Linking gameplay metrics to computational thinking

Computational thinking (CT) is considered to be a fundamental skill underlying not only programming ability, but also an entire array of computational problem-solving competencies in a data-driven world. The need for accessible and engaging educational tools for CT has recently been acknowledged as significant by educational authorities. Glitchspace is a firstperson puzzle game where the player has to manipulate objects in the game world through a visual programming interface in order to escape the cybermaze and win. The game received critical acclaim for its innovative and engaging gameplay, including a British Academy Scotland Award (BAFTA). However, the educational potential of Glitchspace in relation to CT ability has not been sufficiently explored. As success at playing the game relies on the players’ ability to program the game world to suit their goals, it is hypothesised that common measurements of CT will positively correlate with game ability (measured by game metrics, such as completion times and number of failed attempts of various sub-tasks). We propose to develop methodologies to explore the relationship between gameplay behaviour and computational problem-solving ability in the game Glitchspace. Such methodologies will allow researchers to investigate which game mechanics elicit and promote CT in a reliable and measurable way. The outcome of this research will be of great value to instructional designers seeking to leverage games for CT education, as well as learning game analysts seeking to map gameplay behaviour to learning outcomes

Pirate plunder: game-based computational thinking using scratch blocks

Policy makers worldwide argue that children should be taught how technology works, and that the ‘computational thinking’ skills developed through programming are useful in a wider context. This is causing an increased focus on computer science in primary and secondary education. Block-based programming tools, like Scratch, have become ubiquitous in primary education (5 to 11-years-old) throughout the UK. However, Scratch users often struggle to detect and correct ‘code smells’ (bad programming practices) such as duplicated blocks and large scripts, which can lead to programs that are difficult to understand. These ‘smells’ are caused by a lack of abstraction and decomposition in programs; skills that play a key role in computational thinking. In Scratch, repeats (loops), custom blocks (procedures) and clones (instances) can be used to correct these smells. Yet, custom blocks and clones are rarely taught to children under 11-years-old. We describe the design of a novel educational block-based programming game, Pirate Plunder, which aims to teach these skills to children aged 9-11. Players use Scratch blocks to navigate around a grid, collect items and interact with obstacles. Blocks are explained in ‘tutorials’; the player then completes a series of ‘challenges’ before attempting the next tutorial. A set of Scratch blocks, including repeats, custom blocks and clones, are introduced in a linear difficulty progression. There are two versions of Pirate Plunder; one that uses a debugging-first approach, where the player is given a program that is incomplete or incorrect, and one where each level begins with an empty program. The game design has been developed through iterative playtesting. The observations made during this process have influenced key design decisions such as Scratch integration, difficulty progression and reward system. In future, we will evaluate Pirate Plunder against a traditional Scratch curriculum and compare the debugging-first and non-debugging versions in a series of studies

Design perspectives on diabetes management games

For decades, there has been scholarly interest in the use of serious digital games to assist individuals suffering from diabetes with the self-management of that disease. However, previous research in this area has not effectively integrated the knowledge of the expert game designer. This dissertation aims to further understandings of design approaches to serious games for diabetics by confronting both the arguments of the diabetes games literature and the diabetes games themselves with the experiences and opinions of expert game designers. The arguments of the diabetes games literature were synthesized into a design template composed of twenty-four interrelated desirable elements. This template was then used by three focus groups consisting of a total of twelve expert game designers to both evaluate six diabetes self-management games and respond to the assertions of the diabetes games literature. The findings from these three empirical studies indicate both that the diabetes games themselves are of uniformly unsuitable quality and that the diabetes games literature is rife with what the expert game designers consider to be problematic assumptions. The problems identified by the focus groups include those that fundamentally cripple the functionality of the game artifact, those that are embedded in a game’s rules and themes, and those to those that exist at superficial levels. Furthermore, the focus groups had an overall negative reaction to the arguments about games that they found to be deeply embedded in the design template’s elements. Tensions exist, however, between the reasons for the diabetes games literature’s demand for certain game features and the beliefs of the expert game designers. The findings strongly suggest that additional research is necessary and that an interdisciplinary effort, including both health care professionals and expert game designers, is necessary for the development of new, superior design scenarios for diabetes self-management games.Informatio

Games and Rules

Why do we play games and why do we play them on computers? The contributors of »Games and Rules« take a closer look at the core of each game and the motivational system that is the game mechanics. Games are control circuits that organize the game world with their (joint) players and establish motivations in a dedicated space, a »Magic Circle«, whereas game mechanics are constructs of rules designed for interactions that provide gameplay. Those rules form the base for all the excitement and frustration we experience in games. This anthology contains individual essays by authors with backgrounds in Game Design and Game Studies, who lead the discourse to get to the bottom of game mechanics in video games and the real world

Games and rules: game mechanics for the "Magic Circle"

Why do we play games and why do we play them on computers? The contributors of "Games and Rules" take a closer look at the core of each game and the motivational system that is the game mechanics. Games are control circuits that organize the game world with their (joint) players and establish motivations in a dedicated space, a "Magic Circle", whereas game mechanics are constructs of rules designed for interactions that provide gameplay. Those rules form the base for all the excitement and frustration we experience in games. This anthology contains individual essays by experts and authors with backgrounds in Game Design and Game Studies, who lead the discourse to get to the bottom of game mechanics in video games and the real world - among them Miguel Sicart and Carlo Fabricatore

Games and Rules

Why do we play games and why do we play them on computers? The contributors of »Games and Rules« take a closer look at the core of each game and the motivational system that is the game mechanics. Games are control circuits that organize the game world with their (joint) players and establish motivations in a dedicated space, a »Magic Circle«, whereas game mechanics are constructs of rules designed for interactions that provide gameplay. Those rules form the base for all the excitement and frustration we experience in games. This anthology contains individual essays by authors with backgrounds in Game Design and Game Studies, who lead the discourse to get to the bottom of game mechanics in video games and the real world

Proceedings of the 2nd Annual CUNY Games Festival

Proceedings of the CUNY Games Conference, held from January 16-17, 2015, at the CUNY Graduate Center and Borough of Manhattan Community College. Health Games - Language and Composition - Design: Classroom Considerations - Games in the Physical Environment - Games and Behavioral Science - Play, Politics & Economics - Gaming Curricula, Disciplines & Programs - Gaming and History - Institutional Programming with Games - Philosophy and Roleplaying - Ed. Game Design: Strategy & Tactics - Repurposing Game Genres - Narrative, Storytelling & Games - Community & Social Justice - Extemporaneity - Personal & Social Transformation - Cognition, Design & Play - Library Games - Gaming in the Discipline

Enhancing Free-text Interactions in a Communication Skills Learning Environment

Learning environments frequently use gamification to enhance user interactions.Virtual characters with whom players engage in simulated conversations often employ prescripted dialogues; however, free user inputs enable deeper immersion and higher-order cognition. In our learning environment, experts developed a scripted scenario as a sequence of potential actions, and we explore possibilities for enhancing interactions by enabling users to type free inputs that are matched to the pre-scripted statements using Natural Language Processing techniques. In this paper, we introduce a clustering mechanism that provides recommendations for fine-tuning the pre-scripted answers in order to better match user inputs