My game presentation on February 3: Slides, comments

[Maria Droujkova]

Hello,

I summarized some of my thoughts on math game design for the upcoming online event February 3rd, which is a part of CO12 (Connecting Online 2012) conference. In particular:

- Defining intrinsic math game mechanics, and why we want them

- Taxonomies for math game designers

I would very much like comments about my slides, which are here:  https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/10gG23rJdWKwdDh4sWgj9uYptx4XSiFKmYbeAk0YUT94/edit 

I am also attaching a couple. 

The presentation will happen online on February 3, 1pm Eastern Time, and is open and free. You can log in here: http://www.wiziq.com/online-class/701943-math-game-development-communities-and-networks

Cheers,
Maria Droujkova
919-388-1721

Make math your own, to make your own math

 

[for...@ozonline.com.au]

> I would very much like comments about my slides, which are here:
> https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/10gG23rJdWKwdDh4sWgj9uYptx4XSiFKmYbeAk0YUT94/edit
>

very interesting

maybe give a couple of examples and discuss where they fall in taxonomies etc, ie briefly play a couple of games, for the non-gamers in the audience. that might help situate the abstractions that the presentation discusses.

tony

[Colleen King]

This is going to be a fantastic presentation! I particularly like exploring the ideas of intrinsic vs extrinsic game mechanics and makers vs takers. Slide 10 is really the key to moving forward, though. I'd like to see an entire presentation based on this single idea. Understanding the connection between game actions and math actions and knowing why such a game represents a higher quality learning object is possibly the most important point to make. This is the stumbling block for most developers (using the term loosely here so I can include myself). There is not enough information or discussion about this. I think about "slide 10" all the time. And I always come to the conclusion that I need to know more. I want to take a whole course on it. I want to order the book. Until developers understand how important this is, we will continue to crowd the field with sub-standard, multiple choice and fast response games. Unfortunately, as we learned from the chat that took place during Keith Devlin's talk last week, the *system* wants games that deliver test prep info in a test prep format. So while developers need to think about new game mechanics there also needs to be a system wide acceptance of this type of learning. But that's a different talk altogether ;-)

Who will your audience be?

If someone wanted to know where they could learn more about the connection between game actions and math actions, what references would you give?

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[Maria Droujkova]

On Sun, Jan 15, 2012 at 3:32 PM, <for...@ozonline.com.au> wrote:

Tony,

My hope is to leave the example space open for now - and fill it during the event with examples from the audience (which I will put into slides after the event). I agree they are needed, but my hope is to see how people use the categories, live. From what people said so far, we will have a few math game veterans in the audience, so someone will at least start and then others can join.

I like your idea about playing a game or two in the web tour!!! Why just talk when we can play? It can set up the meeting nicely.  

Cheers,

MariaD

[Maria Droujkova]

Colleen,

Thank you for your comments! It's very heartening.

On Mon, Jan 16, 2012 at 8:18 PM, Colleen King <mathpla...@gmail.com> wrote:

This is going to be a fantastic presentation! I particularly like exploring the ideas of intrinsic vs extrinsic game mechanics and makers vs takers. Slide 10 is really the key to moving forward, though. I'd like to see an entire presentation based on this single idea.

We started to organize a collection of math game mechanics, so I'd like to see more of them, with links to games. I have aggregated some for a project last year. I am still not sure how to aggregate them best, though. Maybe just a table on a wiki that people can edit. 

Slide 10 is attached for reference.

 

Understanding the connection between game actions and math actions and knowing why such a game represents a higher quality learning object is possibly the most important point to make. This is the stumbling block for most developers (using the term loosely here so I can include myself). There is not enough information or discussion about this. I think about "slide 10" all the time. And I always come to the conclusion that I need to know more.

Same here, Colleen! I want to know more and to have more collections. Every game designer I talked with had some good intrinsic mechanics (once I explained what they are) - we just need a good way to share our collective knowledge. 

A reference manual for intrinsic math game mechanics, by topic!

I sort of like the format on this site (which lists gamification mechanics), but we will need to list math actions too, not just game actions: http://gamification.org/wiki/Game_Mechanics

I want to take a whole course on it. I want to order the book.

How about co-leading the course and co-writing the book?

I don't think anyone will make anything like this soon, unless we do.

 

Until developers understand how important this is, we will continue to crowd the field with sub-standard, multiple choice and fast response games. Unfortunately, as we learned from the chat that took place during Keith Devlin's talk last week, the *system* wants games that deliver test prep info in a test prep format. So while developers need to think about new game mechanics there also needs to be a system wide acceptance of this type of learning. But that's a different talk altogether ;-)

We can make bridges to systems, I think. Interfaces, so to speak. Even with weird alien systems ;-)

 

Who will your audience be?

Educators like us, I think. 

If someone wanted to know where they could learn more about the connection between game actions and math actions, what references would you give?

Here is what Dor Abrahamson sent in response - this can go toward our reference manual, book and course :-)

"Ha! This is precisely what my lab has been publishing about, albeit we think not of 'games' but of the embodied-interaction physical solution strategies. For example, in here http://edrl.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/AbrahamsonTrninic2011-IDC.pdf"

This may need an interface, as well, to match our format.

Cheers,

MariaD

[Garrett Eastman]

This is excellent, Maria, thank you.  It's a thoughtful exploration of encouraging game players to become game makers in the context of math games.  Would love to share with math and game design profs, with your permission.  Thanks, Garrett

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[Maria Droujkova]

Thank you, Garrett! I put a Creative Commons license about it and would love more people to look - and send me their thoughts and comments and questions. Please tell them to talk to me and not to be shy about it, when you share (the contact info is at the last slide too, and you can CC me if it's by email). As Colleen said, we really need to spread the word about these issues, and I am passionate about them.

Cheers,
Maria Droujkova
919-388-1721

Make math your own, to make your own math