Category Archives: FA16-Project 23

Final

Introduction

            Many college students partake in recreational drinking but somewhere down the road, many start to abuse it. Drinking has become a concern in the college community. Previous According to Magrys and Olmstead (2015), risky drinking is a significant problem among undergraduate students, many of whom exhibit high rates of alcohol consumption (as cited in Balodis et al., 2009). The drinking epidemic of college students can lead to problems down the road such as alcoholism.  Bacon, Blumenthal, and Cranford (2015) stated the following:

College students report high rates of alcohol use and heavy episodic drinking (i.e,. Five or more drinks on one occasion), compared to same-aged peers not attending college as well as adolescent and adult samples, While this style of alcohol use presents obvious immediate health and safety concerns, the long-term consequences of drinking patterns established in college are an additional pressing issue. Though heavy drinking while in college often is perceived as normal, or at least acceptable, it is possible that some students may establish patterns of drinking during these years that may persist and lead to long-term problems. (as cited in Johnston, O’Malley, Bachman, & Schulenberg, 2008; Borsari & Carey 2001, 2003; Gotham, Sher, & Wood, 1997)

As the problem of drinking in college students is rising, it is pressing that it is understood why it is happening. Studies have suggested that stress may be a leading cause on why college students turn to drinking. Coughlan, Deasy, Jourdan, McNamara and Pironom (2014) states:

Stress, defined as ‘a particular relationship between the person and the environment that is appraised by the person as taxing or exceeding his or her resources and endangering his or her well-being’ is acknowledged as a major part of the student experience. (as cited in Lazarus and Folkman, 1984; Wichianson et al., 2009)

It was suggested that excessive consumption of alcohol during college and university may increase the risk for alcohol abuse. Stress is said to be one of the most likely contributing factors in high alcohol use, which also increases the risk of alcohol abuse (Magrys & Olmstead, 2015). Previous studies have found that stress influences alcohol consumption in college students. Magrys and Olmstead found that there is a relationship between acute stress and single-session alcohol intake amongst undergraduate students. Stress, whether it be stress from school, work, or the many other things life can throw at a person, takes its toll on one’s well-being and health. Many students may turn to drinking as a way to cope or escape from whatever is bothering them. Although many studies have suggested that risky alcohol consumption is a growing epidemic in the college community, they have not tested the effect stress has on a college student as well as if it leads to alcohol consumption and or abuse. This study aims to make the connection between stress and risky alcohol consumption in college students. Not only does this study aim to make a connection but also aims to be an alternative stress reliever in hopes of reducing the alcohol consumption in the college community. It is predicted that stress negatively influences alcohol consumption among college students.

Methods

Subjects

The population of interest in this experiment are college students. Two subjects were sampled from that population. The subjects were recruited through volunteering to participate. The subjects included in this experiment had to be college students. Also, the subjects had to be at or above the drinking age. If a participant was under the age of consent to drink and/or not in college they were not allowed to participate in the experiment. The subjects could be any gender and of any ethnic background. The average age of participants ranged from 23-28 years old. The subjects were motivated to participate by receiving a $5 Starbucks gift card after the experiment was over.

Apparatus

The stimuli was presented as a game. The game was a  table-top board game. Along with the board game were two stacks of cards, similar to the card game Uno, a pair of dice, and pieces that represent the subject to move around the board. The subject is unaware of what the cards say. (i.e. Go to the bar and take another drink or go home.) The subject has the choice of going to the bar or going home, based on that choice determines whether or not they win/lose the game. The subject’s objective is to make it through the game “sober”. Four or more drinks in the game constituted for the subject being drunk. The subject had to make it through different levels of the game, where they gained a new achievement. The cards were chosen by the subject so no biased occurred. Each time the subject played the game the cards were randomly picked by the subject.

Procedure

The participants were told to write down how many times they drank in each trial. The amount of trials conducted were six trials in total, three trials for each subject, conducted at the same time. The data that was collected was whether or not one subject drank, drank more than the other, or did not drink at all. The conditions created for the game were that one subject had a stack of cards that included extremely stressful situations and the other subject had a stack of cards that did not include such stressful situations. The point of this is to see whether or not the stressful situation made the subject drink or not. The conditions were compared by who had which cards and how many times they drank. (i.e. Subject facing extremely stressful situations drank once). The participants were explained the rules of the game before starting the game in each trial.

