Ames' syllabi

1. What are the challenges a team faces when working on an educational game?
A big challenge is that different team members want different things. Game designers want the game to be fun, scientists want the information to be accurate, and education experts want the game to actually teach something. Because of this, they often disagree about how the game should work.

2. In the case study, why did team members veto each other’s ideas?

Scientist: The scientist rejected ideas that were not scientifically accurate.Pedagogy expert: They rejected ideas that would make it harder for players to learn or access the educational content.Designer: The designer rejected ideas that were not fun or didn’t feel like a real game.

3. What did the team learn from playtesting their prototypes?
They learned how players actually interacted with the game. Some things they thought would work didn’t work well, and some ideas were confusing for players. Playtesting helped them see what needed to change.

4. How does playtesting resolve conflicts among team members?
Playtesting helps because the team can see real player reactions instead of just arguing about opinions. The results show what works best for players, which helps the team agree on decisions.

Most frustrating moment?- Very short game, by that I mean I got to one of the bases in two turns.

Was there anything you wanted to do that you could not?- Go through the water and forest spaces.

What would you change or add? I would add an option to go through the forbidden spaces at the cost of some moves. I would also add an additional row behind the bases so that people cant block their bases in three turns. I would also specify the movement rules and how many dice we have to use.

Whats the message of the game? War never changes

How did the game make you feel? I feel like the game has a lot of potential but I feel like the movement rules need to be fixed a little better.

Describe the game in three words? Interesting, fast, fun

Most frustrating moment– The rules are a little confusing, like some people are getting cards that mention using two cards but in the rules it states to only use one.

Was their anything you wanted to do that couldnt?- I do feel like being able to put more than one card out would be nice.

If I can add or remove anything what would it be? Be able to use more than one card

Whats the games message? Balancing life

How does the game make you feel? Confused

Describe the game in 3 words? Helpful, confusing, fun

Well now I am not sure if i want to make this or not because of class today, but I wanted to make a game similar to dnd on my computer. With that being playtested in class I may change my plans up and think of a new idea for a game.

I ran into a little roadblock with the sizing of the cards. Right now I am trying to fix it and the game should be playable very soon. May bring in my two games at once which would be this and my clicker game. I look forward to bringing it in class.

The game is now almost playable. I have added way more features than the original game that I had made. It should be playable by the time we get back from spring break. Mainly right now I am making sure all the code I used functions correctly. So soon I will be working on making it look more pretty.

Whats the most frustrating moment you played. Id say it would be that you dont have a lot of time to look out for the better color combinations.

Was there anything that I wanted to do that I couldn’t? No everything was fine

If you can change or add anything what would it be? I would add more color theory thing and color combinations. I also think it would be a good addition if someone says a better color combination than the original you can steal it.

Whats the game narrative? The point of the game is to teach the players a fun way to learn color theory.

How does the game make you feel? Excited and it makes me look forward to playing it again.

Describe the game in three words? Fun, chaotic, colorful

1. What are the challenges a team faces when working on an educational game?
   Teams must balance making the game fun, educational, and scientifically accurate. These goals can conflict because what is engaging for gameplay may not always support learning or accurate content.
2. In the case study, team members vetoed each other’s ideas. What were their issues?
   The scientist rejected ideas that were scientifically inaccurate. The pedagogy expert rejected ideas that prevented students from accessing learning content. The designer rejected ideas that were not engaging or fun as a game.
3. What did the team learn from playtesting their prototypes?
   They learned that some ideas that seemed good did not work well for players. Playtesting showed what was confusing, engaging, or effective for learning.
4. How does playtesting resolve conflicts among team members?
   Playtesting provides real player feedback, allowing the team to make decisions based on how users actually interact with the game instead of personal opinions.