Archives for Design

Zamzee: Gamifying Physical Activity

11th May 2011 by MissDaisy under Devices, Research

Interesting blog post from Muzzylane – a software company leading in serious games design and development – on Zamzee: Gamifying Physical Activity.

An excerpt from the post: “Incorporating games or game-like elements as motivators for physical activity for kids has a lot of promise as well. At least, that’s the thinking behind a program like Zamzee. Zamzee is an online rewards program that incentivizes physical activity. In effect, it’s a technology aid that tries to “gamify” physical activity for teens.” This meter can record how much the kids are moving around and they can keep track of their own progress online.

The author provides very interesting comment at the end on the issue of extrinsic incentives that might have taken away the intrinsic motivation of doing a physical exercise. Definitely a point worth taking. Extrinsic rewards are certainly good at motivating and starting a desired behavior change. But then again, ‘how much is too much?’.

tagged in exercise, fitness, incentives, teens

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Can Learning Really Be Fun and Games?

9th May 2011 by Thomas Tavares under Apps, Commentary, Devices, News, Websites

For those wondering what a game-based classroom looks like in a traditional school, take a peek into Ananth Pai’s third-grade class in Parkview/Center Point Elementary school in Maplewood, Minnesota.

…click here to read more

tagged in individualized learning, learning methods, tech tools

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iPad Study Released by Oklahoma State University

4th May 2011 by Thomas Tavares under Devices, Research

Oklahoma State University has formally released its internal findings on an iPad pilot conducted during the Fall 2010 semester, showing that the device had a positive impact in an academic environment.

…click here to read more

tagged in academics, devices, oklahoma state univiersity, research

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Gamifying Education: Some Strategies for Achieving Project Goals

1st May 2011 by Thomas Tavares under Conferences, Design, Papers, Research

This paper examines the different strategies that may be used to develop museum games by focusing on two case studies currently underway at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The type of game and game play are the basic structural components of the game. Much like the narrative of a story, the game components must support the desired outcomes. Lack of clear definition of outcomes early in the design process may lead to games that do not address those outcomes. In addition, assessment is critical to understanding whether the game was successful and achieved the project goals. This paper reviews the different approaches taken by the development team in order to reach the educational goals and the methods of assessment incorporated into the projects from the outset.

Museum Games and the Third Space
By: Elizabeth Goins

tagged in affective domain, assessment, cognitive domain, educational games, Facebook application, papers, research, RIT, third space

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Gamification in Education: What, How, Why Bother?

28th April 2011 by Joey J. Lee under Design, Papers, Research

Gamification, or the incorporation of game elements into non-game settings, provides an opportunity to help schools solve challenging issues regarding student motivation and engagement. However, if gamification is to be of use to schools, researchers, designers, and practitioners must better understand what gamification is, how it functions, and why it might be useful.

Joey J. Lee (Assistant Professor of Technology and Education) and Jessica Hammer (Mellon Interdisciplinary Graduate Research Fellow) at the Games Research Lab at Teachers College, Columbia University have published a journal article that addresses all three questions regarding gamification – what, how, and why bother? – while exploring both the potential benefits and pitfalls of such an approach. You can download the article here.

Lee, J. J. & Hammer, J. (2011). Gamification in Education: What, How, Why Bother? Academic Exchange Quarterly, 15(2). Available at: http://www.gamifyingeducation.org/files/Lee-Hammer-AEQ-2011.pdf

tagged in benefits, papers, pitfalls

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Designing Effective Achievements

28th April 2011 by Joey J. Lee under Design

In this Gamasutra article, entitled the Cake is Not a Lie: Designing Effective Achievements, Lucas Blair discusses three kinds of orientation for players based upon the research of Deci, Lepper, and others: goal orientation, performance orientation, and mastery orientation.

Lucas recommends the following best practice: “For complex tasks requiring creativity or complicated strategies try to instill a mastery orientation. For simple or repetitive tasks instill a performance orientation. Try to keep new players, who are still learning how to play, in a mastery orientation.”

(via Joystiq)

tagged in achievements, Deci, Lepper, mastery, performance

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