Week 11

Game Title:

Outcomes

Learning Elements:

The learning objective of the game is to inform the player on the harms of drinking. The game attempts to teach the player about the different of outcomes involved with drinking. The dominant form of interaction the player has with the game is making decisions based on a scenario given to the player. This supports the learning objective. The player applies what they learn throughout the game to make their decision. The cognitive process is most affected by the game design. The game design attempts to affect the cognitive process by having the player apply what they learn throughout the to making their decisions.

Formal Elements:

There are one to four players engaged in the game. The players do not interact with each other in the game only the game. The game is cooperative not competitive. The primary game objective is to have the players make the right decision in the game pertaining to drinking by understanding the harms of alcohol consumption. The game objective reinforces the learning objective by informing the players on the harms of drinking while playing the game. The rules of the game are to make it through the game either as a fully recovered alcoholic or sober in general, depending on where the player starts in the game. If the player ends the game drunk, they loose. The player wins/looses based on their decisions made throughout the game. The player is given two decks of cards, a pair of dice, and a board to play on. The player is suppose to draw a card either from the “sober” deck or “alcohol consumption” deck which includes scenarios and also tells the player what to do. The player rolls the dice to determine how many steps forward/backwards to move. The board includes a starting point and ending point along with places in the game. Levels of Achievements are accured during the game. There are no resources being spent or exchanged in this game. There is no conflict between players in the game. Conflict between game elements are all introduced, maintained, and resolved based on the decisions the player makes. The game has no rules which gives the players no boundaries. This limitation is fun because it gives the player as much control over their decisions as possible, making the game as realistic as possible. It also contributes to the learning and game objectives because the learning objective is supposed to influence the decisions the player makes which reinforces the game objective. The game ends when the player makes it to the end of the board either sober or drunk

Dramatic Elements:

The main character is the player of the game. If there is more than one player in the game, each player is a main character. The motivation of the character/player is to make it out of the game sober. The challenges presented to the player is whether or not they should drink or not. For example, the card may say “Stay for one more drink”, the player has to decide whether or not they will stay. This is where the player must learn how to use self control and determine whether they’ve had too much to drink or if it is a good idea for them to take another drink. The fictional world takes place in a real life setting. The general premise of the story is a college student who is either alcohol dependent or on their way to being alcohol dependent (relying on alcohol as a stress reliever), who is faced with the challenges of determining whether or not this is the life they want for themselves. The story uses an emergent narrative. The decisions made by the player unfolds the player’s story. The playfulness in the game comes from the challenges the player is faced with. The most prevalent type of play in this game is meaningful play-integrated. The Achievers in Bartle’s Taxonomy is most likely to enjoy this game. The story creates conflict in the game because the player may not want to or end up doing the thing it takes to stay sober which will more than likely result in the player loosing the game.

System Dynamics:

The objects used to build game systems in the game are houses, restaurants, a school campus, bars, and parks. There are no properties or behaviors required for the game systems. The basic relationships between system elements are that the character attends these places throughout the game. The game system does not exist as an economy. No new systems emerge from game play. All information about the system is exposed to the player. The players interact with the system by “going” to these places throughout the game. The players do not control the system or receive feedback from the system.

Functionality, Completeness, & Balance:

The game is not yet fully functional or complete. There is no voice not being represented the game just does not flow correctly yet. The game is balanced and symmetrical.

Fun and Accessibility: 

The game is very engaging. The elements that support engagement promote learning. By playing the game the player(s) learn. All of the choices made in the game are meaningful. The choices made relate to the game objective because the game objective is to make a decision based on the learning objective. There are still parts of the game that are broken. Instead of having two deck of cards the game should have one deck of cards and the player should have the option of following what the card says or passing and waiting for their next turn. There are no inconsequential choices. The game is fairly easy to play and it does not take long to learn. The player(s) learn how to play by playing the game.

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About Robert O. Duncan

I'm an Assistant Professor of Behavioral Sciences at City University of New York, with joint appointments in Neuroscience and Cognitive Neuroscience. I also have an appointment as a Visiting Scholar at New York University. My research interests include cognitive neuroscience, functional magnetic resonance imaging, glaucoma, neurodegenerative disorders, attention, learning, memory, educational technology, pedagogy, and developing games for education.

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