly)

Need to offer millennials meaningful rewards NOW

rather than advice about how things will “pay off in

the long run”

Ten Ways Millennials are Different (11):Fantasy vs. Reality

Fantasy elements from both the past (e.g., medieval

Dungeons and Dragons) and the future (e.g., Star

Wars, Star Trek) are apparent in their lives

Encouraged by games and technology

Rather than “force” the millennials to “grow up and get

real” and abandon their rich fantasy worlds

We need to search for new ways to combine

fantasy and reality to everyone’s benefit


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Ten Ways Millennials are Different (12):Technology as Friend vs. Technology as Foe

To the digital immigrants

Technology is something to be feared, tolerated, or

at best, harnessed to one’s purpose

To the millennials

The computer is a “friend” → where they turn to for

play, relaxation, and fun

Owning or having access to a networked, game

enabled computers feels almost like a birthright

and a necessity

Ten Ways Millennials are Different (13):In Addition to the Above 10 Differences, a

Defining Characteristic of Millennials is their

Attitude

An irreverent, often sarcastic, “tell it like it is”, “don’t try

to pull the wool over my eyes”, way of looking at

things → this attitude is captured in many of their

games

Ten Ways Millennials are Different (14):Summary

In all the ways just described, and many others,

millennials are cognitively different from their

predecessors

Strong scientific evidence from neuroscientists and

psychologists on brain plasticity and malleability to

back this up

Milllennials feel bored by most of today’s

approaches to learning

The many skills that new technologies have

enhanced that have profound implications for their

learning are almost totally ignored by educators


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Ten Ways Millennials are Different (15):Summary (cont.)

Although certainly not the only way, video games

provide one of the few structures currently available

that is capable of meeting many of the millennials

changing learning needs and requirements

One of the reasons digital game-based learning

(serious games) is beginning to emerge and thrive

My own comments…

Video Games (1):

Meeting the Needs of Millennials

Recall from last week’s lecture

Video games are nothing more than formalized play

within a digital medium

Play = learning!

Gaming and interactive simulation environments

support learner-centered education

Learners are able to actively work through

problems acquire knowledge through practice

Faculty work as facilitators, facilitating the experience

and subsequent knowledge acquisition

Video Games (2):Video Games and Learning

In contrast to traditional teacher-centered learning

environments, video games present a learner-centered

approach player/student controls learning

Through interactivity allows the player to learn

via active, critical learning

Provides students the opportunity to learn to

appreciate inter-relationship of complex behaviors


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Video Games (3):Motivation for the Use of Video Game for

Learning “Real-World” Content and Subject

Matter

Today’s learners have changed drastically (as we just

examined)

These learners need to be motivated in new ways

Video Games (4):The Video Games and Learning (cont.)

Given the benefits inherent in video games with respect

to learning, application of video games to other areas

has not gone unnoticed recall US military

Video game technology has been

adopted and applied to applications

whose primary purpose, unlike

computer or console games, is not

entertainment serious games

Serious Games


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Overview (1):What Exactly are Serious Games ?

Video games that are used for training, advertising,

simulation, or education

More loosely defined games that don’t have

entertainment, enjoyment, or fun as their primary

purpose

Leverage the power of video games to captivate and engage players for a specific purpose such as to develop new knowledge or skills

Overview (2):Many Benefits

Allow users to experience situations that are difficult

(even impossible) to achieve in reality due too cost,

time, safety concerns, etc.

Support the development of various skills analytical,

spatial, strategic, recollection, psychomotor, visual

selective attention, etc.

Allow for improved self-monitoring, problem recognition

and solving, short/long term memory

Overview (3)

Cost Effective Alternative ??

Simulation Labs → expensive to build/maintain!


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Overview (4):Serious Games Applications

Have been employed in a number of learning-based

applications educational, national, security,

corporate management, military, government, and in

the training of emergency personnel/first responders,

and health care workers

Recently great effort in the development of

applications related to health and healthcare

Overview (5):Serious Games Applications (cont.)

Video 1 → BBC report on serious games

Video 2 → games for health

Overview (6):Serious Business (iDATE)

Currently → $1.5 Billion industry globally

By 2015 → $15 Billion industry globally

Expected that the business world’s interest in

serious games will increase → particularly small and

medium enterprises (SME) whose awareness of

these tools is still rather limited

Anticipated that healthcare and will experience

greatest growth amongst the other categories

particularly when considering the increased

resource consumption required with “hands-on

training


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Overview (7):Interdisciplinary Approach

Not only about gaming!

Documents

Game-Based Learning and Training · Gameplay experience → playing a card game with a group of people in person is different than playing with them online… What is required to