Ames' syllabi

Doctrine is like a set of strategies in military combat, or rules for a medical procedure. Overall, Doctrine is a guideline to help assist people in situations that aren’t necessarily expendable or accessible for beginners in day to day life.

Cognitive Task Analysis is a method used to break down how experts think and make decisions, so that others can learn from them. It is a method typically used to improve performance in these situations, whether that be for the medical field, or for the military.

A “game” that is now a game but was originally was used to train military personel: is Full Spectrum Warrior. This game included Doctrine tactics to exhibit how one should operate in these situations, as well as exhibited strong Cognitive Task Analysis by putting the player in these realistic environments with a lot going on, with high intensity in an environment that is true to real life as well. This game helps soldiers understand the true risk and reward of decision making in these environments.

Just like how soldiers train in simulations, doctors and nurses also train using realistic scenarios as well. Medical Simulations come in a plethera of forms, as there are so many different fields and procedures available for a person to train with. Overall, these simulations act as training for real life or death scenarios and are very efficient; rather than having someone train on an actual person

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

They face the challenge of balancing: education, interactivity, detailed content, and entertainment within the game .

• 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 dismissed the game ideas proposed by the pedagogy expert and scientist because they did fit the parameters for “a game.” The scientist rejected many of the game designer’s ideas because the science was incorrect.

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

The design team found that including less detail would increase the amount of detail players noticed. Levels were created to entice players,

• How does play testing resolve conflicts among team members?

“Playtesting not only helps designers refine the game mechanics, but it can also help resolve conflicts among pedagogy, content, and gameplay by moving disagreements from theoretical stances to demonstrated success or failure of design concepts”

• What are the challenges a team faces when working on an educational game?
  • One challenge that a team can face when working on an educational game would be the game’s story, as there are two types of storytelling that can have backstory and a set stage, or it can be learning focused.
• In the case study team members vetoed each others game ideas, what were the scientist’s, pedagogy expert’s and designer’s issues?
  • The science of the information in the game wasn’t accurate with the designers story
• What did the team learn from play testing their prototypes?
  • The game became more engaging to the audience, the more story was behind it, while there was still educational factors
• How does play testing resolve conflicts among team members?
  • They were all given something to fix when it came to the feedback given by the testers

1. Retail Rush – This simulation game isn’t any typical “work at a retail store” game. Unlike the other retail games, this one primarily focuses on holidays, such as Christmas or Black Friday. There are difficulties based on the holidays, with Black Friday being the hardest and St. Patrick’s Day being one of the easier difficulties. This sets things into perspective for the player, showing how intense working retail can be. It pushes the player to the limits, forcing them outside of their comfort zone. The typical retail games are usually slower-paced and relaxing, but this one is the opposite.
2. Bird’s Eye – This is a more relaxing simulation, which focuses on collecting, watching and studying different bird species. You can choose different environments which affect the chances of certain species being around, but the premise revolves around collecting and documenting. This game can also be an online game, with a scoreboard for bragging rights.
3. Trash Grinder – Another job simulation, which is based off of picking up trash from different types of neighborhoods. Some neighborhoods could be more dangerous than others, so maybe you could encounter complications. This simulation could go both ways, some neighborhoods more peaceful while others more chaotic. Not to mention, you would have to watch out for people crossing the road. In the end, the goal is to accomplish as many neighborhoods as you can before your shift ends.
4. Tax Fraud Simulator – I think that a game like this would be hilarious, and I’d hope nobody would take it seriously. It could be entirely fictional – maybe avoiding the taxes of an alien on a different planet or something… Basically, you have to find ways to cover up your tracks in order to avoid getting caught by the IRS. The game gets harder and harder as you rack up more money to spend, but you get more points the more you can evade taxes.
5. Gamble Goer – This is a game about risk and reward. You are able to buy scratch offs, go to the casino or play machines which all act as the typical gambling vices. You are given a starting amount of money, and it is up to you to either double what you have or risk losing it all. This might already be an idea, but this could also be an online game which shows how long you lasted gambling. You can be responsible with your money and only gamble a small amount or find a way around the system.

