Abstract
This chapter dives into the specifics of creating the physical game with varying levels of technology. The chapter provides ways the reader can create a no-technology version of the curricular game. This no-tech version is then used to playtest the game with peers and with potential students. Once this feedback has been used to revise and refine the game, the chapter then discusses ways to repurpose technologies the reader is likely to be familiar with, such as PowerPoint, in order to make a low-technology version of the game. How to do this with medium technology, or technology readers may be unfamiliar with, and with programming, or high technology, is also explored.
A game isn’t automatically fun just because it’s about pirates … The difference between good and bad games is more in the polished game experience than in the content.
-Kurt Squire, 2011
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Notes
- 1.
After 9/11, some felt the need to create “bomb-proof” trashcans but lamented the cost of the technology. Boston’s subway system, however, created “bomb-proof” recycling bins by using very flimsy, transparent trash bags, making it impossible to hide a bomb in them since any bomb placed in there would be obvious to any passerby.
- 2.
If you ever do look yourself up on one of these websites, keep in mind that the unhappy students are usually the only ones motivated enough to post—and they are usually unhappy because they did not do well in your class. To counter this, keep your own “smile file” of positive things students say about your teaching. Teaching is emotionally hard and we all need to look at a “smile file” every once in a while to keep us going.
- 3.
Host of the trivia game show Jeopardy.
- 4.
Like the economics teacher in the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
- 5.
To do this, you need to create at least three slides. Number them 1, 2, and 3. On the first slide, type in “link to 3,” highlight it, and go to insert link (or hyperlink) to see if there is an option of linking to another slide in that same document (in PowerPoint, you need to go to “Place in this document”), and select the third slide. To test out the link, it must be in presentation mode and not edit mode (to know if it is in presentation mode, the slide should take up the whole screen). Click the link to see if it takes you to the slide labeled “3.”
- 6.
Or mostly transparent. When items are completely transparent, some programs think they are not there. I discovered this when I upgraded to a new version of PowerPoint. My old version could make action buttons completely transparent. I could not for the life of me figure out why my transparent action buttons were not working in this new version. I only figured it out after searching online for the answer. In PowerPoint, you can right-click on the action button, select “Format Shape,” and move the transparency slider button.
- 7.
This means to take a picture of what is on the computer screen which then can be pasted elsewhere. Typically you can use CTRL + Print screen on PCs and Command + CTRL + 3 for Macs, although my latest laptop uses a different combination of keys, which I had to use Google to figure out.
- 8.
For me, the characters in the movie The Polar Express fall into the “uncanny valley” category.
- 9.
This advice is a variation on the advice given to me by my dissertation chair, Dr. Marilyn Cochran-Smith, who said, “You want your readers to be challenged by your ideas, not by your writing.”
- 10.
Reverse engineering, or “looking under the hood,” is different from Backward Design. Reverse engineering starts with an end product that has already been developed. Backward Design is developing something from scratch by imagining what the end product should look like.
- 11.
For example, if you had a long list of alphabetized items, you might want to have the alphabet across the top of the document so users can link directly to the section of items that begin with that letter. You have to insert the bookmark first, name it, and then go back to where the decision is made to insert a hyperlink to that bookmark (in Word you go to “Place in this document”).
- 12.
HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. Markup languages are what publishers use to indicate how a page in a manuscript should look when printed—for example, indicating how much the text should be indented. HTML tells web browsers how to render a webpage. However, each browser translates the HTML instructions slightly differently which is why webpages will look different in different browsers.
- 13.
Do not use a word processing program—it embeds its own meta-language behind what you write—instead for PCs, most likely you will have Notepad or Wordpad; for Macs, you’ll likely have TextEdit although you may have to change some settings. Things change quickly so you may need to look this up on the Internet for the settings for your Mac, but you can try this: under “New Document” tab, select Plain Text for format and deselect wrap text; under “Open and Save,” select “ignore rich text comments” and deselect “Add .txt extension for Plain Text files.”
- 14.
This quote is from a discussion post by one of my students after doing this challenge.
- 15.
Don’t worry. Your new website is not visible to everyone on the web. It is just on your computer. However, if you want to make it visible to others, you can always put the .html files in cloud-based storage and provide others with the link. Be sure to store everything in the same folder, including any images you want in your website, because those links are “relative,” meaning they depend on where you start (like in these directions: “walk three blocks, turn left, and it is the second house on the right”—where you end up depends on where you begin), and not absolute (as in 36 Elm St. Smithville, NY which is the same spot no matter where you start, just like a URL).
Suggested Reading
Fullerton, T. (2008). Game design workshop: A playcentric approach to creating innovative games. Burlington, MA: Elsevier.
McGonigal, J. (2011b). Reality is broken: Why games make us better and how they can change the world. London: Penguin Books.
Rushkoff, D. (2011). Program or be programmed: Ten commands for a digital age. Berkeley, CA: Soft Skull Press.
Schell, J. (2008b). The art of game design: A book of lenses. Burlington, MA: Morgan Kaufmann.
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Appendix
Appendix
Suggested Curricular Game Rubric
Criteria | “Wow! I mean, I think this might work” (6) | “Hmm, this might be acceptable” (4) | “I need more convincing” (2) | “Go back to the drawing board” (0) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Compelling storyline | Multiple compelling storylines engage players, use second person, and are doled out to create suspense and just-in-time learning | Story furthers pedagogical goals and encompasses quests | Little to no connection between story and pedagogical goals | Lack of a storyline or storyline unclear or confusing |
Engaging quests | Quests require critical thinking | Quests at the comprehension level | Quests at the knowledge level | Little to no quests OR core game mechanics of quests does not match learning objectives |
Supportive scaffolding | Tiered scaffolding comes just in time | Student chooses type of scaffolding | Scaffolding supports learning | Little to no scaffolding |
Making thinking visible/audible | Game is designed so students have to constantly make thinking visible and/or audible | Multiple prompts for students to critically reflect on their decision-making throughout | Opportunity for students to reflect on their decision-making at the end | No opportunities for students to reflect on their decision-making |
Playtesting | Description of how results of gray box, alpha, and beta testing used to revise product | Three levels of testing described | Only two levels of testing described | Only one level of testing described |
Techie (2 extra points) | ||||
Both low-tech and medium-tech versions turned in | ||||
Tech savvy (4 extra points) | ||||
High tech—uses drag-and-drop game creation software like Scratch | ||||
Tech guru (6 extra points) | ||||
Even higher tech—codes own game | ||||
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Kellinger, J.J. (2017). Game Changer: Rendering and Testing the Game. In: A Guide to Designing Curricular Games. Advances in Game-Based Learning. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42393-7_7
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