Results:

            The mean number of times for participant in the extremely stressful condition was 1.3 (SD= 0.58), and the mean number of times for participant in the non-stressful condition was 0.67 (SD= 0.58). The results indicate that the participant in the extremely stressful condition drank more times than the participant in the non-stressful condition. [t (4)= -1.4, p >0.05]

Discussion:

In conclusion, stress does not negatively influence alcohol consumption among college students. My results do not support my thesis. This experiment allowed students to use it as an outlet to alleviate their stress rather than turning to drinking to cope with their stress. This can help reduce the risk of alcohol addiction in college students down the road. A potential problem with this study is that there was too little of a sample size and also not enough trials conducted. Another potential problem with this study is that the experiment does not cover all the possible reasons why one may turn to drinking. Also, as stated in early studies, there is a link between stress and alcohol consumption. Magrys and Olmstead (2015), found a relationship between acute stress and alcohol consumption in undergraduate students. A future study could be to use the relationship between acute stress and alcohol consumption in college students to find the connection between alcohol use and all students in the college community as I have attempted. Another future experiment could be to incorporate how positive life events can influence alcohol consumption in college students and whether or not that can lead to alcohol related issues down the road.

References

Bacon, K. A. , Blumenthal, H. , & Cranford, N. A. (2015). Effects of ostracism and sex on alcohol consumption in a clinical laboratory setting. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 29(3), 664-672.

Coughlan, B. , Deasy, C. , Jourdan, D. , McNamara, M. P. , & Pironom, J. (2014). Psychological distress and lifestyle of students: Implications for health promotion. Health Promotion International, 30(1).

Magrys, A. S. , & Olmstead, C. M. (2015). Acute stress increases voluntary consumption of alcohol in undergraduates. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 50(2), 213-218.

YorkCollegePosterTemplateV2

Week 16

Many college students partake in recreational drinking but somewhere down the road, many start to abuse it. Drinking has become a concern in the college community. According to Magrys and Olmstead (2015), “Risky drinking is a significant problem among undergraduate students, many of whom exhibit high rates of alcohol consumption” (as cited in Balodis et al., 2009). The drinking epidemic of college students can lead to problems down the road such as alcoholism.  Bacon, Blumenthal, and Cranford (2015) stated the following: College students report high rates of alcohol use and heavy episodic drinking (i.e,. Five or more drinks on one occasion), compared to same-aged peers not attending college as well as adolescent and adult samples, While this style of alcohol use presents obvious immediate health and safety concerns, the long-term consequences of drinking patterns established in college are an additional pressing issue. Though heavy drinking while in college often is perceived as normal, or at least acceptable, it is possible that some students may establish patterns of drinking during these years that may persist and lead to long-term problems. (as cited in Johnston, O’Malley, Bachman, & Schulenberg, 2008; Borsari & Carey 2001, 2003; Gotham, Sher, & Wood, 1997) As the problem of drinking in college students is rising, it is pressing that it is understood why it is happening. Studies have suggested that stress may be a leading cause on why college students turn to drinking. Coughlan, Deasy, Jourdan, McNamara and Pironom (2014) states: Stress, defined as ‘a particular relationship between the person and the environment that is appraised by the person as taxing or exceeding his or her resources and endangering his or her well-being’ is acknowledged as a major part of the student experience. ( as cited in Lazarus and Folkman, 1984; Wichianson et al., 2009) Magrys and Olmstead (2015), also stated  …Factors that contribute to excessive consumption of alcohol during college and university may indirectly confer risk for alcohol abuse. Stress is one of the most likely contributing factors in that stressful life events are associated with elevated alcohol use, as well as increased likelihood of alcohol abuse. (as cited in Enoch, 2011; Bonden et al., 2014) Stress, whether it be stress from school, work, or the many other things life can throw at a person, takes it’s toll on one’s well-being and health. Many students may turn to drinking as a way to cope or escape from whatever is bothering them. Although many studies have suggested that risky alcohol consumption is a growing epidemic in the college community, they have not tested the effect stress has on a college student as well as if it leads to alcohol consumption and or abuse. This study aims to make the connection between stress and risky alcohol consumption in college students. Not only does this study aim to make a connection but also aims to be an alternative stress reliever in hopes of reducing the alcohol consumption in the college community. It is predicted that stress negatively influences alcohol consumption among college students.