Week 7 Questions

1. What are the challenges a team faces when working on an educational game?
   • One of the main challenges a team faces when working on a game includes finding the game/education balance. The text mentions struggle from levels, preventing players from accessing additional education until they earn what is needed to progress. Another conflict centered on the game’s story, as education can sidetrack the storytelling of a game. All in all, educational games can seem boring and lackluster, so it is important for different aspects to be utilized in entertaining the player.
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?
   • The scientist rejected the game designer’s ideas because the science was incorrect, focusing mainly on logic and less about entertainment. The pedagogy expert primarily focused on the effectiveness and educational aspect of the gameplay, whereas the game designer looked upon the mechanics, design and engagement of the player. All of these aspects from different parties ultimately caused discourse and vetoing.
3. What did the team learn from play testing their prototypes?
   • The team would learn through playtesting how players interact with the gameplay, what they need to incorporate, and how the team can enhance the immersive gameplay. This ties into the next question, as conflicts would resolve when the team learns how to balance game topics building off of the extensive playtesting. The flaws of prototyping could be established and fixed in later iterations of the game development.
4. How does play testing resolve conflicts among team members?
   • Playtesting resulted in progressive revisions, finding the harmony between the pedagogy, content and gameplay. Game designing features a resolution in most conflicts between the subjects, as the designers strive to provide collaborative test-based modeling of educational game designs. Furthermore, disagreements were removed from theoretical stances demonstrating success or failure of design concepts.

What are the challenges a team faces when working on an educational game? They bring up a few different challenges in this article that a team faces. One of the major difficulties is having a game be educational while still being engaging for users. Another challege is the conflicts that arise among members of the team. Each member of the team may have a differnt focus or vision for the game and it often leads to as disagreement between the team members.

In the case study team members vetoed each others game ideas, what were the scientist’s, pedagogy expert’s and designer’s issues? The scientist, likely an expert in the subject, focused on the scientific accuracy and was cautious about any design elements that could confuse the intent of the product. The pedagogy expert was responsible for the educational aspect of the game, making sure that the game supported edcational values and that the mechanics backed that. Meanwhile, the designer was focused on making the game fun and enagaging.

What did the team learn from play testing their prototypes? Through playtesting their prototypes, the team learned a lot about their game’s strengths and weaknesses. They were able to identify design flaws early on, such as gameplay elements that were confusing or ineffective, and pinpoint areas where players struggled. Playtesting also helped the team understand how players interacted with the game and which parts they enjoyed or found frustrating.

How does play testing resolve conflicts among team members? Playtesting helps resolve conflicts by providing objective feedback from real players. When team members disagree about game features or design decisions, the results from playtesting offer a basis for making decisions. Additionally, playtesting helps align the team’s goals by showing how players respond to the educational and gameplay aspects. By seeing the actual player experience, team members can make changes that address both the educational and entertainment needs of the game.

1. What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? Trying to figure out what everyone’s rules were. I amean I had it easy because I was a Civilian and all I had to do was get across the border and try not to kill anyone. However, Everyone else had so may roles that they had to do.
2. What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? I liked “What I felt like running away from all the other players. I also loved how the game was designed and the uniqueness of the pieces.
3. Was there anything you wnated to do that you couldn’t? Not really, other than wanting to be a le to take my car back to get other people once I crossed the border, without taking a civilian back across the border.
4. 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 probably make some sort of cheat sheet for the other players so they know what all their roles in the game are so it limits the amount of questions they have.
5. What should be improved with the next version? See questions 3 and 4.
6. Describe the game in 3 words. Unique, Competitive, Creative

What questions did your players have? The players didn’t really have too many questions to start. This game was overall pretty basic to learn.

How quickly did they learn to play? I only took about 5 minutes. Once I explained the instructions, they were pretty much good.

What kinds of interactions did the players have? There wasn’t a whole lot of interaction between the players themselves. However the players enjoyed making fun of each others earnings and items they bought.

What confused players? Players had a little bit of confusion at first trying to figure out when they could go to the store, some players thought that as soon as they earned enough money to buy a product that they could go to the store. They didn’t realize that they had to wait until they land on a store space in order to be able to go to the store.

What did your players enjoy doing? Players enjoyed earning money and being able to go to the store and buy things.

Did any aspect of the game frustrate players? Earning a lot of low vaule items, resulting in it taking awhile for players to be able to buy high value items from the store.

What did your players learn/ take away from your game? Was that what you intended? There wasn’t really mush of a learing aspect to this game. However, I think players eventually got the idea that it is not always worth saving to buy the most expensive item because the smaller items are easier to buy an abundance of and they eventually add up to be a larger value. Overall, the intention was to teach players about price and value of items.

What is you plan to adress player questions, confusion, and frustration? I plan to make a board to display the store products on so that it is easier for all players to see. I also plan to add another card element to the board. So I will have to have “Pick Up a Product Card” and “Pick up a chance card” space to the baord. The product card will be the same as before. The chance card, will have cards that allow players to steal cards from other players, take free objects from the store, freeze a players turn, etc. I also will give players a set amount of mony to start with, so if they happen to land on a “store” space early on in the game, they have the option to buy something if they choose to.

If your players didn’t get your intended message, what will you change? I think players did get the message but I may try to add more to it somehow.