[game_edu] The Multiplayer Classroom

[Ian Schreiber]

Yes, balance is important. Wouldn't want our students to game the system and 
exit the class with a higher grade than they deserved (unless it's a game 
balance class, and exploiting the system is the direct application of the skills 
you're teaching ;-)

Ironically, I think the danger of student exploits is higher in classes that 
*aren't* "gamified." With a class that is already run in a playful manner, the 
students are already operating somewhat within the Magic Circle; in my game-like 
final exams, I find that about five minutes in, most students have completely 
forgotten that they are in the middle of an exam worth 20+% of their final 
grade, they're just having too much fun. By contrast, with high-stakes grades in 
the absence of other mitigating factors, students have been trained (practically 
from kindergarten) that Grades Are Everything, and they therefore have the 
incentive to exploit the system (if not cheat outright) to reach this singular 
goal.

- Ian




________________________________
From: Steve Graham <skudge at gmail.com>
To: IGDA Game Education Listserv <game_edu at igda.org>
Sent: Thu, June 30, 2011 3:15:24 PM
Subject: Re: [game_edu] The Multiplayer Classroom

It's an interesting idea and we've experimented with it in some     classes here 
at DSU. As with any game, there are balance challenges.

I first came across the idea from Jessica Bayliss at RIT in a     presentation 
more than three years ago. She and David Schwartz have     a paper in FDG'09 on 
it available from ACM's digital library     
(http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=1536513.1536526).

Since then, I've been (slowly) working on an essay from an inverted     
perspective: What are the implications for a student approaching     learning in 
a classroom as they would a game? (whether the class has     been "gamified" or 
not).

If anyone is interested in discussing that with me, I'd appreciate     hearing 
from you.

cheers,
skg



On 6/30/2011 9:26 AM, Lee Sheldon wrote: 
 

>My new book, The Multiplayer Classroom:           Designing Coursework as a 

>Game, has just been published by           Cengage Learning. Since Jesse 

>Schell’s shout out to this           method of teaching in his DICE talk (picked 

>up by TED) on           gamification last year, and the recent Extra Credits 

>video on           The Escapist website, the concept has been attracting quite a           

>bit of interest. This is not a book about using video games to           teach. 

>It details four classes I’ve designed as multiplayer           games complete 

>with XP, leveling, quests, crafting, guilds,           boss mobs and more. Since 

>designing the classes as games, the           average class grade has risen from 

>a C to a B and class           attendance is almost perfect. The book also 

>includes case           histories of other teachers using this method to teach a           

>variety of subjects from middle school through university           level 

>courses; and guidelines for creating your own           multiplayer classroom. 

>If you already have designed a class as           a game, or want to learn more, 

>join us on The Multiplayer           Classroom Facebook page. The author’s page 

>on Amazon will soon           feature additional material as well.

> 

>I would especially love feedback from you           folks!

> 

>Thanks,

>Lee

> 

>Lee Sheldon

>Associate               Professor

>Department of Language, Literature and Communication

>Co-Director Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences Program

>Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

> 

> _______________________________________________ game_edu mailing list 

>game_edu at igda.org http://seven.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/game_edu 

>



-- 
steve graham
associate professor
computer game design
dakota state university
skg at dsu.edu 605-480-6603
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