Sara Estus – Week 4 Response

Game Reviews:

Observance: This game is a response to the July 28, 2007, rejection of the U.S. Senate to revise the Immigration Reform Bill. Though it could be considered outdated by the unknowing, illegal immigration is still a very impactful subject 17 years later. When I played this game with Amber, it was fun to figure out the rules, setup, and character backstories; however, after some time it begins to feel wrong when you think about the ‘lives’ you are playing with (literally). And even though I appreciated the reskin of “Battleship” having a game with such an emotional impact on a simple mechanic like “Battleship”, brought down to the chance of two die – made the impactfulness of how serious illegal immigration seem less serious.

All in all, I enjoyed the game, but I felt like I was more focused on ‘winning” than I was on understanding how illegal immigration works and what happens to illegal immigrants.

Serious Game Ideas:

1. The Trash: This game is about minimizing the garbage you throw away each week. Typically, about one to half a bag of garbage is made per person for each person living in a household. But it is possible to break that number in half! By playing this game, users will learn how to reduce, reuse, recycle, and compost scraps, all while having an impact on how much litter they make. The goal is to halve the amount of trash thrown out, by the time two weeks have passed.

• Sustenance: In this game players manage a farm or agricultural region, balancing the needs for food production with sustainable farming practices that minimize environmental impact and enhance biodiversity. Some ways may include composting, hydroponics, and not using pesticides.

• We are Global: Players create a “profile” for themselves and are then matched with another person in a third-world country who is similar in age, gender identity, and interests. Players are then tasked with learning more about this person and their culture to understand the possible impacts of war, starvation, lack of education, etc.

• The Shelters: This game is about spreading awareness of “full” shelters. Thousands of animals are euthanized each year due to no room at shelters.  It is the player’s job to spread awareness, gain donations, upgrade shelter amenities, and reduce euthanasia numbers by using fosters, creating adoption days, and preventing backyard breeding.

• Compliment Race: Though this game seems simple and easy, the concept goes into the impact of self-love and appreciation for others. To play, players are given multiple cards from a huge stack that have different rules for who they must go up to and compliment. Players cannot compliment other players, and must try to find people, and genuinely make them feel good.

Podcast- Games for change Ideas:

Minecraft Education: Minecraft Java is one of my favorite games, it’s one of the few I can always return to, no matter how long I don’t play. Minecraft Edu, I also feel strongly about it, as I played it back in high school before it was even half the content it is today. I even had the opportunity to speak in other local high schools about the impact of STEM and Minecraft on students. So, this has a special place in my heart.

Spiritfarer: I have a few hours into this game and feel that I have experienced a lifetime of grief in the last 5 years. The impact of this game feels like a good discussion to have.

Papers, Please: First of all, this game is INSANE. The rich lore, the complicated mechanics of checking passports and papers for immigrating and visiting a country under dictatorship. This game has so much to offer and is truly a game people should play or watch a playthrough of. It takes a keen eye, a great attention span, and a willingness to take notes.

Plague: I have played this game one too many times, and now it feels wrong given my experience in the COVID-19 pandemic. But I feel that it can be a really rich discussion about the pros and cons of ruining and saving the world – whether you play as the cure or a disease.

Reading Questions:

• 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 a child, I grew up with an old Windows 98 computer. It was chunky, and slow, and only worked well when you worked as slow as it did. I played a lot of games like the “Jumpstart” series, which went based on age, and learning basics that were taught in school. The games focused a lot on basic principles of problem-solving, like winning a race by building a cool car, but you had to solve math problems first, and when I was younger it was based on color coding, and motor skills. As an adult, I have played two behaviorism games, Kahoot and Quizlet, which both required me to think about my choices to pass or win. And lastly, a game that contained a social nature was surely Club Penguin. There were many instances where players could collaborate and play games to win in-game currency or go against each other.

• 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?

I would argue that Gamification IS bullshit, it feels like a trend companies just jump into as an excuse to be “with the trends” As Ian Bogost argues, gamification reduces the complexity and richness of video games to a mere transactional system, where engagement is treated as a point-to-point system of rewards and punishments. Ian views gamification as a cheapening of the power of games—an attempt to commodify something that has far more potential. In my experience, gamification has often been included in fast-food restaurants like McDonald’s. Throughout the years they have attempted to make consumers play “Monopoly” to coax them into purchasing more, just for the reward of being a free small fry.

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

A serious game is a game that is designed for a more educational purpose other than just for entertainment though it can also be used for training or addressing real-world issues. These games use elements of gameplay to engage users and help them learn new skills, solve problems, or simulate complex scenarios. Serious games are not chocolate-covered broccoli, as when created correctly, they easily blend education or training with enjoyable gameplay. Instead of feeling like a forced or disguised educational experience