Educational Games

Carrots & Sticks?

Games traditionally use carrots to get players excited about finishing the level. Often these carrots are simply the promise of something different at the end. Crucially, the player can't find out what these are until they have finished the required tasks on the current level. This often requires the player to solve puzzles or learn new skills to progress. The carrot need not nescessarily be 'the greatest thing I've ever seen', it is simply something new, something different, something as yet unrevealed. This is often enough to get the player to complete repetitive or otherwise less interesting tasks within the game.

Would this work with training materials? For example, when learning maths, the player is unable to progress to the next stage and learn the next topic until they have mastered the one before it. Eg, solve 30 differential equations.

This will allow players to progress and discover information at their own rate. However, social interaction is also important.

*IDEA* At some points in the course, the more advanced players are unable to progress until their less able classmates have passed a certain (lower) level. They need to teach their fellow class members what they know. This consolidates their own knowledge, encourages them to help others, and provides some social interaction.

The game should excell at adapting itself to a user's ability. If they struggle with a section, there must be a way to give further encouragement, go over the information in more detail, or otherwise give a helping hand to the pupil.

Could start with a single GCSE coursebook and try to teach the whole thing via a videogame?

*IDEA* Marks as a currency. 'Fun' things in the game (eg, customising the player's avatar) require the player to answer questions. Eg, get 5 answers right to get that new hat.

Interaction is important: mechanics questions can be nicely animated with ease.

Tailoring content to the pupil may also help. Classic videogame trick: past action affects future events. Draws player in. Even little things help, passing comments etc.

Push Button Engine

Open source Flash games engine.

http://pushbuttonengine.com/

Worth investigating further...

Soap Opera games

Simple soap opera choose your own adventure, along the lines of Masq.

Would need an acomplished writer.

Graphics could be cartoon style, or photographs. Even video or rotoscoped images, almost anything.

Perfect for the iPhone.

Could work with a variety of settings, period pieces etc. Might appeal to a wide audience.

Fade in/out movement of characters ala The Last Express? Set it in a bar/speak easy?

How to solve the content problem? Small number of areas? Recycle images of the main characters etc....

Worth thinking about...

Game idea: looking for a pulse

Simply a game level in a first person shooter in which you explore the remnants of a battle trying to find people who are still alive.

The player character might be a doctor or a medic with tools for checking pulses, heart rates, breathing and blood loss in place of standard fps guns. These can be used on bodies to ascertain if they are actually dead or not. If not, there may be a way to resussitate them, either by use of some portable device, battlefield surgery or transporting the person to a more suitable location to operate.

Normally videogame characters transition simply from alive to dead via hitpoint reduction, rarely with any concept of specific injuries. The idea here would be to focus on those injuries as opposed to simply killing endless baddies.

This might work well as a short mod.

The art of game design (Book)

http://www.developmag.com/interviews/387/30-Under-30

Top 30 games industry professionals under 30

http://www.developmag.com/interviews/387/30-Under-30

Opinion: How We Can Reshape The Game Industry

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=22045