Learning Through Game Design

*"Making your own games allows for play and mastery of the digital world and beyond."* - Quinn Burke and Yasmin B. Kafai **[[Onward!|Intro]]**

When the Information Age began in the 1970s, it was not long before humans began to use technology for play. **[[Video Games|Gaming]]** steadily play a greater role in the lives of humans each year. As Educators, it is easy to jump on the Gamification wagon and ask how we can harness the power of *playing* to enhance *learning*. <p> However, <h1 style="font-size:2vw"><center>perhaps a greater question</center></h1> is **[[WHY]]** (and how) we should (and can) take advantage of *making* playable artifacts to elevate the Citizens of Tomorrow.

Learning how to *make* games is a valuable process. According to Burke & Kafai (2014) there are four key opportunities to be had: **1) Learning how to Program** <div style="text-indent: 2em;">This can help develop logical- and system-thinking. It can also help demystify code and transform it into a mundane material that can be used to craft like any other.</div> **2) Encouraging Underrepresented Groups to Get Involved** <div style="text-indent: 2em;">Though the Information Age dawned half a century ago, females and ethnical minorities are still vastly underrepresented in the gaming industry. By encouraging children and teens to make their own games, we improve the odds of them sticking with it in the future.</div> **3) It's Cross-Curricular!** <div style="text-indent: 2em;">Fun Fact: *Oregon Trail* was developed by a Socials teacher. A game's content can focus on any subject, from languages to mathematics. Making games requires a balance between making art and technical components. It also improves learners' Digital Literacy (such as coding and using media) and their critical engagement with digital media (such as identifying Fake News and questioning video game tropes).</div> **4) Understanding Design Concepts** <div style="text-indent: 2em;">The process of making games strongly relies on the cycle of make it, share/test it, refine it. By making their own games, learners will gain confidence to do things themselves; or, as Henry Jenkins puts it, "do-it-ourselves" since learning in the 21st Century is not an isolated experience.</div> Ludologist Jane McGonigal has a lot to say about why games are great learning tools. Check out her TED talk below or perhaps a (link-repeat: "podcast")[(open-url: 'https://www.alieward.com/ologies/ludology')] is more your thing. <center><div style="max-width:864px"><div style="position:relative;height:0;padding-bottom:56.25%"><iframe src="https://embed.ted.com/talks/lang/en/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world" width="1120" height="630" style="position:absolute;left:0;top:0;width:100%;height:100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></center> (set: $whypage to true) (unless: $gamepage is true)[* Is [[Gaming]] in Canada really a big deal?] * [[Ok, HOW do we do this?|HOW]]

The Gaming community in Canada is one of the largest in the world. According to the Entertainment Software Association of Canada, 23 million (61%) of Canadians identify as gamers, with (link-repeat: "more than 90% of our teens")[(open-url: 'https://www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks/august-17-2019-the-benefits-of-video-games-composting-corpses-brewing-ancient-beer-and-more-1.5155492/video-games-aren-t-corrupting-young-minds-they-may-be-building-them-1.5155505')] playing. In 2019, the video game industry contributed approximately $4.5 *billion* to the Canadian Economy. We are home to some industry giants (such as Bioware and Ubisoft Montreal) as well as more and more smaller studios each year (such as Hinterland Games and Klei Entertainment). As this industry continues to grow (and it will!) it would be prudent to give our Citizens of tomorrow the skills to be *makers* in this field, not just consumers. (set: $gamepage to true) (if: $whypage is true)[* Now, [[how|HOW]] do we do this?] (else:)[* But [[why|WHY]] exactly is learning how to make games important?]

Schools and clubs can be instrumental in making game-making accessible to learners. They can be places to share tools and establish communities, and they can support the DIY-mindset needed for success. Design is a process of focus on making, testing (if it works), and refining. However, it is also a process of not only creating but of reusing and redesigning existing artifacts. However, there are challenges to making games in school. They take a tremendous amount of *time* to complete. They require the [[teacher|Teacher]] to have some *technical expertise* with the [[tools|Tools]] they are using. And they require a [[participatory community|Community]] for the learners to engage and *collaborate* in.

