Johanna Janiszewski, CEO and founder of the game studio Tiny Crocodile Studios talks about how intrinsic motivation and fun game environments can be utilized to make unpopular learning topics interesting.

1. Monkey Swag:
How I sneaked geometry into a fun game
by Johanna Janiszewski
Berlin | November 20 - 21, 2018

2. Introduction
This is me: Johanna Janiszewski
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
@Johanna_Jacob
Johanna Janiszewski

3. Introduction
This is my company.
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
@TreasureMonkeys
Tiny Crocodile Studios

4. Introduction
This is my game.
Johanna Janiszewski 2018

5. Introduction
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
It won some awards.

6. What is it about?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
?

7. What is it about?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
The player digs up treasures
with a bunch of funny monkeys
in the coco caribbean
by solving geometry puzzles.

8. What is it about?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018

9. Why?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
?

10. Why?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018

11. Why?
Why are you so evil, math?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
Muahaha!

12. Why?
I thought we could
be friends! T-T
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
When you
think you get
it, …

13. Why?
I thought we could
be friends! T-T
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
When you
think you get
it, … you
DON’T!

14. Why?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018

15. Wow, thanks, math! :D
Why?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
I help you
with game
design!

16. Awesome!
Why?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018

17. Why?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018

18. It all makes
so much sense now!
Why?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
42

19. Learning Games vs. Learning Games
A totally accurate
portrait of
learning games.
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
I am Teddy Teacher. Let’s learn.
You can win gold stars which
do definitely not represent
grades.
Picture of bored girl by
amenclinicsphotos ac.

20. Learning Games vs. Learning Games
“Chocolate covered
broccoli”
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
I hate this.
Picture of bored girl by
amenclinicsphotos ac.

21. Learning Games vs. Learning Games
Extrinsic Motivation
● money
● grades
● badges
● praise
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
Leave me
alone.
Picture of bored girl by
amenclinicsphotos ac.

22. Learning Games vs. Learning Games
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
Picture by ARA.
Intrinsic Motivation
● curiosity
● pride
● interest
● meaning

23. Learning Games vs. Learning Games
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
Picture by ARA.
We totally don’t
realize that we are
learning right now!
A totally accurate
portrait of
Monkey Swag players.

24. Learning Games vs. Learning Games
Johanna Janiszewski 2018

25. Learning Games vs. Learning Games
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
photo:
mydisneyadventures.tumblr.com/
A tale as old as
time

26. Historic examples
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
Picture by
methodshop.com
Oregon Trail
Don Rawitsch, Bill
Heinemann, and Paul
Dillenberger, 1971

27. Historic examples
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
Picture by Jaime Aldana.
Pirates
Sid Meier, 1987

28. Recent example
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
Monkey Swag
Tiny Crocodile
Studios, 2017

29. How?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018

30. How?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
What content?
● language: hard
(expensive)
● math and geometry: easy

31. How?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
Gabriel Knight 3
● treasure hunt
● useage of geometry

32. + =
How?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018

33. + =
How?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018

35. + =
How?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018

36. How?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
Design goals

37. How?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
Design goals:
● fun comes first

38. How?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
Design goals:
● fun comes first
● geometry as a tool to
find treasures
(not as the end in
itself)

39. How?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
Design goals:
● fun comes first
● geometry as a tool to
find treasures
(not as the end in
itself)
● players feel smart and
empowered

40. How?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
Design goals:
● fun comes first
● geometry as a tool to
find treasures
(not as the end in
itself)
● players feel smart and
empowered
● no “teaching”

41. How?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
Framework Curricula
of all 16 federal states

42. How?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
Framework Curricula
of all 16 federal states

43. How?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
Training class tests
you can find them online

44. How?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
Transformation
into puzzles

45. How?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
Transformation
into puzzles

46. How?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
Transformation
into puzzles

47. How?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
Sympathetic
characters

48. How?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
Sympathetic
characters

49. How?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
Sympathetic
characters
...with
strenghts and
weaknesses

50. How?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
Sympathetic
characters
...with
strenghts and
weaknesses

51. How?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
Storyline

52. How?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
Storyline

53. How?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
Storyline

54. How?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
In-game help

55. How?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
In-game help

56. How?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
In-game help

57. How?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
Playtests

58. How?
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
Playtests

59. But!
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
Games are not
school!

60. Conclusion + Takeaway
Johanna Janiszewski 2018

61. Conclusion + Takeaway
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
● fun comes first
● apply meaning
● make it personal
● embed the “teaching”
naturally
● test with peer group

62. Question time!
Johanna Janiszewski 2018
@Johanna_Jacob
Johanna Janiszewski
@TreasureMonkeys
Tiny Crocodile Studios