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Game Design through the looking glass

Game Design for citizenship

Diana-Grace Morris

@dianagracenz

Slides Available on http://bit.ly/2dqPfFs

Flocabulary Five Things (Elements of a Short Story)

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We learn from stuff that goes wrong…

‘Stories of change’

I remember when...

I attended a Core Education breakfast about Games For Learning, was totally inspired, hooked the class up to Scratch and Gamefroot and the network froze! There I was juggling a phone call with N4L and 32 grumpy students who wanted to tell N4L how to fix the problem.

I remember when my Principal kept walking in during my first try at Game Design in the classroom and asked students what they were learning and I knew I needed Game Design learning progressions just like the literary ones!

I remember one Saturday night, I played the game Never Alone got killed 32 times by a bear and have not stopped talking about it!

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WHY?

We learn in a complex world

“I find gaming a great way to help my learning”

NZ Education in 2025 (DRAFT)

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WHY?

Game Design

  • Cause and effect are seen as retrospective and do not repeat
  • More stories like this
  • Emergent practices

Introduction to CYNEFIN Framework by Dave Snowden

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Plot - “is the action, the quest for satisfaction, What’s going down, what’s going to happen.”

  1. T1:2015 RTLB started a traditional Games program to work on social relationships. Focus: managing selves/ relating to others, participating and contributing.

  • T2:2015 Decided to amplify the success of the playing games to introducing multiplayer digital games.

#gamecomp16

  • T3/T4:2016 Writing Game Reviews

  • T4: 2016 Game Design for PB4L

What is the message?

Go back in time...

Start playing traditional games

What is the message?

Go back in time...

Start playing traditional games

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Characters -”The people in the story who carry out the action.”

Y 7 and 8’s and parents at Ridgway School @Rm8Ridgway

Pravin Vaz @pravin_vaz

Raewyn Baldwin, Matt NZTA Education @NZTAeducation #gamecomp16

Rachel Bolstad @shiftingthinkng @NZCER

Teachers at Ridgway School @ridgwayschool

What is the message?

Citizenship / Collaboration is about working with others to create something you could not have created on your own.

“Well, now that we have seen each other," said the unicorn, "if you'll believe in me, I'll believe in you.”

Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There

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Conflict - “Something gone wrong! A struggle in the plot, now who’s on top?”

Click here to read about what students say about things that go wrong in game design

What are the messages?

  • We learn from conflict - we learn from the stuff that just went totally wrong.

  • Expect conflict. Expect the unexpected. Support students to identify the learning.

  • Sentence starters may assist students & teachers to stand back & be less involved in the ‘conflict’
  • I like..
  • I wonder..
  • What if…

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Theme 1 - “...is the main idea, The central belief or the topic that’s in there,..”

To explore the themes we used a process called ‘Design Thinking’

Philippa Nicoll Antipas ‘Game on’ for empathy in learning

Citizenship

What are the messages?

  • Through using Design Thinking students could experiment and safely ‘fail forward’ as they learn to relate to others on the road.
  • Like Citizenship Game Design takes time
  • Key Competencies in action are relating to others, managing self, participating and contributing

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Theme 2

Collaboration

Interface Magazine: Game design creates collaborative 'hum'

I remember when… Everyone chose their groups. Then two weeks later there were arguments. Lots of them!

How Game Design has contributed to the development of learning ecosystems and supported deep learning to help students to identify their talents and passions.

What are the messages?

  • Students know the effectiveness of being in groups with people who are different than themselves.
  • Game Design is about creating conditions for collaboration in the classroom.

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Setting - that’s like where it’s going down,”

Classroom

School Code Club

Wellington City library

(Digital Citizenship)

What is the message?

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The narrative keeps going…

Student Agency

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and going and going…

Student Agency

T4:2016

Game Design for Positive Behaviour For Learning

PB4L on TKI

Design a multiplayer card game which plays with...

Resilience

Resourcefulness

Respect

Responsibility

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Students discussing Game Design...

Interface Magazine: Students share their insights into designing games in class

Hugo, Tiger-Lily, Joy, Julia, Nathaniel and Jack talk to us about game design.

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Tweets that support Game Design

From #Ulearn16 KeyNote Larry Rosenstock

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