I recently did an illustration for one of the cards in the *successfully kickstarted* Widget, a zany card game by Kristan Wheaton!
All posts by markdangerchen
Ballard Writers Collective
I recently joined the Ballard Writers Collective, and now I’m webmastering for them and doing freelance web work for local authors.
They’re a great group, led by Peggy Sturdivant, who, among other things, are exploring non-traditional forms of publishing, firing ideas in my head about how to find workarounds to the semi-broken academic model.
Many of the authors need web and new tech help. It’s easy and enjoyable for me since most of the work is WordPress related, but I forget sometimes how difficult it can be to enter the digital space, having basically been a cyborg my whole life…
Games, Simulations, and VWs for Learning syllabus (download)
Okay, this is the final version, for reals…
EDLT 728: Games Simulations VWs for Learning syllabus
Or as final as it can be before the course starts. Once it starts, it’ll be the Living Syllabus where we tweak it each week when new things appear or the realities of time hit us. 🙂
I threw it up under the Creative Commons share-alike, non-commercial license and posted it as a Word doc, so go ahead and (ab)use it to your heart’s content!
Draft 4 Games Simulations and VWs for Learning syllabus
Week 1, May 1-7: Why Games for Learning
Learning content vs. systems, projected identity, learning by/through design, theory of fun
Readings:
- Chen. Leet noobs (pp. 1-10).
- Chen. A statement on games and expert gaming and the tl;dr version. [blog posts]
- Floyd. Video games and learning.
- Gee. Learning and identity: What does it mean to be a half-elf? What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy (pp. 51-71).
- Resnick. Computer as paint brush.
- Squire. From content to context.
Optional Readings:
- Koster. A theory of fun for game design.
Games:
- Set up Guild Wars 2 account and join guild.
- Create a Steam account.
- Select and play a tabletop game with family or friends. Pay attention to social dynamics, game mechanics and balance, etc.
Activities:
- Browse The Hotness on Board Game Geek. Read reviews.
- Introduce yourself, gaming history, and which tabletop game you played in the class forums.
- Half the class writes reviews or synopses of readings and/or games. The other half responds.
Activities Related to Major Assignments:
- Tabletop game design: Think of a tabletop game idea that addresses an area of interest for you and write a one-paragraph pitch.
Continue reading Draft 4 Games Simulations and VWs for Learning syllabus
Race for the Galaxy, 102pts vs. Keldon AI
I usually lose to the AI, but just now I scored huuuuuge. First time trying the drafting variant. 3-player game, Rebel v Imperium (haven’t tried Brink of War, yet).
Hidden Fortress is a monster, and, because I drafted cards, I had crazy synergy with 6-pt Devs that took advantage of that high military score.
Don’t know what the hell I’m talking about?
Read about Race for the Galaxy on Board Game Geek (scroll down to the Files section if you want a copy of the rulebook) and check out a user named Keldon’s computer AI version of RftG!
Draft 3 of Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds for Learning syllabus
Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds for Learning
Week 1: Why Games for Learning
Learning content vs. systems, projected identity, learning by/through design, theory of fun
Readings:
- Chen. Leet noobs (pp. 1-10).
- Chen. A statement on games and expert gaming and the tl;dr version. [blog posts]
- Floyd. Video games and learning.
- Gee. Learning and identity: What does it mean to be a half-elf? What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy (pp. 51-71).
- Resnick. Computer as paint brush.
- Squire. From content to context.
Optional Readings:
- Koster. A theory of fun for game design.
Activities:
- Set up Guild Wars 2 account and guild.
- Create a Steam account.
- Browse the Hot List on Board Game Geek. Read reviews.
- Introduce yourself and gaming history in the forums.
- Half the class writes reviews or synopses of readings and/or games. The other half responds.
- Think of a tabletop game idea that addresses an area of interest for you and write a one-paragraph pitch.
Continue reading Draft 3 of Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds for Learning syllabus
Draft 2 of Games Simulations and Virtual Worlds for Learning course
Prob could use more on simulations and VWs…
Also, haven’t added everything, yet… After that’s done, I’ll have to cut a bunch of stuff since it seems like a lot to cover in 12 weeks. Much thanks to Alex Thayer… I grabbed a bunch of refs from his course that I was a guest lecturer in about 2 weeks ago. 🙂 Which reminds me; I still need to scour the web for other people’s syllabi and see if I can incorporate even more stuff that I may have missed.
Continue reading Draft 2 of Games Simulations and Virtual Worlds for Learning course
thoughts on gamification and agency to determine own goals (in life)
When I go to a cafe I want a cup of coffee. I already know how to order it. I already know the social convention of going to a counter and paying for it. I don’t necessarily think they should try to make that core experience into a game somehow.
Good games have interesting choices and compelling narratives. The gamification movement is focusing on the reward system, not the meat that makes good games good.
And, actually, when I go to a cafe, I’m already playing a game. Is it crowded? Maybe I should order a mocha instead of an americano so I don’t have to deal with the milk and sugar counter. What’s the most optimal way to get the best damn cup o joe I can?
I don’t want them to introduce underlying rules to what’s optimal. I don’t want them to dictate what gets rewarded, pushing me in a set direction. I want freedom to play the game the way I want to play.
When you realize that many parts of life… maybe all life… is a game, it’s very empowering. All you have to do is learn the rules. Then you can push and poke at those rules until you succeed. And by “success” I just mean you have agency in determining your own goals and getting what you want out of life. You have the power to create your own personal compelling narrative.
Draft outline for Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds online course
I’m teaching a course on games and learning during Pepperdine’s summer session. It’s an online course for masters students getting an ed tech degree who may or may not be completely new to the topic, so I’m throwing in as much as I can. 🙂
I’m pretty excited about it! Midway, the students and I will meet face to face at GLS and playtest their in-progress game designs.
Anyway, here’s the preliminary outline that I just threw together. It’s a lot to cover in 12 weeks.
- intro to game studies: definitions, magic circle, narratology v ludology, disciplines, art
- why games for learning: content v systems, computational thinking, ecology, projected ID, Theory of Fun
- game genres and mechanics, tabletop and digital: Board Game Geek, RPS, killscreen, Analog, Well Played
- survey of games, simulations, and VWs for learning: COTS v designed, GLS, MIT, Harvard, Indiana, ASU, UCLA, Irvine, UCSC, CGS
- game design processes: Aldrich, Schell, Kultima, Rogers
- user studies: engagement, flow, play testing
- play test during GLS
- mods, theorycrafting, memes: Elitist Jerks, Skyrim
- assessment: the big black box?
- studying gaming and gaming culture: ethnography, Coming of Age in Second Life, Leet Noobs
- gamification, badges, connected learning
- outstanding issues
I’ll be posting updates to the syllabus as I fill in details, assignments, readings, games to play, etc. to this blog, hopefully making the course design process as transparent as possible. It’s like a process painting but in course design form. Thoughts? Did I leave anything out?
IAmA This guy who did his PhD on WoW
I did an AMA on Reddit about my WoW dissertation after someone found it and posted a thread about it back in 2011, but apparently I never archived it, so here you go:
IAmA This Guy who did his PhD on World of Warcraft
(the best comment: “Do you find it odd that you are still a virgin?”)
and the original thread that found my dissertation defense videos on YouTube:
This Guy did his Ph.D. dissertation on The World of Warcraft