Week 13 Educational Gaming

Normally I would try for a topic that was completely different to the previous weeks one, but after playing a newly released game I couldn't help but discuss it.

Rocksmith 2014 is a game released just this week and is essentially Guitar Hero or Rock Band, but you use a real guitar. This goes beyond providing a more authentic experience, you are actually learning how to play guitar. I have been playing guitar on and off for a few years now and this game has increased my skills faster than they ever have since I was learning with a guitar tutor.

The game is more than just about playing some songs, it will actually teach you techniques and chords. It will also help you learn each song by allowing you to slow it down and practice sections that are hard for you to play. This obviously goes way beyond what I talked about with the games listed in last weeks post. Now this style of software could be seen as merely educational software, and Faster Than Light as more of a game and therefore it would be more interesting to discuss the educational merits of something that is purely a game. I think Rocksmith however deserves extra credit beyond educational software for how well it performs its task.

The game uses a system not unlike gamification to keep you interested. As you play you are giving little missions that reward you for doing them. These missions are simple and quick enough that you don't feel overwhelmed at the prospect of doing them. However they lead you into learning essential skills for the guitar and encourage you to try songs that might be a bit out of your comfort zone.

One aspect I particularly enjoyed was the arcade games feature. The developers have created a number of arcade style games that you control using your guitar. Such as a game where you have to shoot bandits in a saloon based on where they are by playing the right string on the guitar. Learning where the strings are through muscle memory and not looking is a vital skill in playing guitar and I found I was getting better at this skill through playing a game. It is done so well that I actually forgot I was playing guitar and just felt like I was playing a game; this something that make even boring subjects seem fun to children.

An example of the arcade games.

Now while it could be argued that the reason I have been so sucked into this is because I already enjoy playing guitar and didn't need much encouragement I do see this as an excellent example that education software developers could follow. I remember playing educational games when I was in primary school and hated them. They were boring, and no matter how pretty they looked a kid knows it is no different to learning their subjects the traditional way. However by introducing this concept of rewards this could be very effective in creating useful educational games.


Image References

Gamespot (2013). String Skip Saloon [Image]. Retrieved from http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/917/9176928/2350841-untitled1.jpg

Week 12

For this weeks post I decided to play a video game and analyse the learning experiences within the game. I was also inspired by Ben Harkins post on the capabilities of modern games.

The game I chose to play was Faster Than Light created by independent developers Subset Games. The reason I chose this was because I already had a lot of experience playing this. The game is essentially about being in charge of a government spaceship that is trying to flee the "evil" rebels.

A screenshot from Faster Than Light

As an aside I think that this is an excellent role reversal from standard sci-fi narrative. It makes you think about the concept of good and evil and how that is in the eye of the beholder; by putting you on the side of the governing body in the universe it makes you think about how you just took for granted that the imperials in Star Wars for example are evil and the rebels were good.

The game culminates in you facing off against the rebel's most powerful spaceship. To get to this point is very tough however and requires management and decision making skills. The most interesting aspect though is that while the game incorporates a save feature if your ships is destroyed the game is over and your save is deleted. This eliminates the ability to continuously reload a save until you get past a certain point. The layout of the game is randomised every time as well; which forces you to practice your overall skills at managing combat and the running of the spaceship rather than focusing on a specific event that can just be done over and over again until you get it right.

This clearly means the game is much more difficult than a conventional game, persistence provides much greater satisfaction when you do succeed. I think it also fosters an attitude that is more conducive to a real life workplace. When doing your job, in particular a management job, you always have to make decisions on very different situations. Life does not allow you a second go if you mess up.

It is for this reason I feel that this sort of game would be perfect for creating a useful attitude in a child, preparing them for later in life. Faster Than Light is not an overly violent game so would also be suitable for younger kids, and there are many other games that incorporate this style of gameplay such as Rogue Legacy, Dungeons of Dredmor, and Don't Starve. However I found Faster Than Light to be the most enjoyable, and the management aspect of it made it that much more useful outside of it being merely a game.

Image References

Steam. (2013). Faster Than Light. Retrieved November 1, 2013, from http://cdn2.steampowered.com/v/gfx/apps/212680/ss_b085bdaebad7d39dc87c97a5d788fad2a3d29076.1920x1080.jpg?t=1371145773

Week 11 - Pinterest

Here is my pinterest board for this week:

http://www.pinterest.com/nathanm88/cln647/


I decided to incorporate as much regarding youth popular culture as I could. This included music as well as popular culture that would appeal to slightly older audiences.

The majority of the pins however belong to The Hunger Games as I feel that the books and movies in this franchise is something that appeals to a larger age range. I tried to incorporate material from many age brackets, such as The Big Bang Theory for older viewers and Hannah Montana for younger viewers. However it was easier to focus on something with a wider appeal such as the Hunger Games.

Music was quite hard for me to choose despite being a big fan of music myself. When I started it I had the mindset that it would be easy to find music that is popular with younger audiences but struggled very early on. In the end I fell back on cliches like One Direction and Justin Bieber. I was tempted to incorporate less mainstream musicians as well, due to the response I got from my questions in the interview from last weeks blog post. However all those artists would have an appeal to adults as well so I decided not to include them as it would not accurately reflect music that is inherently popular with a younger audience.