Methods

The population of interest in this experiment are college students. Two subjects were sampled from that population. The subjects were recruited through volunteering to participate. The subjects included in this experiment had to be college students. Also, the subjects had to be at or above the drinking age. If a participant was under the age of consent to drink and/or not in college they were not allowed to participate in the experiment. The subjects could be any gender and of any ethnic background. The average age of participants ranged from 23-28 years old. The subjects were motivated to participate by receiving a $5 Starbucks gift card after the experiment was over. The stimuli was presented as a  game. The game was a  table-top board game. Along with the board game were two stacks of cards, similar to the card game Uno, a pair of dice, and pieces that represent the subject to move around the board. The subject is unaware of what the cards say. (i.e. Go to the bar and take another drink or go home.) The subject has the choice of going to the bar or going home, based on that choice determines whether or not they win/lose the game. The subject’s objective is to make it through the game “sober”. Four or more drinks in the game constituted for the subject being drunk. The subject had to make it through different levels of the game, where they gained a new achievement. The conditions created for the game were that one subject had a stack of cards that included extremely stressful situations and the other subject had a stack of cards that did not include such stressful situations. The point of this is to see whether or not the stressful situation made the subject drink or not. The cards were chosen by the subject so no biased occurred. Each time the subject played the game the cards were randomly picked by the subject. The amount of trials conducted were six trials in total, three trials for each subject, conducted at the same time. The data that was collected was whether or not one subject drank, drank more than the other, or did not drink at all. The conditions were compared by who had which cards and how many times they drank. (i.e. Subject facing extremely stressful situations drank once).

Results

Subject 1, had the deck of cards with the extremely stressful scenarios during all three trials. Subject 2, did not end up with the deck of cards that contained extremely stressful scenarios. It was found that Subject 1 drank more than Subject 2. In the first trial Subject 1 drank 1 time, the second trial drank 2 times, and in the third trial drank 1 time. Subject 2 drank 1 time  in the first two trials and 0 times in the last trial.

Discussion

In conclusion, stress negatively influences alcohol consumption among college students. My results support my thesis in that whenever the subject 1 was presented with a stressful situation in they drank more in the three trials that were conducted. As  Magrys and Olmstead (2015), stated “…the immediate need for interventions focused on stress-reduction in order to diminish heavy episodic drinking among undergraduate students and, thereby reduce the risk for future alcohol use disorders”, was part of this experiment’s purpose. This experiment  allowed students to use it as an outlet to alleviate their stress rather than turning to drinking to cope with their stress. This can help reduce the risk of alcohol addiction in college students down the road. Potential problems with this study is that the experiment does not cover all the possible reasons why one may turn to drinking. The experiment focuses only on stressful situations and does not give insight to drinking because a person is happy. A future experiment could be to incorporate how positive life events can influence alcohol consumption in college students and whether or not that can lead to alcohol related issues down the road.

References

Bacon, K.A. , Blumenthal, H. , & Cranford, N. A. (2015). Effects of ostracism and sex on alcohol consumption in a clinical laboratory setting. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors,29(3), 664-672.

Coughlan, B. , Deasy, C. , Jourdan, D. , McNamara, M. P. , & Pironom, J. (2014). Psychological distress and lifestyle of students: Implications for health promotion. Health Promotion International, 30(1).

Magrys, A. S. , & Olmstead, C. M. (2015). Acute stress increases voluntary consumption of alcohol in undergraduates. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 50(2), 213-218.

Week 15

Discussion

A stressor is the trigger of the recreational drug use –focusing mainly on alcohol use-among college students. My results support my thesis in that whenever the players were presented with a stressful situation in they were drank more. In the three playtests that I conducted there were more losses than wins. This was due to the decision the player made, which was to drink instead of finding another outlet for their stress. Using this game as an alternative for drinking when stressed can reduce the risk of drinking problems down the road. Also, by understanding what causes a person to drink, which the game attempts to do, will help to advance this study to better help solve the drinking epidemic. Potential problems with this study is that the experiment does not cover all the possible reasons why one may turn to drinking. The experiment focuses only on stressful situations and predominantly situations pertaining to school. It does not address other life stressors. A future experiment could be to incorporate other life stressors into the game and see how the game may or may not help.

