Category: reading response

• • Post thoughts on what we played in class

GETTING OVER IT

• – Was it fun? Yes, I enjoyed it and I could spend more time playing it.
• What were the player interactions? The player controlled a hammer which you used to propel yourself upward a mountain with obstacles in the way.
• How long did it take to learn? I still haven’t learned the controls, especially because I was on a track pad, but the concept was easy to understand.
• What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? My lack of understanding of the controls made it difficult because that’s the whole premise of the game, if you don’t understand the controls you can’t progress in the game.
• What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? I like the idea of failing and trying again, there’s no luck so you can hone your skills and get better.
• Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t? I wanted to switch to an actual computer mouse, but didn’t have that opportunity.
• If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be? To be honest I don’t think I would change anything about the actual game. The whole point of the game is to be simple and difficult. I feel like adding stuff to the game would take away the goal of the developer.
• Is this a game you would play again? Yes ! I feel like I didn’t get enough time with the game and I want to play it more and actually make progress.
• Analyze the game using the 3 act structure.- Im not exactly sure, especially since they don’t actually have any character development but I guess you start at the bottom and the game ends when you get to the top.
• What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game? Since theres no NPC’s or multiplayer its only posible to collaborate with yourself and get better. The competiton is with the player and themselves, if they fail in game they fail themselves. Its a mental battle about trying again.
• What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? Not sure about the metaphor I only played for a bit but I’d say its about not giving up and trying again. The mechanics are super simple with only 1 form of control and I think thats what makes it standout.
• Describe the game in 3 sentences or in the form of a haiku.-

A difficult game

You will fail and try again

Skills grow as times pass

CALVIN BALL

• Was it fun?

I didn’t have alot of fun, theres no actual game.

• What were the player interactions?

The players passed the ball and created the game themselves, I wouldn’t even credit the game as Calvin ball.

• How long did it take to learn?

Calvin Ball took 4 seconds to learn. Learning the other players’ rules is what took some time to understand.

• What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played?

When Mason (me) made a rule, he instantly won the game. The game’s structure is flawed from the start.

• What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played?

I like it when people aren’t specific with rules and you think outside the box to get past those rules.

• Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t?

Not really, you can do whatever you want in this game.

• If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be?

I would have some kind of structure for the kind of rules that are made, but then again that takes away from the freedom of the game.

• Is this a game you would play again? Not unless I was extremely bored. I’d play rock paper scissors before this game. The game can literally end on the first turn.

• Analyze the game using the 3 act structure.

Theres not a clear act structure but I guess it would come with adding more rules as the game goes on until the game is over.

• What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game?

The competition is against the people youre playing with and the collaboration comes from trying to make a fair and fun game with the other players.

• What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout?

I guess the metaphor has something to do with giving the players complete freedom. The game’s mechanics standout because there are none lol.

• Describe the game in 3 sentences or in the form of a haiku.

I dont like this game

there is no structure to follow

there are better games

• TOWNSCRAPER
• Was it fun?

I didn’t play it but I don’t think it looks very fun.

• What were the player interactions?

The player clicked the screen and could either make a building or destroy it.

• How long did it take to learn?

Not very long because there are only 2 things you can do.

• What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played?

I think I would get bored after 2 minutes with just clicking the screen.

• What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played?

I guess the best part of the game would be the noises and not even the gameplay.

• Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t?

Have more options for buildings and structure.

• If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be?

I would add different kinds of builidings, new terrain so you dont just build over the ocean and could maybe go underground.

• Is this a game you would play again? Nope. It doesn’t seem fun and I think there are way better options.

• Analyze the game using the 3 act structure.

1. Start over the water
2. Make a cute little city
3. keep making that cute city cause the game doesn’t end

• What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game?

Actual no competition anywhere, you collaborate with yourself and your creative mind to keep clicking the same button.

• What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout?

The metaphor is to never be satisfied and always want more, probably. The mechanics stand out because they’re extremly simple.

• Describe the game in 3 sentences or in the form of a haiku.

super simple game

click and click and click and click

the city grows large

• Read/Play: Cow Clicker, http://bogost.com/writing/blog/cow_clicker_1/, The Graveyard, Townscaper https://youtu.be/hqq25n6cQqo?si=leLV3KMoWNIXzbaM

• Questions:
  • What are the issues Ian Bogost raises about social games with Cow Clicker?

