Slides for a workshop on teaching with videogames.

1. Teaching
with
Videogames
Pietro Polsinelli
All links for this talk:
http://bit.ly/teachVG
1

2. Example: learn about renewable
energy

3. Teaching with videogames – at its best: Ludwig.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nTG9Oigvd-E
Wednesday, September 12, 3
2012

4. Ludwig: playludwig.com See trailer.

5. Search energy in a 3D environment.

6. Reach of videogames
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8. 8

9. Addiction by Design Natascha Schull
http://gelconference.com/videos/2008/natasha_schull
97% is given by the slot machine – study IT
Wednesday, September 12,
2012

10. Learning & games: a workshop

11. This is our schedule.

12. Readings. From literary criticism to videogame criticism.

13. Fun is learning - but
learning is not always
fun.
“Fun is a feedback
we get in the mind
when absorbing
patterns for learning
purposes” - Koster
From “Theory of Fun”

14. Crash course in game design

15. 15

16. 16

17. Example analysis: Pinball
Which are the user inputs?
Works in different media – nice on the iPad.

18. Progressive views:
1.Just keep the ball in play
2.Make point rich hits
3.Reach goals
4.Complete the story
5.Solo not fun any more.
Can be fun just to show off
(high scores, show to friends).
Pinball game hermeneutics.

19. Game are made of loops
To analyze the mechanics of a game, you got to find the loops.

20. And loops are made of
surprises
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinder_Surprise

21. Stick
to
basics
These are some of the mechanics – plus status competition …
This is very important in order to establish deep contact with your users: find the deep motivation.

22. Is this simple mechanic union relevant only for classical games?
Union of drawing – racing

23. Drawing with your figer on the iPad is nice. Racing with small cars is beautiful.

24. Considers shape, speed. Also runtime “turbo” interventions. You don’t drive – which simplifies
development, but is a plus here, not a minus.

25. Surprises
Flipper surprises us by say enabling additional bats Or by moving parts that were still. In
videogames.
Using the same mechanics for different ends is usually very effective and preserves usability used
so far.

26. HEROICA
Heroica: the hero’s journey, becomes engaging through mini games – typically a DUEL. Race,
mystery solving. Most natural (and most difficoult) game design choice.
Interesting because of cross game gaming.

27. “This game is engaging”
Engagement can be caused by disparate reasons:
1. Engagement because of s fun base mechanic
2. Engagement by using a virtual world projection mechanics
Engaging design is ambiguous: can mean engaging by using a base mechanic (flipper tower
defence, verify the chapter in theory of fun), or by using a virtual world projection mechanics

28. Koster – Deterding definition of fun.

29. “Fun is
about
learning in
a context
where there
is no
pressure”
But in school there is, and there has to be, pressure. There is here a dynamic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=x5YtkTw4wn4#!

30. the flow
The blurry edge between challenging and too difficoult.
There is the flow. We are tackling the tip of something complex. When we are
kept at the margin of our abilities – it’s the flow graph. So its complex,
there are exceptions everywhere.

31. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Author)

32. Learn more on Classical Game Design

33. Games based on
Narrative Enchantment
Another path for going beyond usability.
Wednesday, September 12,
2012

34. Metrics driven
game design intro

35. Feedback is scary – but can help.

36. http://vimeo.com/32161327
Mafia Wars guy.

37. Measure, measure, measure.
Wednesday, September 12,
2012

38. No narrative ideal, no purpose beyond monetization. Lenses in a skeleton: The Sims Social.

39. From Bokardo’s Metric Driven Design

40. Addiction by Design Natascha Schull
http://gelconference.com/videos/2008/natasha_schull
97% is given by the slot machine – study IT
Wednesday, September 12,
2012

41. Went there to get milk...

42. • Las Vegas Airport

43. Overall designed...

44. A different auro to the zone term
“So annoying when I do jackpot”
.

45. Casino Gaming Magazine: indded motivated in working Uis. How to make the user feel she’s
winning when she’s not”
The aim of game design is “get player EXTINCTION” – NO MONEY LEFT

46. Learn more on Metric driven game design
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47. Learn more on Metric driven game design
http://www.slideshare.net/wooga/killer-game-loops-in-social-games
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48. Link kahneman and game design.
Wednesday, September 12,
2012

49. New user models.

50. And from a
teacher’s
standpoint?
A positive lesson is
that games can be
an opportunity for
stats.
Videogames are a great opportunity for statistics. Statistics are way better than teachers reports
or impressions – see Kahneman…

51. Example game designs

52. Game Dev Story
A small, simple game…

53. Game Dev Story
reverse engineered
(Zynga )
http://strategywiki.org/
wiki/Game_Dev_Story/
Walkthrough
Game genres, …

54. Learning & teaching
with games
from games

55. Cargo Bot
http://twolivesleft.com/CargoBot/
Videogames are ideal for transmitting formal rules through concrete examples. This can cover a
lot of ground.
Also probe – test – rethink – probe cycle.

56. Example mockups & storyboards

57. A Word storyboard
Wednesday, September 12, 57
2012

58. Game flow graphs.
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59. Mockup. Tool: Balsamiq http://www.balsamiq.com/
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60. Exercises

61. Find a theme that it taught in school and
that you like. And that maybe you don’t like
how it is being thought. Reach as far as you
can in this scheme:
Your turn.

62. Financials

63. Estimation (sample)
- Game design (game loops), model
- Concept art
- Logo, naming
- Intro + options (only EN?) + theme music
- Company setup (friends)
- Running company
- Game strategic choices
- Getting professionals
- Press reviews
- Events (heuristics)
- Game engine
- Levels? Winning conditions?
- Jingles
- FB / Twitter integration
- Presentation site + documentation, leaderboards
- Balancing, testing
Production estimation. How much does a videogame cost? A lot:
Wednesday, September 12,
2012

64. Example phases for a brower game:
- Balsamiq mockup /game design
- JavaScript prototype
- Full game
- Promo ?
Dev phases.
Wednesday, September 12,
2012

65. Teaching
with
Videogames
Pietro Polsinelli
All links for this talk:
http://bit.ly/teachVG
Follow me on Twitter: @ppolsinelli
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