[game_edu] Playing A Game About Games - for the August Issue of IGDA Newsletter

[Martin Hagvall]

Hi Beth,

Here's a contribution to the newsletter (see below, and attached,
formatted). It's a bit longer than 500 words, but I hope it works.

Best,
Martin




PLAYING A GAME ABOUT GAMES
Turning game history studies into a sci-fi adventure


by
Martin Hagvall
mhagvall at lafilm.com


When the students step into a classroom for the first time since they
enrolled in the program, they are clueless as to what is transpiring. In
the midst of PC stations and game consoles, classic video arcades and
monitors that cover the walls from top to bottom, sits the instructor on
his chair, seemingly distracted by a loud game of Pong on the iPad. Soon
they find a game board set up in the corner, with playing pieces next to
it. A message is displayed on the monitors on the wall: "Prawn Invaders,
find out why you are here." A set of documents lay on the tables as the
only additional clue.

Herewith starts a journey of exploration for the students, a foray into
video game history through an unfolding narrative. For the next two hours,
no one provides directions as the students unravel—on their own—the
mystery of the simulation that has been thrust upon them. For the next two
weeks (36 class hours) everything that they do, in one way or another,
will be part of one connected experience.

I have long felt that designing a course curriculum is, in some ways, much
like designing a game. One builds a system in view of the ultimate goal (a
certain user experience) using a set of components and mechanics put
together in a certain manner and sequence, the dynamics of which can't be
fully predicted until tested. In the case of History of Games, part of
Global Game Studies, the first course in the Game Production associate
degree program at the Los Angeles Film School, the curriculum is itself a
game. As part of the simulation referred to as Prawn Invaders, the
students research and present reports on a wide range of topics covering
50 years of video game history in an environment fostering both team work
and competition. In an accelerated program format involving daily homework
assignments, they also study games in a broader context, through readings
ranging from Huizinga and Caillois to e.g. Costikyan, Juul and Jenkins.

Taking the role of scientists from the home world of the Prawns that are
featured in the film District 9 (who, as the students learn, are as
obsessed with human gaming as they are with cat food), student teams
travel in time machines to different eras in recent human history to
"collect data" about contemporary games and gaming from different
perspectives (technological, game play, genres, culture etc.). When a team
has completed a report based on its research, it will be tested on its
contents, and if successful, will "level up" which unlocks new assignments
(as the story goes, the report will now be published in academic
publications).

A physical game board is used to track movements of time machines, as well
as the "temporal locations" of different time periods that the time
machines may settle in. Wooden cubes, glass beads and other components
represent prestige, knowledge and technological upgrades to the Time
Machines. The students use PC stations with Internet access and Gametap
accounts, classic video arcades and game consoles (including Wii Virtual
Console) to conduct their research, with guidance from faculty. Teams
handle their work flow and document management online (also when
submitting their reports for review). When multiple teams have completed
an assignment on the same topic, the team with the best report, or with
the best display of game play proficiency—be it in e.g. Space Invaders,
Castle Wolfenstein, Super Metroid, Myst or Diner Dash—receives an extra
reward. Several simulation features reinforce the chosen narrative,
including a back story that follows the storyline in the film (which the
students are asked to watch before the class) and the character "the Prawn
Master" (played by the instructor) supervising the "scientists," who
consistently communicates about class activities in a manner consistent
with the game world.


Several critical decisions have had to be made when designing the
simulation, and many of the related questions continue to pose challenges
to the work going forward. Some of these are:

    * The non-linear structure to the students' learning, and the freedom
of choice that the simulation provides.  This has two implications:
(1) the students will not necessarily study the materials
chronologically (although some semi-chronological order is promoted by
the layout of the game board), and (2) different teams will study
different topics, and teams may not necessarily cover all time periods
with their research.  To solve any potential loopholes that could
result from this, all students read, and are tested on, additional
reading materials at the end of the simulation that cover all of the
time periods.


    * Using an existing IP (District 9) under fair use vs. creating a new
universe. It has proven very valuable that the students are immersed
in a familiar universe with a back story that they can relate to from
the very beginning, so that they may more easily cope with all of the
other elements of uncertainty that the simulation provides.

    * Choosing the right mix of historical material. The selection of
topics (including games) and research categories is obviously highly
subjective and there is also some tension between representing each
time period fairly and ensuring that the topics overall (throughout
all time periods) represent a broad spectrum of areas (genres, game
play, technologies, etc.).

    * Game goals versus class goals.  Given the role that the simulation
plays in the course, it is obviously important that the goal the
student teams pursue as "Prawn scientists" (which is to gain more
Prestige points than the other teams) is aligned with the course
objectives (which are to provide historical context and to foster an
understanding of how and why games have evolved into what we play
today). While such an alignment exists (a team can't win the
simulation without being successful in their research endeavors), it
is not a perfect one. For instance, to create balance between
different game resources and meaningful strategic options, the
simulation allows teams to acquire Prestige through a certain
combination of resources, or through the accumulation of technological
"upgrades," which are only indirectly related to research results.


    * Scalability.  In its original form, the simulation was not built for
use on a large scale. As the number of students in each class
increases, the simulation has had to adapt. It can now accomodate
different lab groups, although beyond a certain class size, multiple
simulations will need to be run in parallel.



The response thus far (from three different student cohorts) has been
overwhelmingly positive. While it is too early to draw any firm
conclusions, it appears as if at least one of the key objectives has
clearly been met: to provide the students with an exploratory learning
environment in which they are in control, as a means to foster student
creativity (which the game production program emphasizes) from the very
beginning. Whether the students have learned more or less about game
history than they would in a more traditional learning environment is hard
to say.

But playing a game to learn about games seems to be a logical thing to do.



Martin Hagvall, MBA, has designed and developed games and simulations for
15 years that have been used on five continents by the government,
nonprofit and for-profit sectors. A former entrepreneur, business
executive and delegate to the U.N., he is the Course Director at the Los
Angeles Film School for Global Game Studies and Analog Game Theory, and he
has also taught game design, negotiations and business leadership at
universities in Southern California. One of his greatest passions at
present is the new generation of board and card games that are rapidly
expanding into the digital realm and which he predicts could precipitate a
"smart casual revolution" in game design.






>>

>>> Hello all! I am the editor-in-chief for the IGDA Perspectives

>>> Newsletter. Our August issue is themed around Game Education. I

>>> figured, of course, this would be a great place to let people know

>>> that we are currently accepting articles (usually around 500 words,

>>> although that's entirely flexible) concerning game education topics.

>>> Articles are due Monday, July 26 at midnight PST.

>>>

>>> Article topics might include but are not limited to:

>>> - The importance of game education.

>>> - Game education teaching strategies.

>>> - Workshop structures.

>>> - Courses and programs.

>>> - Practical vs. (or coinciding) theoretical education.

>>> - Recaps of game education events.

>>> - Reviews of software for game education.

>>> - Book reviews.

>>>

>>> Thanks much!

>>> - Beth

>>>

>>> --

>>> Beth Aileen Lameman, Ph.D. (ABD) | http://www.bethaileen.com

>>> Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace | http://www.abtec.org

>>> Simon Fraser University - Interactive Arts & Technology |

>>> http://siat.sfu.ca

>>> _______________________________________________

>>> game_edu mailing list

>>> game_edu at igda.org

>>> http://seven.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/game_edu

>>>

>>

>> _______________________________________________

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