These slides accompany a workshop called "Play to Learn" presented at Learning Solutions 2015 conference. In the workshop participants complete an entire instructional game prototyping process.

1. Play to Learn
Learning Game Design Workshop
Learning solutions 2015
Presented by
Dr. Karl Kapp
Sharon Boller

2. Today’s Goal
• Experience the entire instructional game
development process in one day.
• Your Mission? Complete a rough, rough
prototype of an instructional game.

3. For:
Notes/Slides
Additional Ideas
www.karlkapp.com
www.karlkapp.com/kapp-notes

4. About Your Facilitator…
Lynda.com Course: Gamification of Learning
Free Trial: Lynda.com/trial/KarlKapp
Blog: :www.karlkapp.com
Books
Twitter: @kkapp

5. Today’s Agenda
Intro’s; game lingo
overview
Play Games! Game
goals, core dynamics,
mechanics, game
elements
Best practices to follow;
pitfalls to avoid.
Break
Play Games! Putting
learning into the game
Lunch
Game Design Guru –
Q&A
Learning Game
Creation:
Prototyping
Playtest w/ your
team
Playtest w/
another team
Share what you
learned; wrap
up
B
r
e
a
k

6. At Your Tables…
• Introduce yourselves to each other….
– Your name
– Where you work (organization, city, state)
• Come up with a definition for the word “game”
• Your Mission? Complete intro’s in 15 minutes.

7. What we MEAN by game
An activity that has an explicit goal or challenge, rules that
guide achievement of the goal, interactivity with either other
players or the game environment (or both), and feedback
mechanisms that give clear cues as to how well or poorly you
are performing. It results in a quantifiable outcome (you
win/you lose, you hit the target, etc). Usually generates an
emotional reaction in players.
Workbook p. 6

8. All Games
Learning Games
Simulations
Common
industry term:
“Serious
Games”
What About “gamification?”

9. Here’s some examples BLP produced
A Paycheck Away: A tabletop game about homelessness

10. Here’s some examples Bloomsburg IIT produced
Manufacturing Mayhem: A digital game about manufacturing

11. Here’s some examples BLP produced
Destroy the BBP: Avoiding blood-borne pathogens

12. Basic Game Lingo
Game goal –
what player(s)
have to do to
win.
No goal. No game.
Core Dynamic
what game
play is about;
what you
have to do to
win.
Pick a dynamic to
design around; it’s
easier to get
started that way.
Mechanics
rules for
players; rules
for system.
Rules define how
people achieve the
goal. Don’t make
too hard or too
easy.
Game
Elements
Features that
help immerse
you in game
play
Tinkering with one
feature can
entirely change
play experience
Workbook pp 6 - 9

13. Anatomy of a Common game
1. What’s the game goal or objective?
2. What is the “core dynamic” – HOW do you win?
3. What are some of the “mechanics” or rules that
guide how you achieve the game goal?
4. What game elements are part of this game:
1. Aesthetics?
2. Story?
3. Strategy?
4. Chance?
5. Competition?
6. What else?
Workbook pp 6 - 9

14. Activity #1: Play/Evaluate Timeline
1. Work in your table group.
2. Select someone to be the “game master” who
figures out how to play.
3. Play Timeline for 10-15 minutes.
4. Use worksheet on Page 10 to evaluate game.
Workbook pp 10

15. Summary – Timeline Evaluation
1. What was the game goal? Was it fun?
2. What was the core dynamic? Was it fun?
3. What were 1-3 mechanics (rules) that stood out?
Did they help – or confuse you?
4. What game elements did you notice?
5. How did you know how you were doing? (What
feedback did you get?)
Workbook pp 10

16. Activity #2: Play/Evaluate Spot It
1. Work in your table groups.
2. Select someone to be the “game master” who
figures out how to play or regulates play.
3. Play Spot It for 10-15 minutes.
4. Use worksheet on Page 11 in workbook to evaluate
game.
Workbook pp 11

17. Evaluate Spot It
1. What was the game goal? Was it fun?
2. What was the core dynamic? Was it fun?
3. What were 1-3 mechanics (rules) that stood out?
Did they help – or confuse you?
4. What game elements did you notice?
5. How did you know how you were doing? (What
feedback did you get?)
Workbook pp 11

