Author: Evan Schmetzer

1. What are the challenges a team faces when working on an educational game?

A team working on an educational game faces several challenges, including:

• Balancing educational content with engaging gameplay: It can be difficult to ensure that the game is both fun and educational, without one aspect overshadowing the other.
• Aligning different perspectives: Team members may have differing views on what makes the game effective in terms of pedagogy, design, and scientific accuracy.
• Making the game accessible and appropriate for the target audience: Ensuring that the game caters to the right age group and learning styles is a key challenge.
• Integrating game mechanics with learning objectives: Ensuring that the game mechanics support the learning goals without being too forced or distracting can be tough.

2. In the case study, team members vetoed each other’s game ideas. What were the scientist’s, pedagogy expert’s, and designer’s issues?

• Scientist’s Issues: The scientist was concerned with the game’s scientific accuracy and how the content would represent the real-world scientific principles. They wanted to ensure that the educational material was correct and meaningful.
• Pedagogy Expert’s Issues: The pedagogy expert was focused on the learning experience. They wanted to ensure the game promoted the right learning outcomes, like critical thinking or problem-solving, and was aligned with sound educational principles.
• Designer’s Issues: The designer wanted to ensure the game was visually appealing and engaging while balancing these other elements. They were focused on the game’s playability, interface, and how fun and interactive the experience would be for players.

3. What did the team learn from play testing their prototypes?

The team learned several important lessons from playtesting:

• Player feedback helps reveal issues: Playtesting allowed the team to see how actual players interacted with the game, helping identify aspects that weren’t as effective or enjoyable as planned.
• Misalignments in objectives: Playtesting revealed that different team members had different priorities for the game, which highlighted the need for better communication and alignment on learning goals and game mechanics.
• Balancing learning and play: They discovered that it was difficult to maintain a balance between making the game fun and educational, and playtesting helped them understand how to adjust gameplay to meet both goals more effectively.

4. How does play testing resolve conflicts among team members?

Playtesting helps resolve conflicts by providing objective data and real-player insights, which allow the team to see what is and isn’t working in practice. It serves as a neutral ground where differing opinions about design, pedagogy, and scientific content can be tested against actual user behavior, helping to identify where compromises are needed. By seeing how players respond to the game, team members can better understand each other’s perspectives and adjust their contributions to create a more cohesive, effective final product.

1. What learning games have you played? Can you categorize them by the theory of learning types: behaviorism, constructivism, or social nature? If you played more than one, which was the most effective?

As an AI, I don’t play games, but examples of learning games people often engage with include:

• Behaviorism: Games like Math Blaster or Reader Rabbit, which focus on repetitive tasks and rewards, emphasizing rote learning and behavior reinforcement.
• Constructivism: Games like Minecraft Education Edition, where players build, explore, and create their own knowledge within a sandbox environment, allowing for learning through experience.
• Social Nature: Games like Classcraft, which blend game mechanics with social interaction, encouraging collaboration and teamwork in a classroom setting.

The most effective learning game would depend on the individual’s learning style and the subject matter, but constructivist games (like Minecraft Education Edition) are often more engaging and provide deeper, experiential learning opportunities than more behaviorist-focused games.

2. Is gamification bullshit? What is Ian Bogost’s argument, and do you agree? Where have you encountered it outside of class, and what was your experience?

Ian Bogost argues that gamification—the use of game mechanics in non-game contexts—can often be superficial and ineffective. He criticizes it for reducing meaningful experiences into trivial points and badges, which often fail to foster real engagement or meaningful outcomes. Gamification, according to Bogost, oversimplifies complex systems and exploits users rather than empowering them.

I agree with some aspects of Bogost’s argument, particularly when gamification is used poorly and focuses only on external rewards instead of intrinsic motivation or genuine engagement. I’ve encountered gamification in productivity apps or workplace environments (like Todoist or Slack), where it does encourage small, short-term tasks, but doesn’t necessarily enhance deep motivation or satisfaction. In these cases, gamification often feels more like a gimmick than a tool for meaningful change.