The BC curriculum encourages project-based learning. In order to best support our learners, we need to be *makers* our-selves. (Godhe et al., 2019) Explore the different game-making platforms and find one that you are comfortable with; your own confidence is crucial for learners to feel like they can succeed! By tinkering and creating your own game, you'll have expanded your own understanding so that you can raise your students to go even further with their own projects. You must also consider how you will **assess** student learning. This should be done on an individual basis, rather than standardized across the class. An excellent way to give structure to project-based assessment, without dictating what students make, is to use (link-repeat: "Single-Point Rubrics")[(open-url: 'https://www.edutopia.org/article/6-reasons-try-single-point-rubric')]. *As a sidenote, if you have Netflix I highly recommend watching "100 Humans". Episodes 5 and 6 focus a greatly on motivation and the power of praise, and were very insightful from a pedagogical perspective.* (set: $teacherpage to true) (unless: $toolpage is true)[* What [[Tools]] are there to play with, and how can I tell if they are good ones?] (unless: $compage is true)[* More importantly, how can I facilitate a learning [[Community]] where game-making can succeed?] (if: ($teacherpage is true) && ($toolpage is true) && ($compage is true))[<center>* In [[Conclusion]]...</center>]

Not all game-making tools are equal. According to Burke & Kafai (2014) there are four key features good tools have: **1) Low Floors** <div style="text-indent: 2em;">A good game-making tool should be readily accessible to new learners to begin their project with some confidence. This incudes having an intuitive interface and content that is recognizable and inviting. </div> <div style="text-indent: 2em;">(link-reveal: "Examples of accessible interfaces")[include Scratch, which uses code-containing bricks to build a program, and GameStar Mechanic, which is itself a game that teaching you how to code and rewards you with more tools to use as you progress.]</div> <div style="text-indent: 2em;">(link-reveal: "Examples of inviting tools")[include the use of appealing mascots and interfaces, as well as providing projects that have recognizable characters, such as the lesson on Alice (a coding language) to (link-repeat: "animate characters from The Sims.")[(open-url: 'https://www.alice.org/resources/lessons/hour-of-code/')]]</div> **2) High Ceilings** <div style="text-indent: 2em;">The tool should allow more experienced users to continue scaling up the complexity of their work as their skills increase. The goal of this is to retain user, and to get them to manipulating the code directly.</div> <div style="text-indent: 2em;">(link-reveal: "Learning through imitation... ")[by recreating existing media is an valuable opportunity to grow. To learn more about this, you may enjoy listening to the (link-repeat: "Draftsmen podcast")[(open-url:'https://youtu.be/vxJOjvsj3j0?list=PLtG4P3lq8RHHAgsTl7_pd55-qHOxUBi3B')] with two world-class art teachers.] </div> **3) Wide Walls** <div style="text-indent: 2em;">The tool should be open to tweaking and applicable to a wide-range of content. For instance, the Unity game engine can be used to create very different games, from platformers to city-management games. Similarly, Scratch can be used to create games or applications; in other words, a learner may do a game-making project in school and then use *those skills* to create an innovative app!</div> <div style="text-indent: 2em;">(link-reveal: "This lends metaphor to my own pedagogy")[my ambition, especially in my digital-art classes, is to design a learning platform where my students have the freedom to choose their own learning pathways instead of me dictating what assignments they do next.]</div> **4) New Windows** <div style="text-indent: 2em;">The tool should allow learners to share their work and connect with communities and peers.</div> (set: $toolpage to true) * What about the [[Tool Designer's Perspective|Design]]? * Show me a [[list of good tools|LIST]]! * What about [[Twine]], the very thing I'm interacting with now? (unless: $teacherpage is true)[* What must a [[Teacher]] consider to support their students using these tools?] (unless: $compage is true)[* Tools are all well and good, but how does [[Community]] play into this?] (if: ($teacherpage is true) && ($toolpage is true) && ($compage is true))[<center>* In [[Conclusion]]...</center>]

If there is one thing the research shows, it's that... <h1 style="font-size:5vw"><center>**Community is Key!!**</center></h1> It is important when learning a new skill to be part of a Community of Practice. If you go on YouTube or Instagram, you will easily find makers sharing what they are doing. Facebook has Groups where makers can collaborate and exchange their work. Today's digital culture encourages individuals to not just consume, but to **PRODUCE!** Learning how to make a video game may occur in a [[Blended Classroom|Class]], and/or through [[Online Connections|Online]]. HENRY JENKINS Participatory Culture (set: $compage to true) (unless: $teacherpage is true)[* What else must a [[Teacher]] consider to support their students?] (unless: $toolpage is true)[* What [[Tools]] can we use to collaboratively learn, and how can I tell if they are good ones?] (if: ($teacherpage is true) && ($toolpage is true) && ($compage is true))[<center>* In [[Conclusion]]...</center>]