Bogost brings up the point of how simple and absent-minded games nowadays are. People will absent mindedly click their screens in order to get “rewards” that help you click more. He then mentions microtransactions that just let the user click more. There’s no skill or story, it’s just clicking.

• How do social games like FarmVille enframe friends?

Farmville-like games use your friends to their own benefit. They have you invite friends to play the game so the player can get rewards. The rewards are miniscule and you can’t even play with your friends, you can just send them some materials and thats it. They didn’t make the game for you and your friends, they made the feature to have you get more people to play their game.

• How do social games destroy time outside of the game?

They destroy time outside the game because you constantly need to log on to collect the rewards, or else you can progress. Most games you can get on once a day and play for a little bit and still progress, but in these social games like farmville you have to log on every couple of hours to collect resources and progress in the game.

Aleah Dudek

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

Bogost created Cow Clicker to reveal how shallow and exploitative many social games are by intentionally designing a game built around meaningless interaction, where the core mechanic, clicking a cow, has no real purpose or depth, mirroring how many social games rely on repetitive, low-effort actions instead of meaningful gameplay. He argues that these games prioritize manipulation over fun, using addiction loops, notifications, and artificial rewards to keep players engaged rather than genuinely entertained, while also emphasizing monetization as design, where progress is often locked behind payments and the primary goal becomes extracting money instead of offering creative or emotional experiences. Ultimately, Cow Clicker demonstrates the automation of play, where players are no longer truly playing but performing routine tasks like workers in a system, making the game intentionally boring to expose how many popular social games are already boring, just disguised as fun.

• How do social games like FarmVille enframe friends?

Bogost argues that social games enframe friends by turning real human relationships into tools for the game system, where friends become resources rather than people. Players interact with them mainly to send requests, gain bonuses, or unlock items, reducing social interaction to spam and obligation instead of genuine connection. Rather than communicating with friends out of care or interest, players message them because the game requires it, transforming friendship into a mechanic and making one’s social network part of the game’s infrastructure.

• How do social games destroy time outside of the game?
• Bogost claims that social games don’t just take time, they colonize it by operating in real-world schedules that force players to structure their lives around the game, creating a state of constant half-playing where users are always thinking about logging in, checking notifications, and feeling pressure not to fall behind. Instead of being a contained activity, social games bleed into daily life, fragmenting attention and turning free time into a continuous background obligation.

1. Ian Bogost issues with cow clickers is the are addicting and time wasting because they always want to keep clicking instead of being engaging with another activity.
2. Games like Farmville enframe friends because you can change what happens to your farm and people will see and if someone doesn’t, they will feel out of place, and no one likes to feel that way or have FOMO or fear of missing out
3. Social games do destroy the social aspect because you’re on your phone I think non electronical social games like card games and board games are okay but other than that social games are not really the greatest I play a lot of single player games where i can play with friends which I do but also I can play solo and have no issue with it.

• Read:
  • Brian Winn, Carrie Heeter, “Resolving Conflicts in Educational Game Design through Playtesting“ Innovate: Journal of Online Education Volume 3, Number 2, December 2006

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

Balancing the content with being fun but also educational, differing team goals, and the occasional communication errors with your team.

• In the case study team members vetoed each others game ideas, what were the scientist’s, pedagogy expert’s and designer’s issues?

Concerns over scientific accuracy, concerns with educational effectiveness, and the enjoyment of the game.

• What did the team learn from play testing their prototypes?

They identified the issues of the game, gained insight on player engagement, and definitely improved game mechanics.

• How does play testing resolve conflicts among team members?

It can provide objective feedback, helps the team align their goals, and it helps to reduce misunderstandings by showing what is and isn’t working.

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

The challenge of creating an educational game as a team is the difficult task of creating a game that is both engaging in a sense of teaching the player something they might not be familiar with, while also maintaining a sense of entertainment, fun, and keeping players engaged throughout the game in solid execution of both mechanics and content.

• In the case study, team members vetoed each other’s game ideas, what were the scientists’, pedagogy expert’s, and designer’s issues?

The scientist focused on the game’s effectiveness in communicating accurate scientific content. Their main concern was that some of the game ideas might oversimplify or misrepresent the science, reducing the educational value of the game. However, the pedagogy expert was primarily concerned with how well the game would facilitate learning. Especially when it came to some game ideas, which would not effectively promote the desired learning outcomes or would fail to engage students in critical thinking and problem-solving. And the designer was concerned about the game’s playability and the overall user experience.