Week 14

Title

Outcomes

Methods

The population of interest in my experiment are college students. Two subjects were sampled from that population. The subjects were recruited through volunteering to participate. The subjects included in this experiment had to be college students. Also, the subjects had to be at or above the drinking age. If a participant was under the age of consent to drink and/or not in college they were not allowed to participate in the experiment. The subjects could be any gender and of any ethnic background. The average age of participants ranged from 23-28 years old. The subjects were motivated to participate by receiving a $5 Starbucks gift card after the experiment was over. The stimuli was presented as a  game. The game was a  table-top board game. Along with the board game were two stacks of cards, similar to the card game Uno, a pair of dice, and pieces that represent the subject to move around the board. The subject is unaware of what the cards say. (i.e. Go to the bar and take another drink or go home.) The subject has the choice of going to the bar or going home, based on that choice determines whether or not they win/lose the game. The subject’s objective is to make it through the game “sober”. Four or more drinks in the game constituted for the subject being drunk. The subject had to make it through different levels of the game, where they gained a new achievement. The conditions created for the game were that one subject had a stack of cards that included extremely stressful situations and the other subject had a stack of cards that did not include such stressful situations. The point of this is to see whether or not the stressful situation made the subject drink or not. The cards were chosen by the subject so no biased occurred. Each time the subject played the game the cards were randomly picked by the subject. The amount of trials conducted were six trials in total, three trials for each subject, conducted at the same time. The data that was collected was whether or not one subject drank, drank more than the other, or did not drink at all. The conditions were compared by who had which cards and how many times they drank. (i.e. Subject facing extremely stressful situations drank once).

Results

I was not too sure what I am comparing for my results. Also, the only data I’ve collected is whether or not the player won/lost the game, what that was due to and what their take on drinking is after playing the game. I do not have any numbers aside from the number of times the player won or lost and I only have one group.

Week 13

Game Title:

Outcomes

Learning Elements:

The learning elements of the game are still the same. The 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:

The formal elements have been slightly tweaked. 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. Instead of two decks of cards, the player is given one deck of cards, a pair of dice, and a board to play on. The player is still supposed to draw a card either from the  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. A star is given to the player after a level of achievement is accured. 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. Having one to four players is not working well with the game. There needs to be at least two players, with one player there is not enough statistics to gather. Also, the deck of cards still need to be readjusted to help the game flow better. 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.

Week 12

Game Title: 

Outcomes

Methods:

For this playtest, one subject was used. The subject was recruited based on the people I knew and who was available to play. The subject volunteered to playtest the game. The inclusion/exclusion criteria used was that the subject had to be in college and of the age to drink legally in order to play the game. If the subject was under the age of 21, they were excluded from playing the game. There were no other conditions aside from being 21 or over and in college. The subject was a female, age 28 and a college student. The game was presented as a table top board game, similar to Monopoly and Uno. The materials used to collect data for this play-test were paper and pen. Along with the board game is two stacks of cards, similar to the card game Uno. The player is unaware of what the cards say. (i.e. Go to the bar and take another drink or go home.) The player has the choice of going to the bar or going home, based on that choice determines whether or not they win/loose the game. The player’s objective is to make it through the game “sober”. The subject had to make it different levels of the game, where they gained a new achievement. The conditions created for the game was that if the player faced certain consequences if they continued to drink throughout the game. (i.e. “You’re now on the road to alcoholism”.) The rules of the game are the same. The game included an instruction manual along with it to explain the rules to the subjects. The player played the game twice. The data collected was based on whether or not the player won/lost and if that was due to the rules of the game or their choice.

Results: 

The player lost the game the first time and won it the second time.

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.

Week 4

Thesis

For my research project, the process that I will be studying is the behavioral process. Specifically, the study will be focused on college students that use alcohol and other recreational drugs and the effects of it. This study is socially relevant and is also an interest to me because I am a college student and many of my piers turn to recreational drugs as a stress reliever. Many students end up becoming addicted and going down the wrong path. It is predicted that a stressor is the trigger of the recreational drug use among college students. Understanding why it happens can be used as a tool to help the students manage their stress in a non life threatening way.