18. Activity #3: Plants v Zombies
1. Access game from your
mobile device (tablet or
phone..
2. Play game for 10 minutes.
Workbook pp 12

19. Evaluate Plants vs Zombies
1. What was the game goal? Was it fun?
2. What was the core dynamic? Was it fun?
3. What were 1-3 mechanics (rules) that stood out?
Did they help – or confuse you?
4. What game elements did you notice?
5. How did you know how you were doing? (What
feedback did you get?)
Workbook pp 12

20. Activity #4: Question Activity
1. Brainstorm answers (or
look up) for question you
have been assigned.
2. Share answer with rest of
group.
Workbook pp 13

21. Today’s Agenda
Intro’s; game lingo
overview
Play Games! Game
goals, core dynamics,
mechanics, game
elements
Best practices to follow;
pitfalls to avoid.
Break
Play Games! Putting
learning into the game
Lunch
Game Design Guru –
Q&A
Learning Game
Creation:
Prototyping
Playtest w/ your
team
Playtest w/
another team
Share what you
learned; wrap
up
B
r
e
a
k

22. Main Take-Aways
• Game goal ≠learning goal: you need BOTH.
• Before creating game, you:
– Define instructional goal AND objectives; keep in focus as
you design the game to achieve them.
• Audience matters.
• As you design the game, you want learning rationale
for these things:
– Choice of game mechanics (rules)
– Game elements to include/exclude
– Rewards/scoring

23. Activity #5: Play/Evaluate Making Gold
1. We need a volunteer!
2. We’ll play Making Gold Game together, directing
volunteer re: our choices/decisions.
3. Use worksheets on page 20 to evaluate game.
Reference info on workbook, as needed, to
complete evaluation worksheets.

24. Evaluate Making Gold Game
1. What was the game goal? Was it fun?
2. What was the learning goal? Did you learn?
3. What was the core dynamic? Was it fun?
4. What were 1-3 mechanics (rules) that stood out?
Did they help – or confuse you?
5. What game elements did you notice?
6. How did you know how you were doing? (What
feedback did you get?)
Workbook p 18

25. Demo: CPR Video
1. What was the simulation goal? Was it fun?
2. What was the learning goal? Did you learn?
3. Did you notice a core dynamic? Was it fun?
4. What were 1-3 mechanics (rules) that stood out?
Did they help – or confuse you?
5. What game elements did you notice?
6. How did you know how you were doing? (What
feedback did you get?)
Workbook p 21

26. Today’s Agenda
Intro’s; game lingo
overview
Play Games! Game
goals, core dynamics,
mechanics, game
elements
Best practices to follow;
pitfalls to avoid.
Break
Play Games! Putting
learning into the game
Lunch
Game Design Guru –
Q&A
Learning Game
Creation:
Prototyping
Playtest w/ your
team
Playtest w/
another team
Share what you
learned; wrap
up
B
r
e
a
k

27. Design the learning game to
meet specific instructional
objectives.
Embed the learning game into
a curriculum.Keep rules, scoring and
leveling simple.
Get learners comfortable
with the rules and game play
before they start.Do not focus the game on
“winning” only.

28. Create the game so learners
work in groups.
Make the game
interactive.
Plan for replayability.
The cognitive activities in the
game should match the
cognitive activities on-the-job.Determine metrics ahead of
time.
Winning should be primarily
a result of knowledge
acquisition or creation.

29. Skipping Playtesting. Pitfalls
Undertaking this process
without playing games.
Skipping the pilot.
Trying to teach
everything.
Focusing only on fun.

30. Today’s Agenda
Intro’s; game lingo
overview
Play Games! (Game
goals, core dynamics,
mechanics, game
elements)
Best practices to follow;
pitfalls to avoid.
Break
Play Games! Putting
learning into the game
Lunch
Game Design Guru –
Q&A
Learning Game
Creation:
Prototyping
Playtest w/ your
team
Playtest w/
another team
Share what you
learned; wrap
up
B
r
e
a
k

31. Post-Lunch Fun
1. Sit with your Game Design team members (Team # is on blue
provided to you at start of workshop)
2. Register for and play Game Design Guru:
1. http://www.theknowledgeguru.com/2015gamedesign/
2. You will need to identify a team # as part of registering for game
play.
3. Spend 15 minutes playing Game Design Guru, working to
achieve as high a team score as you can.
4. Team w/ highest score wins!

