Chris Bell, a designer of the award-winning “Journey” (That Game Company), gave a presentation at the 2012 Game Developer Conference that is now online in the GDC Vault. Chris shared his observations about several online multiplayer games that are designed to bring people together. He cited language as a major barrier to building friendships online. Players who want to connect might not be able to because the designer didn’t account for language. Visible appearance might also be a barrier that keeps people from bonding over a shared interest. In the online world of avatars, people from various walks of life can alter their appearance and meet people they otherwise might not in the real world. Bell indicates that the goal of the designer in the online multiplayer experience is to create friendships before prejudice can take effect.

In the classroom, where players cannot hide behind an avatar, this design imperative is even more difficult to overcome.  As instructors, we must design experiences that allow learners to identify each other through their academic affinities rather than their hairstyle. Rather than assigning learners to teams, we should let teams form naturally around affinities. Simple idea is to have learners write down their topic of interest on a piece of paper. The instructor can go through each topic in front of the class and ask students how topics should be grouped. After grouping, students congregate at various points in the room according to their affinity. There may be some drawbacks to this method, but the some of the advantages follow:

1. This method splits up students who only cluster together because they are friends rather than sharing a common interest.
2. It gives the group project some direction at the outset.
3. It allows shy learners to express their opinions without being overshadowed by more dominating learners.

If you have an idea to improve upon this method or incorporate more game mechanics into the idea, please post in the comments!

Originally posted at TransformativeGames.org

A recent opinion piece by Ben Serviss on Dash Jump postulates that video games might be the chemistry set of the future. Game development provides a safe and cheap way for students to experiment with crazy ideas. Learning development also provides students with skills that they might need in the modern wetlab. In our digital age, where molecular biologists are learning Python to handle massive datasets, coding (or hiring a coder) is becoming a necessity. Even if your laboratory doesn’t require coding, there is probably a principal investigator at a competing lab with a facile programmer who is getting the job done twice as fast. Game development might be a great way to prepare students for the programming skills needed to handle large datasets.

Game development might also encourage logical thinking that is valued in all the STEM disciplines. Educators are constantly citing critical thinking as a skill that needs to be developed in students. Programming demands logical thinking, which fosters critical thinking. Development of simulations can be used to test theories computationally before taking those ideas into the field or the wet lab. Game engines are so cheap and accessible these days that they can be used by labs with little to no funding. The Unity3d game engine, which is free for academics, has been used by NASA, NOAA, and a variety of other government and NGOs to visualize complicated datasets (or at least bring those data to the people).

Explore Mars at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Earth Information System at NOAA

Catlike Coding – A guide to visualization in Unity3d

Unity3d visualization page

-Originally posted at TransformativeGames.org