3. What is a serious game, and why aren’t they chocolate-covered broccoli?

A serious game is designed for purposes beyond entertainment, such as education, training, or social change, often incorporating elements that encourage learning, skill-building, or raising awareness about complex issues.

Serious games aren’t chocolate-covered broccoli because they’re not just “good for you” in a disguised way—they aim to be engaging and enjoyable while still providing valuable educational or meaningful content. The idea is to create experiences that are fun and educational, rather than forcing education into a form that players find unpleasant or boring. Serious games strive for balance, where the learning comes naturally through enjoyable gameplay, rather than feeling like an obligation masked by entertainment.

Chapter 1

1. How does Mary Flanagan’s definition of game differ from Chris Crawford’s as well as the definition crafted by Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman?

• Mary Flanagan’s definition of a game emphasizes the process and interaction within the game, where games are systems of play that allow participants to actively shape their experience. She focuses on the player’s agency and the dynamics between player actions and game systems.
• Chris Crawford’s definition is more focused on the interactivity aspect, defining a game as an interactive system where players engage with choices and responses to achieve specific outcomes. Crawford highlights the feedback loop between the player and the game’s system.
• Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman’s definition defines a game as a system in which players make decisions within a set of rules, aiming to achieve a goal. They define games in terms of structure and goals, providing a more formalized view of how games operate within systems.

2. What is an activist game?

An activist game is a type of game designed to promote social or political change, raising awareness of issues and encouraging players to reflect on the real-world impact of their actions. These games often aim to challenge the status quo, provoke thought, and inspire action towards specific causes or issues.

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Chapter 3

1. Go and Chess are examples of games that feature “perfect information,” what other games share that feature?

Other games with perfect information include:

• Checkers (Draughts)
• Reversi (Othello)
• Backgammon (although it includes elements of chance, players have complete knowledge of the game state except for dice rolls)

In these games, all information about the state of the game is available to both players, and there is no hidden information or randomness.

2. Why might chance or gambling games hold spiritual or religious importance to ancient cultures?

Chance or gambling games may hold spiritual or religious significance because they represent a symbolic connection to fate, the divine, or the unknown. In ancient cultures, these games were often viewed as a way to connect with gods or spirits, relying on chance as a means of divination or to reflect the unpredictability of life.

3. When was the earliest battle between government/religious groups and games? What modern games can you think of that have been banned or demonized?

The earliest battles between governments/religious groups and games occurred in ancient Rome when gladiatorial games were seen as morally corrupting or decadent, leading to debates about the ethics of such entertainments. In modern times, games like Grand Theft Auto, Doom, and Pokémon have been demonized or banned due to concerns about violence, moral decay, or the impact of their content on players.

4. What is a fox game, and what would be a modern example?

A fox game is a type of game where one player (the “fox”) tries to evade capture by other players (the “hounds”). It involves strategy, agility, and social interaction. A modern example of a fox game is Tag or Capture the Flag, where one player is pursued by others in a game of chase.

5. What was the purpose or intent of the game: Mansion of Happiness?

The purpose of Mansion of Happiness, a 19th-century parlor game, was to teach moral lessons and reflect Christian virtues. It was an educational game designed to guide players toward moral and virtuous living through a journey of choices, similar to a life path, based on ethics and societal expectations.

6. Why do artists from the Fluxus and Surrealist movements play games? Why did Surrealists believe games might help everyone?

Artists from the Fluxus and Surrealist movements used games to break down traditional boundaries between art, life, and play. Surrealists believed that games could unlock creativity, help players tap into their subconscious, and explore irrationality or chance, providing a means to engage with the world in a new, more playful and free way.

7. Changes in what can signal profound changes in games? How were pinball games reskinned during WW2?

Changes in game mechanics, objectives, and context can signal profound shifts in the way games are played or perceived. During WW2, pinball machines were reskinned to have war-related themes, reflecting the societal mood and aligning the game with wartime imagery and national pride.