• What did the team learn from playtesting their prototypes?

Playtesting helped the team understand how well the game ideas were meeting both the educational requirements and the players’ engagement needs. It gave valuable feedback on whether the games were fun, engaging, and whether they hit the learning goals as intended.

• How does playtesting resolve conflicts among team members?

Playtesting provided the team with concrete data, such as how players reacted to different aspects of the game through the educational, engaging, and experience aspects of the game’s design. This feedback helped resolve conflicts by giving team members evidence on which to base their decisions, rather than relying solely on subjective opinions. It also gave each team member a sense of whether their contributions to the game were executed properly.

• What are the challenges a team faces when working on an educational game? Teams consist of people with different specialties and sometimes that can cause them to butt heads when they each have slightly different goals. For instance, “Game designers hope to create a highly interactive, compelling experience that is also fun to play. Pedagogy experts insist that the game must be an effective teacher. Content experts expect the game to include accurate, richly detailed content…” (p. 1). However, the challenges faced will definitely differ based on the type of educational game being developed. 
• In the case study team members vetoed each others game ideas, what were the scientist’s, pedagogy expert’s and designer’s issues? The game designer wanted there to be levels built into the game, however the pedagogy expert took issue with this. This is because, “From her point of view, she did not want the game to prevent learners from accessing learning content” (p. 2). If players could not pass level one, for instance, they would not be able to move forward in the game. More vetoing of ideas occurred when, “The game designer immediately dismissed game ideas proposed by the pedagogy expert and scientist because they did not constitute “a game.” The scientist immediately rejected many of the game designer’s ideas because the science was incorrect” (p. 2). Game designers also wanted to include strong elements of a designer’s story, but they did not mesh well with the scientists who felt that they weren’t scientifically accurate enough. 
• What did the team learn from play testing their prototypes? “Playtesting the first prototype disproved three assumptions. The first was the scientist’s expectation that extinct creatures from Earth’s past would be so intrinsically interesting that the players would be motivated to read and explore as much as possible” (p. 3). Players mostly just ended up guessing instead of treating the game as an educational tool. The team also learned that players experienced different levels of motivation to finish the game, with the mostly female playtesters having very low motivations. This caused the team to reintroduce the idea of levels. More generally, the team was able to observe the amount of engagement, learning, and fun resulted from playing the game, which are all key factors to developing an effective educational game. 
• How does play testing resolve conflicts among team members? I think that playtesting helps resolve conflicts among team members as the team is actually able to see where players may struggle with some parts of the game and where they are particularly interested in or excel at. Differing team members are then able to realize that maybe the other team member was right about this one mechanic or concept as they are able to observe the results of it being tested. Team members are also able to celebrate their successes together as they have players who begin to enjoy playing the game they made together. 

Balancing fun, education, and accuracy is difficult. Game designers want engaging mechanics, while pedagogy experts focus on structured learning

Vetoed Game Ideas and Issues of Scientists, Pedagogy Experts, and Designers: Scientists worried about oversimplification and misinformation. Pedagogy experts focused on aligning the game with learning objectives. Designers feared that too much educational content would make the game boring.

What the Team Learned from Playtesting Their Prototypes

Playtesting showed how players interacted with the game

How Playtesting Resolves Conflicts Among Team Members: Playtesting provides real user data instead of opinions. It helps team members see what actually engages and educates players. This shifts discussions from personal preferences to objective improvements.

