Games for Pearson Education

Games for use in 8th Grade History:Four classes of games

Dean O’DonnellAssoc. Director of Interactive Media and Game [email protected]

Games for use in 8th Grade History:Four classes of games

Dean O’DonnellAssoc. Director of Interactive Media and Game [email protected]

Pearson EducationMarch 19, 2009

mailto:[email protected]


Why Video Games?Why Video Games?

Global Sales in 2008*– Video Games: $32 Billion (20% growth)– DVD/Blue-ray: $29 Billion (6% drop)

Kids play videogames– Neilsen started tracking game sales because 18-34 male

demographic isn’t watching TV.**– Recent study found two groups of 12-14 year olds with most social

problems in school were those who played only M-rated games, and those who didn’t play games at all.***

*Source: Media Control GfK, as cited in Video Business, Jan. 22, 2009URL: http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6631456.html**Source: NY Times, Nov. 23, 2003, http://tinyurl.com/dfz4dr***Source: Kuttner, Lawrence and Cheryl Olsen, Grand Theft Childhood

http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6631456.html

http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6631456.html

http://tinyurl.com/dfz4dr

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

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The Competition– AAA TitlesThe Competition– AAA Titles

Call of Duty: World at War– First Person Shooter– Published November, 2008– Features historical battles from WWII Pacific

Theater and Eastern Front– Voice work from Gary Oldman and Kiefer

Sutherland– Two years and millions of dollars to develop– Equivalent to a major Hollywood Blockbuster– Released on all major platforms


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The Competition- AAA TitlesThe Competition- AAA Titles


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Empire: Total War– Combination Turn-based and Real Time

Strategy Game– Published March, 2009– Covers late 18th to early 19th century warfare

on land and sea– Latest in long line of successful PC games– Two TV Series used earlier versions to

simulate historic battles– Targeted at adults


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Other Notable AAA TitlesOther Notable AAA Titles Civilization

– Turn-based strategy– Simulates history from cavemen to modern times

Colonization– Turn-based strategy– Based on Civ4 engine– Examines colonization of New World in detail

Company of Heroes– Real-time strategy– Examines WWII European theater


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A Games- Licensing?A Games- Licensing?

City Builders– Caesar IV, Children of the Nile, Sim City Societies– In-depth economic and zoning simulation where

player manages population, taxes, industry, and city services

– Non-violent– Egyptian city builder: Nile Online available for free

on the internet http://www.playnileonline.com/– Developed by Tilted Mill, Wayland, MA

http://www.playnileonline.com/


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Caesar IV


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Mosby’s Confederacy– Real-time tactical game– Manage and control small band of

confederate raiders– Possible to adapt engine to other periods of

history– Developed by Tilted Mill, Wayland, MA


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Mosby’s Confederacy


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The Political Machine– Real time strategy game– Simulates (satirically) the 2008 presidential

election– Could be easily adapted to simulate any

presidential election– Developed by Stardock Software, Livonia, MI


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The Political Machine


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Indie GamesIndie Games

Room Escapes

Sagrario’s Roomhttp://sagrarios.room.escape.fizzlebot.com/

Bars of Black and Whitehttp://www.kongregate.com/games/GregoryWeir/bars-of-black-and-white

Escape Your Boyfriend’s Roomhttp://www.escapegames24.com/2008/05/escape-your-boyfriends-room.html

http://sagrarios.room.escape.fizzlebot.com/

http://www.kongregate.com/games/GregoryWeir/bars-of-black-and-white

http://www.escapegames24.com/2008/05/escape-your-boyfriends-room.html


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Geosense: http://www.geosense.net/

http://www.geosense.net/


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Grow Games: http://www.eyezmaze.com/

http://www.eyezmaze.com/


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What is an Alternate Reality Game?What is an Alternate Reality Game?

Fiction Non-Fiction


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What is an Alternate Reality Game?What is an Alternate Reality Game?

What if you use non-fiction media to tell a fictional story?


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Current ARGsCurrent ARGs The 39 Clues

– Published by Scholastic– Targeted at YA age group– 10 books over multiple years– Card packs associated with each book– Companion website

Cathy’s Book– Published by Running Press– Targeted at YA age group– At least 3 books over multiple years– “Evidence” packaged with each book– Multiple phone numbers, websites, and email addresses to

interact with characters and other players


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Current ARGsCurrent ARGs Most ARGs exist as marketing vehicles for

movies, TV shows, videogames, or software. Amateur ARGs allow creative unknowns to

tell stories in mulitple media (This is My Milwaukee).

Future stories will take place in many spaces, so TV show markets website which markets book which markets videogame which markets TV show.


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Disney ARG-- HomepageDisney ARG-- Homepage


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Character PuzzleCharacter Puzzle


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Something from Nothing (1/3)Something from Nothing (1/3)


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M ICKEY MOUSE H E R CULES DO T STA R COMMAND CAVE O F WONDERS BO PEE P I CAN SH O W YOU THE WORLD BLUE WHA L E TREBLE CL E F

M E T R O P O L E


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WPI ProjectsWPI Projects

3-5 Seniors: Mix of Artistic and Technical Students

1 Faculty Advisor 1 Sponsor Advisor 7 weeks full-time or 21 weeks part-time Weekly meetings Non-mission critical project Deliverable at the end


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The EndThe End


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Questions?Questions?

Dean O’DonnellAssociate Director of

Interactive Media and Game Development

WPI

[email protected]

Daniel TennantStudent, IMGD

[email protected]



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