8. What statements did Fluxus artists make by reskinning games like Monopoly and Ping Pong?

Fluxus artists reskinned games like Monopoly and Ping Pong to challenge the conventions of game design and highlight the absurdity of capitalism and consumer culture. By altering these games, they aimed to make a statement about the art of play and the deconstruction of traditional structures.

9. How are artists like Lilian Ball, Marcel Duchamp, Takako Saito, Yoko Ono, Gabriel Orozco, and Ruth Catlow using war games?

Artists like Lilian Ball, Marcel Duchamp, Takako Saito, Yoko Ono, Gabriel Orozco, and Ruth Catlow use war games as a medium to critique violence, conflict, and societal structures. Their work often transforms or subverts traditional war games to comment on the human cost of war, challenge militaristic values, and promote peace or alternative perspectives.

10. Why is it important for players to have agency in a critical or serious game?

It’s important for players to have agency in critical or serious games because it allows them to make meaningful choices and experience the consequences of those choices, fostering a deeper understanding of the issues at hand. Player agency is essential for engagement and for conveying the complexity of real-world problems in an interactive and reflective manner.

1. What advergames have you played? Did they influence a purchase?

Advergames are promotional video games designed to advertise a product or brand. As an AI, I don’t play games, but advergames that people commonly encounter include games like McDonald’s: The Video Game or PepsiMan. While they can raise awareness of a product, research shows advergames rarely lead directly to purchase, as players might enjoy the game without being influenced to buy the product.

2. Why do the advergames Tooth Protector and Escape work?

Tooth Protector and Escape work because they combine entertainment with education, subtly embedding the brand message while engaging players. By associating the brand with fun and rewarding gameplay, players are more likely to remember and connect the brand with positive emotions.

3. What makes Chase the Chuckwagon and Shark Bait fail?

Chase the Chuckwagon and Shark Bait fail because they lack engagement and don’t offer compelling gameplay. These games rely too heavily on repetitive tasks without meaningful player interaction or connection to the product, making them forgettable and ineffective as promotional tools.

4. What does Volvo’s Drive for Life accomplish?

Volvo’s Drive for Life advergame successfully combines a sense of adventure with the brand’s message of safety, allowing players to explore and understand Volvo’s commitment to safe driving. It subtly reinforces the brand’s core values and connects the driving experience with positive emotions like security.

5. What company used in-advergame advertising?

Many companies have used in-advergame advertising, but a prominent example is Pepsi, which used games like PepsiMan to engage players and promote its brand through entertainment.

6. What was one of the first home-console advergames and what beverage was it for?

One of the first home-console advergames was Cool Spot, a platformer released for the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo, created to promote 7 Up.

7. What makes the Toilet Training game sophisticated and do you agree?

The Toilet Training game is sophisticated because it uses personalized engagement to address a specific, everyday issue while embedding a product or brand within a context of routine life, making it subtly persuasive. I agree that it is a clever use of the medium, but its effectiveness depends on how well the game resonates with its target audience.

8. What do advergames and anti-advergames have in common, and what principles do they share?

Advergames and anti-advergames both use video games as a tool to communicate a message, whether positive or critical. Both rely on interactive engagement and storytelling, using gameplay to persuade or influence players’ perceptions, though advergames promote products while anti-advergames critique or resist advertising.

  1.   What are the issues Ian Bogost raises about social games with Cow Clicker?    

Ian Bogost critiques social games for being exploitative, designed to encourage addictive behavior through minimal rewards and constant in-game purchases. His game Cow Clicker satirizes this by reducing gameplay to the mindless act of clicking, highlighting the emptiness of such games.

  2.   How do social games like FarmVille enframe friends?    

Social games turn friends into resources and tools for progress, where players rely on each other for in-game rewards. They also create social pressure by encouraging competition and validation through in-game achievements shared with friends.

  3.   How do social games destroy time outside of the game?    

Social games keep players engaged with constant notifications, reminders, and time-sensitive tasks that demand frequent attention. This creates a sense of urgency and fear of missing out, drawing players back into the game even when they’re not actively playing.