Reading Response questions 

• what learning games have you played? can you categorize them by the theory of learning types: behaviorism, constructivism, constructivism or social nature? if you played more than one which was the most effective? I forget the game name, but in high school, we used this grammar and punctuation website and we had to complete learning modules in it by fixing sentences. They tried to make this more fun by having the sentences tailored to your specific interests and you could pick musical artists, movies, and cartoon characters that would be featured in your sentences. Another one that I remember playing was the games based on the Super Why show on PBS. I remember having to spell out certain words to do things in the game, but not much more than that. I think that these games were mostly behaviorism because it was very much rinse and repeat and not necessarily fully integrated into making the experience as a whole good. While I can’t think of many more examples, I don’t think that behaviorism would be the most effective, and I think that constructivism or social nature could be much more effective.  
• 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? Bogost says, “More specifically, gamification is marketing bullshit, invented by consultants as a means to capture the wild, coveted beast that is videogames and to domesticate it for use in the grey, hopeless wasteland of big business, where bullshit already reigns anyway.” Essential Bogost says that gamification is something that companies do to try to sell more product, expand their audience and they just do it as a way to expand themselves. This can be done in a very sloppy manner. I think that I would tend to agree with Bogost. One example of where I have encountered this are the playable ads that I see Progressive using quite often. To me, they don’t really seem very effective and are just poor quality ads that don’t make me want to get Progressive anymore. It also just feels exploitative because it seems directed towards younger children, and I don’t know why they would do that except to increase brand awareness UNTIL they grow up and can purchase insurance. 
• What is a serious game and why aren’t they chocolate covered broccoli? According to the article, “Serious Gaming is used to teach and train K-12 students or as professional development”. You want to avoid chocolate covered broccoli “serious games” that are just education with a sweet coating trying to make it a little more fun as an afterthought. It’s not really effective of convincing people that the topic as a whole should be enjoyable and engaging and its not as fun unless the game fully integrates mechanics with problem solving, for instance. 

Games from the games for change site for podcast

• I particularly looked at the free games on the site because they would be most accessible to myself and a larger audience. Here are some that stood out to me:
  • A Blind Legend – a game designed for the visually impaired 
  • Datak – A Serious Game About Personal Data
  • Gamer Girl
  • Harmony Square
  • Heirloom
  • Quandary 
  • Sky: Children of the Lights
  • Syndesi
  • Tendar

Observance Game Review 

• Was it fun? Yes, this game was fun. The gameplay is a lot like Battleship and I quite enjoy that game normally. 
• What were the player interactions? For me, I played as the US border patrol side and I got to do different search patterns to try to find the people that were trying to cross the border. I would call out the space that I was out and what search formation. If I found someone, they were captured and taken out of the game. I also got to hide the churches and green card like you would with the ships in Battleship, and kept it a secret from the other player. The other player from the Mexico side would ask me for coordinates to search for the churches and the green cards. When they found them, it allowed them to have a safe space to rest and be able to safely cross the border.  
• How long did it take to learn? This game didn’t take very long to learn at all, thanks to it being very similar to Battleship. 
• Would you play it again? Yes, I would play this game again. I liked the games message and gameplay and I would like to see who would do better if the roles were reversed. 
• Analyze the game using the 3 act structure. In the first act, the US border patrol side places the churches and the green card without letting the Mexico player know. Players take turns moving their characters in and out of and around the board, each searching for different things. The second act would have been after the first few turns and when there were significantly more characters out on the board. The US border patrol player started to place a few walls that blocked both players’ path, and each player started to find a few of what they were looking for. The third act of the game was when there was only 1-2 characters from Mexico remaining. That meant that they would either safely cross the border or be captured from the US side. When all the characters were captured or safely crossed the border, the game ended. 
• What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game? This game was definitely competitive, as players played as the US border patrol vs citizens from Mexico looking to get a better life. The players directly opposed each other, with the US side trying to remove the Mexican characters from the game, and the Mexican side just trying to safely survive. 
• What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? The game’s metaphor is about illegal immigration between Mexico and the United States. I liked that each of the characters had their own backstory about what led them to be in that position for either side, as it really humanized the situation and gameplay. The standout mechanic for me was being able to pick different search formations, and I somehow always seemed to pick the wrong one, where I would have caught them had I picked the other one. 

Thoughts on Ames’ chess game 

While I didn’t get to play and I don’t really know much about normal chess, I really like that message of this game of chess. I found the mechanic of the bomb to be super interesting and would love to see how the game plays out if someone decided to use it. I also thought that it was super clever and interesting to include the little citizen pegs in the sandy parts of the chess board. I think that helps people think about the citizens that are often caught up in the middle of war, as opposed to just having the chess game stacked in the favor of one side. 

Thoughts on Train

I think that this is a super effective and clever way to communicate the message of the Holocaust in a game format. I find it interesting that this game is something that would really only work in a gallery setting. I also like how the designer made it so that players were compliant in making bad decisions, but they didn’t know until the very end of walking through the exhibition. I would really like to experience this in person, but I don’t really want to personally play the game myself, but I would love to watch others’ reactions to this experience. 

