Presentation Outline - Concept

• Concept• Initial Work

– Game Design– Initial Prototype

• Latest Work– Game Refinements– Media

• Future Plans– Schedule– Final Game

• Risks

• Create a fun networked multiplayer business simulation game that can be educational both inside and outside the classroom.

Concept

Teaching MethodScenarios1. Present an event that exaggerates

an economic concept2. Challenge the guest to discover

that concept3. Place the knowledge where they

can find it4. Reward

1. Eureka moment!2. Improved ability in the game

Intended Audience

• Students in a classroom & casual players

Metrics for Success

• Helps students grasp some of the most difficult concepts in introductory economics– Give them a quiz afterwards

• People want to play it– Classroom

•Would you rather learn from our game, or from lectures and textbooks?

– Casual•How fun was it?•Number of downloads

Presentation Outline - Initial Work

• Concept• Initial Work

– Game Design– Initial Prototype

• Latest Work– Game Refinements– Media

• Future Plans– Schedule– Final Game

• Risks

In the beginning…

• Research– Determine what the gameplay

should be

• Prototype– Gameplay proof-of-concept

Research – Gameplay• Supply Chain Simulation• Realistic Economy

– Player actions affect others• Goal is simple, but way to get there is

not• Have something interesting to do

every turn• Avoid

– Conflict between story and mechanics– Players feeling disenfranchised too early– Too much randomness

A Supply Chain

RawMaterials SteelRubber

GiantRobots

Oil

FlyingCars

Copper

PlasticsTires

Silicon

Microprocessors

Smart BombsOtherInputs

OR Legs

IntermediateProducts

ConsumerProducts

Salamander v1.0

Presentation Outline – Latest Work

• Concept• Initial Work

– Game Design– Initial Prototype

• Latest Work– Game Refinements– Media

• Future Plans– Schedule– Final Game

• Risks

What have we been up to lately?

• Game– Theme – Colonizing Mars– Designed the supply chain– Implemented two economic models –

warehouse and market– First Scenario – Marginal Cost– Internal playtesting – 4+ hours of

gameplay!– Skyrates: powered by Gamenomic$

– Designed architecture for the new codebase• Media

– Touchscreen – Game trailer– Poster– Webpage – www.gamenomics.com

Theme

• Why is theme important?• Things we want in a theme

– Supply chain must make sense– End products don’t just disappear– Resources come from somewhere– Classroom friendly– Promote both cooperation and

competition– Allow for more than one winner

Our Theme

• Colonization of Mars– Acquire resources, produce goods, and

trade to build the first colony on Mars!•Players are establishing Martian industry•Martian colonists need goods•Resources are harvested on Mars•No sex or violence!•Players can cooperate and will compete•Players are rewarded for growing the

economy

Current Supply Chain

Salamander v1.0

Salamander v2.0Now with Economics!

First Scenario – Marginal Cost

1. What is Marginal Cost?2. Why is it important?3. Why is it hard to learn?4. How do we teach it?

Skyrates: Powered by Gamenomic$

Hellbender v0.1(Cryptobranchus

alleganiensis)

Media

Presentation Outline – Future Plans

• Concept• Initial Work

– Game Design– Initial Prototype

• Latest Work– Game Refinements– Media

• Future Plans– Schedule– Final Game

• Risks

Upcoming AttractionsNetworking

Upcoming AttractionsNew UI

Upcoming Attractions

• Re-implement Salamander features in Hellbender

• Miscellaneous features• Game Master controls• Add new scenarios• Game art

Upcoming AttractionsGuest Testing

• David Lamont’s Executive Education

• ETC Students & Faculty• Friends and Family• CMU Economic & Business

Students

Upcoming AttractionsTuning and Balancing

Presentation Outline - Risks

• Concept• Initial Work

– Game Design– Initial Prototype

• Latest Work– Game Refinements– Media

• Future Plans– Schedule– Final Game

• Risks

Biggest Risks

• Classroom vs. Casual• Reward structure doesn’t work• Instead of a game, we end up with an

economic model that could be used to make a completed game

• Things are taking longer than we planned– Game Design!

• Albith has developed Carpal Tunnel syndrome

• But the biggest risk of all is…

Things we could use help with

• Technical Help:– Java GUI!

• Guest Testing• Sound

Feedback from Quarter Presentation

• Good–Presentation clearly explained

project to naïve listeners• Bad–Presentation style–Need a strong one-sentence

explanation of the game–Need a metric for success for

casual players

Questions?

Thanks