<h1 style="font-size:3vw"><center>What is a *Blended* Classroom?</center></h1> Blended Classrooms combine technology-based media with traditional teaching practices. Even if students are in front of a computer, they rarely work in insolation. They will chat with their peers (by talking and instant-messaging), share media, and support each other in their work. * (link-repeat: "I want to learn more about Blended Classrooms")[(open-url: 'https://www.edutopia.org/article/tech-integration-blended-learning')] * Back to [[Community]]

<h1 style="font-size:3vw"><center>This is the Information Age</center></h1> Web 2.0 has opened up a plethora of new channels for people to connect and communicate. Chat rooms, massively-multiplayer-games, and social media all contribute to this growing virtual plane. And though digital, our relationships and interactions there have very real impacts on our daily lives. There are many communities to help with game making. Most of these platforms allow users to share their work, collaborate with others, sample and remix. Without the online forums and resources, I would not have been able to make this *Twine*. (if: ($scratchpage is true))[Scratch's website is unique among social media in that it allows users to share INTERACTIVE content. It also has a friendship network, forums, and offers collaboration challenges where they pair more- and less-experienced members together as a mentorship opportunity.] (if: ($twinepage is true))[Twine has a robust online community. Without it, I would not have been able to make what you are reading now!] * Back to [[Community]] (unless: $scratchpage is false)[* Back to [[Game-Maker Tools|LIST]]!] (unless: $twinepage is false)[* Back to [[Twine]]!] <audio src="https://static.wixstatic.com/mp3/a153d3_c20aa2cfa3a54423a1da7e697779447d.mp3" autoplay>

THIS is a Twine. , though what I have attempted here is more of an experimental essay. It is a good tool because * it has a low floor: ** you edit in plain text * it has a high ceiling: ** you can add images, sound, videos, and tinker with the code (namely HTML, CSS, and JavaScript). * it has wide walls: ** it can be used to create Choose-Your-Own-Adventure ** or experimental essays (like this!) * it has new windows: ** there are many [[online communities|Online]] of people working with Twine to create games, from the official forumns to reddit. Twine is an excelent platform to blend traditional and digital literacies. It includes concepts like text, reading, and narrative, and also (text-style: "outline")[hypertext] and interaction (ex. links and media). * I want to learn about [[youth using Twine|Evidence]] to make games * I'm interested in Twine, but how do you **[[get started|video]]**? * I want to learn more about [[your experience|itsame]] making this Twine * Back to [[Tools]] (set: $twinepage to true)

<center><img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a153d3_ba8d2195419b46c18a8a4302263fd0f8~mv2.jpg" width="500" height="300" alt="workshop"></center> Tran (2016) did a workshop-based study with girls ages 10-12 using Twine. She sought to help fill a gap in the literature concerning how girls engage in game making. She selected *Twine* as a game-making platform in hopes that story-telling aspect would motivate the girls (which it did). Tran observed the girls over six workshops, and at the heart of both their game-making and Internet use was a sense of *community*. Information gathering had a cycle of Desire (what do I want to create?) > Reflection? (what is something I know about it already?) > Curiosity (Google) > Discovery! > Sharing (their expertise with others). Tran shares vignettes of three of the girls who participated: <div style="text-indent: 2em;">(link-reveal: "Alice")[ revealed that the freedom from grammar and academic writing let her focus more on storytelling and game complexity.]</div> <div style="text-indent: 2em;">(link-reveal: "Tammy")[ was inspired by Twine, diving into all aspects of her game's code and aesthetics. She kept her audience in mind (often bolding certain words to leave hints for the player) and valued the feedback of the other girls who played her games.]</div> <div style="text-indent: 2em;">(link-reveal: "Gillian")[ was an avid gamer, often showing gaming videos to other girls and asking for their thoughts (even if they didn't play video games). She was inspired by other games, and used this to write some of the most complex games. ]</div> * Return to [[Twine]] * What other [[tools|Tools]] are there?

