Understanding the - PowerPoint Presentation

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Understanding theUnderlying Patterns: Teaching Scientific Thinking through Building Games

Dr. Magy Seif El-NasrSimon Fraser University, CanadaDr. Tony MaygoliNew Media Research and Education, Canada, Canada

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Website is

http://www.gamedevcamp.comDelivered Workshops since 2004 for High School and Middle School kids

(11 total workshops)Taught 13

courses on game design at College Level

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Managed by NMRAE: New Media Research and EducationDelivered Workshops since 2004 for High School and Middle School kids

Penn State University (US)3 Schools Puerto Vallarta (Mexico)Simon Fraser University (Canada)Vancouver, BC (Canada)Laguna College of Art and Design (US)Willamette University, Oregon (US)3Slide4

In this talkScientific thinking through workshopsScientific Game Design

Workshops4Slide5

Science Starts With Critical ThinkingSlide6

Learning by doingBy building games they learn:Science of game design

PsychologyMathematicsArtPhysics6Slide7

PlayFostering Creative and Collaborative Skills

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Concept Design

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Concept Development and CritiqueGame Design and Programming Process

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Critique

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Few

courses that I have been teaching:Math Finance Physics Business Chemistry Real EstateCritical thinking StocksGuitar

Forex

Bass guitar Kung fu

Piano

Karate

Keyboard

Budo

Music theory Judo

Painting Kendo

Poetry Swimming

Calligraphy Chess

Cooking

Badminton

Renovation Game design

ESL

Early retirement

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Few Important Facts and Conclusions:

12Teacher Knowledge System StudentSlide13

Few Important Facts:

Science is NOT tangible for studentsWe (teachers) have no LEVERAGE 13Slide14

What do we teach them? Critical Thinking Math Geometry

Physics Programming Storytelling Art 14Slide15

Mathematical

Thinking: Math, Geometry, Animationx-yX=0,y=464

ROOM

X=0,y=0

X=624,y=464

X=624,y=0

-x

y

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ROOM

X=0y=464X=0y=0X=624y=464X=624y=0

0,464

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ROOM

X=0y=464X=0y=0X=624y=464X=624y=0

?,?

300,464

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ROOM

X=0y=464X=0y=0X=624y=464X=624y=0

0,464

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ROOM

X=0y=464X=0y=0X=624y=464X=624y=0

?

x

1

y

1

d=√(x

1

2

+ y

1

2

)

Move the dog step by step in the game for the distance (d)

a

b

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ROOM

X=0y=464X=0y=0X=624y=464X=624y=0

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ROOM

X=0y=464X=0y=0X=624y=464X=624y=0

v = g * t

velocity 

v

of a falling object from the falling time point

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The tools and Programming:In 400-level college classes:

Wildtangent (1)WarCraft III (2)Unreal Tournament 2003/4 (10)For high/middle-school Workshops: WarCraft III (4)Game Maker (5)RPG Maker (1)

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Computer Science

: ProgrammingStatementsVariablesConditionalsFunctionsLoops

Events

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Computer Science

: Parallel processing, event programming, Object Oriented Programming24Slide25

Arts

: Architecture design, map design, visual composition, lighting, camera movement, etc.

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Scientific Principles of Game Design5 Principles27Slide28

Game Mechanics:Operant conditioningCreating dramaDirecting attentionNavigationPreparing the users for interaction

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Skinner (Operant Conditioning): The process of learning behaviors from the environment through consequences.Positive reinforcement

Negative reinforcementPunishmentChaining and shapingReward schedule systemsreinforcement is the chances of increasing probability of behavior occurrence.29Slide30

C. Fabricatore.

2007 . Gameplay and Game mechanics design: a key to quality in video games. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. 30Slide31

Game Designers use the same techniques to teach the player what to do in game environmentsGame Level Designers use Variable Ratio for rewards

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At the beginning: things are easy, “you make level 2 in about 5 kills.”By the time you make level 3 half an hour later, you understand the systemGradually, it takes longer and longer to get to the next level. It is the rewards that motivate you to continue “trivial tasks are no longer rewarded. The one-click reward disappears, and is gradually replaced by rewards that take more and more clicks to get. And suddenly, some of us find ourselves clicking away for hours in front of a forge or jewellery kit.”

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Uses random ratio schedule. “Both melee and trade skill points increase after a random number of attempts. You know you won’t get skill points unless you practice the skill, but you don’t know how many attempts it will take to get another skill point.”“A completely transparent experience points system would be a fixed ratio schedule because you have a very good grasp of how many more solo kills it takes to gain a level.” – would that work?

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Creating Drama in Games (Le Blanc):Drama is tension, created through conflictConflict in games is created:Uncertainty of outcome

: you don’t know if you are going to win or who is going to winInevitability of resolution: you know there is an end34Slide35

Systems for producing UncertaintyFeedback systemsNegative:

make score between players closer to zeroPositive: make score between players as large as possible35Slide36

Systems for producing UncertaintyEscalation: more points towards the end (e.g., Jeopardy)

Hidden energyFog of War (not everything is revealed)Decelerator: an obstacle that slows player down late in the gameCashing out: reset to zero, e.g. rounds in fighting games36Slide37

Systems for producing InevitabilityTicking clock

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Industry InvolvementIncrease Motivation and Knowledge Seeking38Slide39

For Camps hosted in cities away from Vancouver,

we bring professionals to talk to kids through skype39Slide40

“making the experience immersive, sounds lighting, everything. I also have a much greater respect for the difficult process of game design/creation”

“Coding and style of coding because nothing works if you can't code correctly”“How to program and produce something in a group”“Game design concepts in general”

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Science Ends With HUMANITYSlide42

Questions?Dr. Magy Seif El-Nasr: magy@sfu.caDr. Tony Maygoli:

tony@nmrae.com42