Thoughts on Síochán Leat (aka The Irish Game)

I really love how this designer decided to make a game to teach their kid about their background. It makes me think about how cultural education could be taught even more so through games. I also think that the design of the game board looks super interesting with some of the pieces almost appearing to float above the ground. 

Responses to Readings

What Learning Games Have You Played? How Do They Fit Into Learning Theories?

Games teach in different ways. Typing Club uses repetition and rewards to build typing speed, but not deep thinking. Minecraft: Education Edition lets players learn by creating and problem-solving, needing some teacher guidance. Foldit uses teamwork for real science, but needs background knowledge. Minecraft is likely the best, as it encourages hands-on learning and problem-solving over simple repetition.

Is Gamification Bullshit? What is Ian Bogost’s Argument?

Bogost thinks gamification is a trick. Companies use points and badges to control people, not to make things fun or educational. They add game-like things to make people keep using their products, but without real value.

I agree. Things like Duolingo streaks and Starbucks rewards make people do things without really learning. But, some gamification, like Khan Academy’s, can be good if it’s used to help real learning. I’ve seen it myself: reward programs feel like marketing, and Duolingo focuses too much on streaks, not learning.

What is a Serious Game, and Why Aren’t They Chocolate-Covered Broccoli?

Serious games teach, not just entertain. Bad games try to hide learning, like boring math games. Good games teach through playing, like “Papers, Please.” Good games are fun by themselves. Gamification can be bad, but good for real learning. Learning games are best when players explore, create, and work together.

• 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? 

Flanagan emphasizes that games can be seen as a form of cultural expression, while Crawford sees games as systems of interaction, focusing on the idea that games are interactive stories. Salen and Zimmerman define games more formally as structured activities

• what is an activist game?

An activist game is a game designed with the intention of making a political, social, or cultural statement.

• go and chess are examples of games that feature “perfect information”, what other games share that feature?

Checkers, Tic tac toe, connect four

• why might chance or gambling games hold spiritual or religious importance to ancient cultures?

Chance or gambling games may have held spiritual or religious significance because they represent the unpredictability of life or the will of the gods.

• when was the earliest battle between government/ religious groups and games? what modern games can you think of that have been banned or demonized?

One of the earliest recorded battles over games can be traced back to ancient Rome, where authorities sought to limit or ban games of chance like dice. In more recent years, D&D has been demonized.

• what is a fox game, and what would be a modern example?

A fox game refers to a game that involves trickery, manipulation, or misdirection. A modern example would be Mafia.

• what was the purpose or intent of the game: Mansion of Happiness?

Mansion of Happiness was a board game that was designed to teach children about virtue and the consequences of their actions.

• Why do artists from the Fluxus and Surealist movements play games? Why did Surealists believe games might help everyone?

Fluxus artists were interested in the breakdown of traditional art forms and the idea of making art part of everyday life, while Surealists believed that games could reveal the unconscious mind and inspire creativity.

• Changes in what can signal profound changes in games?

Changes in the social, cultural, or political environment can signal changes in the design and purpose of games.

• What statements did Fluxus artists make by reskinning games like monopoly and ping pong?

By reskinning games like Monopoly and Ping Pong, Fluxus artists were challenging the commercialization of play.

• How are artists like Lilian Ball, Marcel Duchamp, Takako Saito, Yoko Ono, Gabriel Orozco and Ruth Catlowusing war games?

These artists have engaged with war games as a means of avoiding traditional understandings of conflict and violence.

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

Agency in serious games is important because it allows players to feel that their actions have consequences.

• what learning games have you played? can you categorize them by the theory of learning types: behaviorism, constructivism, constructivism or social nature? if you played more than one which was the most effective?

I have played Behaviorism games (Duolingo), constructivism games (say minecraft), and social constructivism (fortnite). I personally like constructivism games, since they keep the player engaged and you have to take initiative.

• 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?

He argues that gamification reduces the complexities of human motivation. I think there’s truth to Bogost’s critique, especially when gamification is used in a way that feels artificial. I have personally seen it in health apps.

• What is a serious game and why aren’t they chocolate covered broccoli?

A serious game is a game designed for a purpose beyond entertainment, such as education, training, or social change. The reason they aren’t choccy broccy is because serious games are designed to engage and entertain while still serving a meaningful purpose.