Week 3

 

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Game Elements:

The title of the game is SPENT developed by McKinney and funded by Urban Ministries of Durham. The URL of where the game can be found  is http://playspent.org/html/.

Learning Objective:

The learning objective of the game is to teach the player about the importance decision making and rational thinking. The dominant form interaction the player has with the game is choosing and making decisions. The cognitive process is most affected by the game design by having the player think before making a decision and weighing their options.

Formal Elements: 

The game is a one player game but there are other characters in the game. The primary objective of the game is to make it through the month with enough money. Enough money can mean range from a penny and up.  The game consists of no rules which complements both the learning and game objectives. During the game money is acquired and spent. Groceries, bills, health insurance etc are other resources that are being acquired. Conflict is introduced when the player is faced with a problem, such as sending their child to an after school program or using the money for rent. The problems are maintained and resolved throughout the game. The game prevents the player from entering their own options, which contributes to both the learning and game objectives. It does so by allowing the player to think and learn from their mistakes and make better choices for themselves and families. When the player runs out of money, the game ends.

Dramatic Elements: 

The main character of the game is the player of the game. The motivation of the player is to obtain/ have enough money to make it through the month. The challenge the player is presented with is determining what decision they think is best.  The general premise of the story is a parent raising their child on minimum wage and the story uses an emergent narrative. From Bartle’s Taxonomy, achievers are more likely to enjoy this game.

Functionality, Completeness, & Balance:

The game is fully functional, balanced, and complete.

Fun and Accessibility:

The game is engaging and easy to learn. All the choices the player makes in the game are meaningful.

Week2

startthetalkthumb1-151x162

Game Elements:

The title of the game is Start the Talk, funded by the US Department of Health & Human Services and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The URL of where the game can be found is: http://www.gamesforchange.org/play/start-the-talk-underage-drinking/

Learning Objective:

The game aims to teach parents how to speak to their children about underage drinking and also informs children about the dangers of underage drinking. The cognitive process is most affected by the game. The game allows parents to think about what they’re learning about and how they are going to respond.

Formal Elements: 

In this game there is one player engaged in the game but there is more than one character. The game is cooperative not competitive due to their only being one player. The primary game objective is to talk to the character of the child in the game about underage drinking and have the child decide that they should not partake in underage drinking. In the game there aren’t any rules. The game is based on conversation and the player is able to choose what they want to say. Having no rules complements the game because there is no right or wrong in the game, just a matter of how the player wants to approach the situation. There are no resources acquired or spent in the game, achievements are earned/acquired in the game. Conflict in the game is introduced when the parent approaches the child about underage drinking, it is maintained throughout the conversation and it is resolved at the end of the conversation when the child speaks about what their parent has spoke to them about and what their take on underage drinking is. The game prevents the player from typing their own responses, instead they are given multiple options of responses and the player chooses one. This limitation contributes to both the learning and game objectives because the provided responses help the parent with things to say and how to approach the situation when having this talk. If the parent knows what to say and how to approach the situation then their game objective will be easily accomplished. The game ends when the player reaches the “ENOUGH FOR TODAY” achievement. The outcome may or may not be a conflict to the objectives depending on if the child wants to partake in underage drinking or avoid it.

Dramatic Elements: 

There are two main characters in the game, the parent and the child. The player is the parent in the game. The challenges that are presented to the player in the game are the child’s responses to what the player has said to the child. The player must know what to say, how to say it and when to say it. The game takes place in the fictional home of the parent and child. The general premise to the story is that there has been underage drinking going on and the parent has heard about it and is worried about their child getting involved, and it uses an emergent narrative. From Bartle’s Taxonomy, an achiever would enjoy playing this game.

Functionality, Completeness, & Balance:

The game is fully functional, complete, and balanced. All voices are being represented in the game.

Fun and Accessibility:

The game is engaging and promotes learning by allowing the player to think about what they’re going to say before they say it. What the player chooses to say to the child is meaningful in the game, which relates to both the learning and game objectives. There are no broken parts of the game and it is easy to learn how to play.