32. Today’s Agenda
Intro’s; game lingo
overview
Play Games! (Game
goals, core dynamics,
mechanics, game
elements)
Best practices to follow;
pitfalls to avoid.
Break
Play Games! Putting
learning into the game
Lunch
Game Design Guru –
Q&A
Learning Game
Creation:
Prototyping
Playtest w/ your
team
Playtest w/
another team
Self-assessment:
next steps in
design; wrap up
B
r
e
a
k

33. Dump ADDIE; go agile instead (iterative)
Playtest. Playtest. Did I say playtest?

34. Prototyping…what IS it?
• Visuals are
probably
better than
words here.
• http://www.yo
utube.com/wa
tch?v=k-
nfWQLmlMk

35. Prototype example

36. Prototype example

37. Prototype Example

38. What can you learn from a prototype:
• How effective your game is at helping people learn what you want
them to learn.
• How engaging the game will be to learners. Do you have a “fun
enough” game goal and is your core dynamic one that keeps people
interested?
• How effective the game elements are that you are using. Do the
elements support your learning experience or detract from it?
• How clear the rules are AND how they affect the fun and the
learning.
• The cognitive load on the learner – too high, too low, just right?
• How complex the game might be to produce (w/out the expense of
producing it before you find out!!)

39. How do you create one?
• Paper
• Scissors
• Crayons or markers
• Tape

40. Activity: Learning Game Design
Your Task
• As a team, create and playtest a learning game in next 2 hours.
The Process (page 24 in handouts)
• Use game topic & content provided on page 25.
• Decide on a core dynamic from list provided.
• Determine a theme and a game goal.
• Decide cooperative or competitive.
• Create a paper prototype, defining game mechanics (aka rules) as
you go.
• Playtest in your group.
Worksheet on pages 26-27 will guide you through creation
of a topic, learning goal, objectives, and game design.

41. Key Design Milestones
• 1:20—Define Learning Goal, Game Goal, Game
Dynamic and Theme. If getting close…just pick one.
• 2:30—Prototype Completed
• 3:00—Playtest completed within your own team.
• 3:45 Playtest completed with another team.
• 3:45-4:00—Share lesson’s learned and game with
larger group
• 4:15—Conclusion

42. Keys to Success
• Agree on Learning Goals/Game Goals Quickly
– Not trying to be perfect
• Combine one or two familiar games.
• Board games are easiest to develop in compressed
timeframe.
• Don’t need absolute agreement. Agree to
compromise to focus on process, not content
– You will need some content to play the game.
• Don’t boil the ocean, teach one or two things.

43. The Playtest Process
Part 1:
• Pair up with another team. Playtest
simultaneously.
• One person from each team remains with their
game to act as an observer during play AND to
provide guidance if a team gets “stuck” during
play
• All other team members – play the games!
• Playtest for 20 minutes.

44. The Playtest Process
Part 2:
• Take turns giving each other feedback on game.
• Observers for each team: Use questions on
page 28 of workbook to get feedback from
playtesters. Use a “round robin” approach to
getting answers from players. Get feedback on
one team’s game, then switch and get/receive
feedback on other game.

45. Today’s Agenda
Intro’s; game lingo
overview
Play Games! (Game
goals, core dynamics,
mechanics, game
elements)
Best practices to follow;
pitfalls to avoid.
Break
Play Games! Putting
learning into the game
Lunch
Game Design Guru –
Q&A
Learning Game
Creation:
Prototyping
Playtest w/ your
team
Playtest w/
another team
Share what you
learned; wrap
up
B
r
e
a
k

46. The Playtest Process
Part 3:
• Return to your original groups.
• Determine what revision(s) you want to
make to your game and why.
• Be prepared to share with large group:
• Summary of results of your playtest.
• A key learning from the day and the
prototyping/playtesting process.
• We’ll allow 15 minutes (or so) for sharing.

47. Thank you from all of us!