Rushing Headlong into the Past: the Blackwood Simulation

Brian M. Slator, NDSU Computer Science and the members of CSCI345

• MultiUser

• Exploration

• Spatially-oriented virtual worlds

• Practical planning and decision

making

Educational Role-playing Games

“Learning-by-doing” Experiences

Educational Role-playing Games

“Learning-by-doing” Experiences

• Problem solving

• Scientific method

• Real-world content

• Mature thinking

Balancing Pedagogy with

Play

Games have the capacity to engage!

• Powerful mechanisms for instruction

• Illustrate real-world content and structure

• Promote strategic maturity (“learning not the law, but learning to think like a lawyer”)

Teaching Principles

• Game-like• Spatially oriented• Goal-orientated• Immersive• Role-based• Exploratory• Interactive• Multi-user• Learn-by-doing

Advantages of Virtual Worlds

• Collapse virtual time and distance• Allow physical or practical

impossibilities• Participate from anywhere• Interact with other users, virtual

artifacts, and software agents• Multi-user collaborations and

competitive play

Blackwood: Background

• Retailing Simulation

• Set in the “Old West” (1880-1886)

• Mythical Town, with “authentic timeline”

• Players “inherit” a store (and a role)

• Managing the “store” within the simulated economy teaches microeconomic principles

Agent-based Simulation

• Economy and “society” simulated agents:

• Atmosphere Agents: lend “color” to the environment (buffalo hunters, fur trappers)

• Infrastructure Agents: Customers, Merchants, Employees, Bankers, Teamsters

• Newspaper frames historical events

• Economic Trends modeled by population(s)

Agent-based Simulation

• Player roles (and Merchant types): Blacksmiths, Cartwrights, Wheelwrights, Tailors, Leather Makers, +3 more

• Customer Agents are from 30+ consumer groups, and also “mark time”.

• Employee agents do the actual “work”, while players manage

Technical Approach

• Networked, internet based, client-server simulation

• UNIX-based MOO (Multi-User Dungeon, Object Oriented)

• Java-based clients (text version - telnet based; graphical versions)

Project Planning• Design the town and create its history

• Design the Geography

• Decide on Merchant types, Product types

• Create implementation plan

• Organize into groups

• Pick leadership

• Arrange training

Retailing in the Old West

• 1869 Town of Blackwood established. • 1880 Spring: begin historical simulation.• 1881 Fall: Railroad Arrives. • 1882 Silver is discovered in the hills.• 1885 Nov-Dec: the Great White Ruin begins.• 1886 Spring: Flood, Blackwood simulation ends.

Group Efforts

• HTML Team

• Graphics Team

• Java Team

• Server Team

• Scribes

• Group Leaders

• Resumes and Elections

Work in Progress

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