<h1 style="font-size:5vw"><center>**School 2.0**</center></h1> By engaging in Project Based Learning, we and our learners can become more familiar with the Design Cycle: making, testing (if it works), and refining. By engaging in Participatory Culture, we and our learners can critically engage with media and produce what we want to see in the world. Learning is no longer an isolated experience, between a student and the printed words of a (commonly dead) author. By engaging with others in physical and online planes of our existence, they can reach higher than they ever could have before. <h1 style="font-size:2.5vw"><center>"Games are meant to be played by and *with* others." (Burke & Kafai, 2014)</center></h1> Kids and Teens are more motivated to create things that are important to them, their lives, and their communities. Martin et al. (2018) refer to this process of bringing in one's own backgrounds, interests, and perspectives as *Individual Repertoires of Practice*. With video games playing a greater role in our everyday activities, they lend themselves to be the ideal platform to learn a multitude of skills. <center><img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a153d3_31320bf6875b4992b94b08aa02ad8698~mv2.jpg" width="300" height="500" alt="You got this!"></center> * [[Begin Again?|Start]] * See my [[Bibliography]] <audio src="https://static.wixstatic.com/mp3/a153d3_699af65c3008432e9a39f18f9d3c1f1c.mp3" autoplay>

Good tools must be accessible and flexible enough to facilitate deeper and broader types of projects. However... <h1 style="font-size:5vw"><center>**Community is Key!!**</center></h1> A good tool must allow users to upload their own work and download others. <p> It should encourage remixing between different creators. <p> And it must include the ability to "friend" other members of the community, and to establist/join niche groups within that community. <p> * Back to **[[Tools]]**

<center><iframe width="1129" height="635" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iKFZhIHD7Xk?list=PLklITFhXtPCCKadv-0Gcbqoj3OCev695D" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center> You may also be interested in: (link-repeat: "* The official Harlowe 3.0 (the most common Twine Format) Guide")[(open-url: 'https://twine2.neocities.org/')] playing. (link-repeat: "* The Twine Wiki")[(open-url: 'https://twinery.org/wiki/start')] playing. * Back to [[Twine]]

<h1 style="font-size:3vw"><center>What Laura Learned</center></h1> I admit I went down a rabbit-hole with Twine. It gave me a nostalgic joy, reminding me greatly of my youth spent building websites (*Neopets*' Pages and *GeoCities*) and pouring over * Quizilla Stories*. I wanted to make this Twine flow like a conversation, and so I intentionally disabled the back-button and coded options to appear or disappear depending on what had already been discussed. <center><img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a153d3_08e5f552d99a4c9d8fc499ccc94ec4a7~mv2.png" width="573" height="675" alt="A Map of My Twine"></center> I spent ##hours just trying to figure out how to make the links that reveal text a different colour. Eventually, I knew I had to wrap shelve the investigation for another day. So I have made a few notes, as much for myself to reflect and for you to learn. * My Process ** It helped that I created a branching diagram of my main points on paper beforehand. ** When I got into Twine, I focused on recreating this and created basic links which I later refined to have more nuanced functions. ** Many of my choices were directed by curiosity (*how* can I do this?) ** I got someone else to playtest it (especially since this is a model of my thinking, I wanted it make sure it was coherent to others!) * Weird things happen ** text appears at different times ** some video-embeds (TED talk, looking at you!) defy size-adjustments * Things I wish I had more time to investigate: ** How to format individual links *** I may have found a solution (link-repeat: "while investigating how to add sound effects")[(open-url: 'https://twinery.org/forum/discussion/2450/hover-sounds')]. It's something I will have to look into more later ** How to make ONE word in a passage a different size, without it going onto a new line Back to [[Twine]]

<h1 style="font-size:5vw"><center>**Bibliography**</center></h1> Burke, Q. & Kafai, Y. (2014). Decade of game making for learning: From tools to communities. M. Angelides & H. Agius (Eds.) Handbook of Digital Games (pp. 689-709). New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Godhe, A.-L., Lilja, P., & Selwyn, N. (2019). Making sense of making: Critical issues in the integration of maker education into schools. Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 28(3), 317–328. https://doi.org/10.1080/1475939X.2019.1610040 Martin, L., Dixon, C., & Betser, S. (2018). Iterative Design toward Equity: Youth Repertoires of Practice in a High School Maker Space. Equity & Excellence in Education, 51(1), 36–47. https://doi.org/10.1080/10665684.2018.1436997 Tran, K. M. (2016). “Her story was complex”: A Twine workshop for ten- to twelve-year-old girls. E-Learning and Digital Media, 13(5–6), 212–226. https://doi.org/10.1177/2042753016689635 * Back to [[Conclusion]]

Before I give you the tools recommended by Burke and Kafai, do you only want [[free]] game-making resources, or are you fine with ones you have to [[pay for]] as well? * Back to [[Tools]]

