From learning design to game design and back; the Cyberdam example

Stichting RechtenOnline

Project Leren in een Virtuele Wereld

Projectleiding:

Diny PetersPieter van der Hijden

Projectpartners:

E-MergeHogeschool RotterdamHogeschool UtrechtStrathclyde University GlasgowTU-DelftUniversiteit LeidenThieme MeulenhoffIJsfontein

Pieter van der Hijden MSc (pvdh@sofos.nl) Stichting RechtenOnline (Foundation Law Online)Sofos Consultancy, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Presentation at 39th ISAGA Annual Conference, Kaunas, Lithuania, 7-11 July 2008

Introduction

www.cyberdam.nl 2

Introduction

www.cyberdam.nl 3

Many game design tools exist• Examples of classifications:

– Gaming the future’s language; Richard Duke; Sage Publications, 1974.

– Patterns in game-design; Staffan Björk, Jussi Holopainen; Charles River Media, 2005.

Patterns in Game Design; Staffan Björk & Jussi Holopainen; 2005

Relation design tools <-> external goals of game are vague

Learning designers use thei own tools and concepts• Towards a Pattern Language for Networked

Learning; Peter Goodyear et al.; NLC 2004• The on-line report on pedagogical techniques

for computer-mediated communication; M.Paulsen; 1995

• Training complex cognitive skills: a four component instructional design model for technical training; J. van Merriënboer; 1997

• Digital didactics

Towards a Pattern Language for Networked Learning; Peter Goodyear et al.; NLC 2004

The on-line report on pedagogical techniques for computer-mediated communication; M.Paulsen; 1995

Training complex cognitive skills: a four component instructional design model for technical training; J. van Merriënboer; 1997

Digital Didactics

Where can game design and learning design meet?

A pattern language; Christopher Alexander et al.; 1977• A pattern describes a problem which

occurs over and over again in our environment, and then describes the core of the solution to that problem, in such a way that you can use this solution a million times over, without ever doing it the same way twice.

Educational institutes ask to justify the use of games• Context• Intended audience• Prerequisites• Learning objectives

– …• …

– …

• …

– …– …

How are requirements on learning objectives met by game?

How are requirements on learning objectives met by game?

• House-of-Quality• QFD – Quality

Function Deployment

http://pages.cpsc.ucalgary.ca/~jadalow/seng613/qfd_summary.html

How are requirements on learning objectives met by game?

http://www.pd-trak.com/devtools.htm

Lessons from the Cyberdam project• Welcome to Cyberdam

Welcome to Cyberdam

• Cyberdam:– 25 Online Role Playing Games – Virtual city as common playground– Internet application to develop, deploy

and run these games– Organisation to support it

Welcome to Cyberdam

Welcome to Dharadam

Dharadam was created during the 5th ISAGA Summer School in Delhi, India, 21-30 June 2008 by Aashish Bhardwaj (India), Vinod Dumblekar

(India), Renata Furman (Poland), Monica Mor (India), Vladimir Solodov (Russian

Federation), Joanna Woźniakiewicz (Poland) and team manager 

Pieter van der Hijden (The Netherlands).

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-

Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

Cyberdam screenshot

Definition phaseActivity Design relevance

Offered/wanted exercise

Assessment of available resources

Cyberdam demo Know the gaming environment

Deep reading Know the topic of the game

Identify basic learning opportunities

Explore the domain of possible games

Define the game Set boundaries and external requirements

Definition phase

Design phase 1/2

Activity Design relevance

Brainstorming on stakeholders

Diverging complexity

Categorising stakeholders

Completing and reducing set of stakeholders

Assessment of stakeholders (max. 7)

Identify relevant roles in the game

Filling the communications matrix

Exploring possible actions between roles

Design phase

Design phase 2/2

Activity Design relevance

Per role: initial state A and end state B

Materials for briefing, individual targets

Per role: plausible scenario to go from A to B

Global specification of activities from step to step

All roles: cross check Guard internal consistency

Determine the magic circle

Set the boundaries for the playground map

Design phase

Realisation phase

Activity Design relevance

Recapitulate the design, resolve any issues

NA

Realise playground characters

NA

Per role – per step: write instructions

NA

Make the playground map

NA

Realisation phase

Implementation phase

Activity Design relevance

Preparing introduction, briefing, debriefing

NA

Preparing first run and launch

NA

Implementation phase

Conclusions

• Learning design may have got more scientific attention than gaming design;

• Nevertheless, gaming patterns are more elaborated than learning patterns;

• Matrix could bring both patterns together; for practical reasons: relevant cells have to be identified in advance;

• Reminder: Designing is not only an analytical process.

Discussion

www.cyberdam.nl 34

www.cyberdam.nl 35

www.cyberdam.nl

2008 – Stichting RechtenOnlinePieter van der Hijden (pvdh@sofos.nl)