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Dr. Jacob HabgoodHead of Serious Games
© 2009 Sumo Digital Limited
Wii Don’t do “Edutainment”!Sumo Digital Limited:
� “Work for hire” Console Developer• SEGA, Konami, Sony (Xbox, 360, PS3, Wii, DS, PSP).
• Around 120 developers in Sheffield.
• Heritage going back to Gremlin Graphics in the 80’s.
� Foundation 9 Group• Around 900 developers worldwide.
Just who are Wii?
Personal BackgroundIndustry & Academia:
�Gremlin / Infogrames / Atari• Hogs of War, MicroMachines, Actua Sports.
• Programmer / Technical Lead (PSX, PS2, Xbox, GC) .
�Ph.D. in Learning Sciences• LSRI, University of Nottingham.
• “The Effective Integration of Digital Games and Learning Content” (www.zombiedivision.co.uk).
�Head of Serious Games• “The Game Maker’s Apprentice”.
• Game Development tools for Kids (Game Maker).
• But no explicit “learning” products… yet.
Learning ShowcaseWork for Hire:
�Console-based Learning• “Edutainment” products are trickling onto consoles.
• Often developed by smaller developers to make ends meet while chasing the big publishing deal.
• Not necessarily any expertise or passion for learning.
�Sumo: Serious about Learning• Large console developer, great track-record : large
publishers beat a path to our door.
• Passion and expertise for game-based learning.
• Perfectly positioned to branch into learning-based console products.
�Showcase Game• Self-funded WiiWare title: “Outnumbered”.
Design PhilosophyAnti-Edutainment:
�Intrinsic Integration (Kafai, 2001)
• Extrinsic “chocolate-covered broccoli” approaches to integrating games and learning do not work.
• Modern example: Questionaut by Amanita Design (Award-winning web game designers).
• More integrated approaches could be more effective.
Research EvidenceZombie Division:
�Controlled Trials
�Results• Intrinsic games are more motivating than extrinsic
games (as measured by time-on-task).
• Intrinsic games are more effective than extrinsic
games (as measured by learning gains).
• IntrinsicSkeletons = DividendsWeapons = Divisors
• ExtrinsicSkeletons = Symbols+ Extrinsic Q&A
• ControlSkeletons = Symbols
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Design PhilosophyMaths-Based Game for WiiWare:
�Intrinsically Integrated• Deliver learning content alongside, and in tandem
with the flow experience of the game.
• Integrate the learning content within the structure of the gaming world and its core-mechanics.
�Unpatronising and Unapologetic• Kids are aspirational: so design for big ones.
• Safe is dull – zombies/monsters/explosions are fun.
�Does Not Try to “Make Maths Fun”!• Maths is simply a medium.
• All games are about learning something.
• The fact that this happens to be maths should be almost entirely irrelevant to the player.
PedagogyInterconnected Mathematics:
�Learning Content• Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division.
�Conceptual and Procedural Knowledge• Should be developed alongside each other (Rittle-Johnson,
Siegler & Alibali, 2001).
�Beyond Rote Learning• Embodies the meaningful relationships between knowledge
essential for understanding (Hiebert & Lefevre, 1986).
�Anchored Instruction• Successful mathematics teaching needs to be
grounded in “real world” situations (Greer, 1992).
• Real world “anchors” (Brandsford et al, 1990).
OutnumberedBasic Concept:Maths can be fatal – especially if you’re a monster!
Attach your brain to your wand-arm and get ready to cause some serious mayhem as you defend your wizard’s home against an army of magical beasts…
Outnumbered
Screen Layout
OutnumberedCore Mechanics:“Mechanism through which players make meaningful choices and arrive at a meaningful play experience” (Salen & Zimmerman, 2004).
�Core Mechanic 1: “Playing with Goo”• Magical mana comes in two flavours.
• Monsters are made of bad mana while wizard’s towers attract good mana.
• Bad mana can be neutralised with good.
• Monsters die when you reduce their bad mana exactly down to zero.
• Overshooting makes all the good manafall off the monster.
OutnumberedCore Mechanics:
�Core Mechanic 2: “Monster Grow Bags”• Create your own good monsters.
• Drop mana onto a monster grow bag and it will form its own “good” cloud.
• Fill it up to the desired value of good mana.
• Grab the cloud to pull the monster from the earth.
• The good monster will defeat any bad monsterof equal value in its path AND take out anyother monsters standing behind it.
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OutnumberedProgression:
�At the beginning of the game:• Throwing Goo = Subtraction.
• Growing Monsters = Addition.
• Mixing colours of goo is fine.
�Progressing to PURE EVIL:• Monsters which are pure evil can only be defeated by
pure good mana – i.e. a single colour of goo.
Now :
• Throwing Goo = Division by repeated subtraction.
• Growing Monsters = Multiplication by repeated addition.
OutnumberedCore Mechanics:
�Core Mechanic 3: “Divide and Conquer”• Repeated subtraction is a slow way to divide.
• Magic can speed that up.
• Any value of blob can be powered upto become a divisor.
• Magic blobs kill monsters instantly(provided that they divide!)
Fire Ice Lightning
Core Mechanics:
�Divisor Relationships:
�Core Mechanic 4: “Multiplying Monsters”• Repeated addition is a slow way to multiply.
• Magic can speed that up.
• The result is always “pure” good.
Outnumbered
2, 4 &8 3, 6 &9 5 & 10 7
OutnumberedEmergent Gameplay:
�Core Mechanics:• Throwing Goo = (Repeated) Subtraction.
• Growing Monsters = (Repeated) Addition.
• Dividing Monsters = Division.
• Multiplying Mana = Multiplication.
�Mixing Mechanics:• Pure Evil / Pure Good.
• Monster Immunity (Red, Blue, Yellow).
• Subtract -> Divide / Multiply -> Add.
• (23 – 2) / 3
• “Smart Bombs”
• End of Level Bosses – multiple clouds
OutnumberedDifficulty Level:
�Gameplay Difficulty:• Standard gameplay progression:
• Speed, quantity, strength, visual cues.
• Same for every player.
�Mathematical Difficulty:• Cognitive Model:
• Tracks use of key domain concepts.
• Varies difficulty accordingly.
• Different experience for every player.
• Additional replay value.
OutnumberedWii Demo
�Around 50% Complete:
4
Any questions?
Release
�Coming to WiiWare Summer 2009� 500-1000 Wii Points (£3.50 - £7.00)
Outnumbered