Here are some suggestions for game-making tools that are all *free*. * (link-repeat: "Alice")[(open-url: 'http://www.alice.org/')] ** Developed by Carnegie Mellon University ** Meant for students new to coding and computer science. ** Create 3D games and annimations. * (link-repeat: "Game-Editor")[(open-url: 'http://game-editor.com/Main_Page')] ** Meant for beginners and advanced users * (link-repeat: "Gamestar Mechanic")[(open-url: 'https://gamestarmechanic.com/')] ** Designed for ages 7-14 ** Strong community for sharing creations. * (link-repeat: "Game Studio")[(open-url: 'http://www.3dgamestudio.com/')] ** Commercial tool with *free* and permanent licences ** High Ceiling-- this tool is meant for everything from games to simulations to full-blown applications. ** Has a community-based Wiki for sharing screenshots and games * (link-repeat: "Panda 3-D")[(open-url: 'https://www.panda3d.org/')] ** Intended for all ages ** Uses Python and C++ programming languages ** Has a community for sharing screenshots of games. * (link-repeat: "Planet Kodu")[(open-url: 'https://www.kodugamelab.com/')] ** Designed for all ages ** Specialized for PC and Xbox games ** Has a community for sharing creations * (link-repeat: "PyGame")[(open-url: 'https://www.pygame.org/news')] ** Modules for creating games using the Python programming language ** Community supports sharing of games and game-news. * (link-repeat: "Scratch")[(open-url: 'https://scratch.mit.edu/')] ** Is a block-based programming language Designed by MIT ** User-friendly drag-and-drop interface ** Intended for ages 8+ ** One of the largest [[online communities|Online]] * (link-repeat: "ToonTalk")[(open-url: 'http://www.toontalk.com/')] ** Designed for children to learn the basics * Back to [[Tools]] (set: $scratchpage to true)

Below is a list of all of the game-making tools Burke and Kafai recommend: * (link-repeat: "Agent Sheets")[(open-url: 'https://www.agentsheets.com/store')] ** Commercial tool with permanent and subscription licenses. ** User-friendly drag-and-drop interface ** Designed for all ages and skill levels * (link-repeat: "Alice")[(open-url: 'http://www.alice.org/')] ** *Free* ** Developed by Carnegie Mellon University ** Meant for students new to coding and computer science. ** Create 3D games and annimations. * (link-repeat: "Game-Editor")[(open-url: 'http://game-editor.com/Main_Page')] ** *Free* ** Meant for beginners and advanced users * (link-repeat: "Game-Maker")[(open-url: 'https://www.yoyogames.com/gamemaker')] ** Commercial tool with permanent licences ** User-friendly drag-and-drop interface ** Designed for all ages and skill levels * (link-repeat: "Gamestar Mechanic")[(open-url: 'https://gamestarmechanic.com/')] ** *Free* ** Designed for ages 7-14 ** Strong community for sharing creations. * (link-repeat: "Game-Salad")[(open-url: 'https://gamesalad.com/')] ** Commercial tool with subscription licenses ** User-friendly drag-and-drop interface ** Creations can be output onto web and mobile devices. * (link-repeat: "Game Studio")[(open-url: 'http://www.3dgamestudio.com/')] ** Commercial tool with free and permanent licences ** High Ceiling-- this tool is meant for everything from games to simulations to full-blown applications. ** Has a community-based Wiki for sharing screenshots and games * (link-repeat: "Panda 3-D")[(open-url: 'https://www.panda3d.org/')] ** *Free* ** Intended for all ages ** Uses Python and C++ programming languages ** Has a community for sharing screenshots of games. * (link-repeat: "Planet Kodu")[(open-url: 'https://www.kodugamelab.com/')] ** *Free* ** Designed for all ages ** Specialized for PC and Xbox games ** Has a community for sharing creations * (link-repeat: "PyGame")[(open-url: 'https://www.pygame.org/news')] ** *Free* ** Modules for creating games using the Python programming language ** Community supports sharing of games and game-news. * (link-repeat: "RPG Maker")[(open-url: 'https://www.rpgmakerweb.com/')] ** Commercial tools with free and permanent licences ** Low Floors and High Ceiling * (link-repeat: "Scratch")[(open-url: 'https://scratch.mit.edu/')] ** *Free* ** Is a block-based programming language Designed by MIT ** User-friendly drag-and-drop interface ** Intended for ages 8+ ** One of the largest [[online communities|Online]] * (link-repeat: "ToonTalk")[(open-url: 'http://www.toontalk.com/')] ** *Free* ** Designed for children to learn the basics * Back to [[Tools]] (set: $scratchpage to true)