DoD Training Transformation
Technologies Conference
September 4, 2003
Marc Prensky
marc@games2train.com
www.marcprensky.com
©2003 Marc Prensky
Serious training
in a game environment
©2003 Marc Prensky
©2003 Marc Prensky
My Next Book:
Why you should
STOP WORRYING
about your kids’
Video Games
and
START WORRYING
about their
Teachers!
©2003 Marc Prensky
GAMES
for
TRAINING
©2003 Marc Prensky
GAMES?
for
TRAINING?
©2003 Marc Prensky
Games are a
LANGUAGE
©2003 Marc Prensky
Do you speak
GAME?
©2003 Marc Prensky
“MMORPG”
©2003 Marc Prensky
“RTS”
©2003 Marc Prensky
“MODDING”
©2003 Marc Prensky
Today’s Recruits
©2003 Marc Prensky
Tomorrow’s Recruits
©2003 Marc Prensky
The Day After
Tomorrow’s Recruits
©2003 Marc Prensky
©2003 Marc Prensky
•
•
•
•
•
10,000
200,000
500,000
20,000
10,000
hours Video Games
emails
commercials
hours TV (incl. MTV)
hours Cell Phones
• < 5,000 hours reading
©2003 Marc Prensky
Brains like ours alter
profoundly to fit the
technologies and
practices that surround
them.
-Andy Clark
Director, Cognitive Sciences Program. Indiana University
©2003 Marc Prensky
©2003 Marc Prensky
Conventional Speed
Linear Processing
Step-by-Step
Text First
Work-Oriented
Stand-Alone
©2003 Marc Prensky
Our Problem:
©2003 Marc Prensky
For the
…
©2003 Marc Prensky
THIS is their e-Life:
©2003 Marc Prensky
The Digital Native’s Rich e-Life
Communicating
email, IM, chat
Sharing
Blogs, webcams
Buying & Selling
ebay, papers
Exchanging
music, movies, humor
Creating
sites, avatars, mods
Meeting
3D chat rooms, dating
Collecting
mp3, video, sensor data
Coordinating
Searching
Evaluating
Analyzing
Projects, workgroups,
MMORPGs
Reputation systems–
Epinions, Amazon,
Slashdot
Gaming
Solo, 1-on-1, small &
large groups
Learning
About stuff that
interests them
Evolving
Peripheral, emergent
behaviors
Info, connections,
people
SETI, drug molecules
Reporting
Moblogs, photos
Programming
Open systems, mods
search
Socializing
Learning social
behavior, influence
Growing Up
Exploring,
transgressing
©2003 Marc Prensky
but THIS is their “e-Learning”:
z
z
z
z
©2003 Marc Prensky
GAMES?
Why?
©2003 Marc Prensky
We want games NOT
because they are games,
but…
©2003 Marc Prensky
(1) because they’re the
most engaging intellectual
thing we have…
©2003 Marc Prensky
Why do we NEED
Engagement?
©2003 Marc Prensky
©2003 Marc Prensky
©2003 Marc Prensky
(2) because they’re the
best learning tools
we’ve ever invented…
©2003 Marc Prensky
Areas Claimed Improved
by Playing Video Games
visual selective attention
multiple task processing
rule understanding
strategy
morality
ethics
identity
flow
traditional literacy
digital literacy
new media literacy
concentration
social skills
stress relief
scientific thinking
intellectual development
affective development
social development
transfer
comprehension skills
academic skills
strategies and procedures
use of symbols
problem solving
sequence learning
deductive reasoning
©2003 Marc Prensky
“Things like strategy, multi-task
processing, problem-solving,
symbols & map-reading, and
media literacy are skills that I
will use no matter what
profession I elect.”
-a high school student
©2003 Marc Prensky
And (3) because
games are a language
Digital Natives understand
and speak fluently
©2003 Marc Prensky
Advantages of Games
As a Language
Interactive
Rapid feedback
Lots of practice
Engaging
Identification
Complexity
Open Ended Worlds
©2003 Marc Prensky
Myths about Games:
• They are trivial
• No learning occurs when one plays
them
• They are narrow in what they can
express and do
• The fact that games engage people
to such an extent is bad!
©2003 Marc Prensky
Why Do Games
ENGAGE
Us?
©2003 Marc Prensky
Why Games Engage
Fun
Play
Rules
Goals
Interactive
Outcomes & Feedback
Adaptive
Win states
Conflict, competition
Problem solving
Interaction with people
Representation & Story












Enjoyment and Pleasure
Intense involvement
Structure
Motivation
Doing
Learning
Flow
Ego Gratification
Adrenaline
Creativity
Social Groups
Emotion
©2003 Marc Prensky
This is your brain …
This is your brain…
©2003 Marc Prensky
…and this is your brain on games!
MOTIVATION
EGOGRATIFICATION
EMOTION
DOING
ADReNALINe!
STRUCTURE
LEARNING
FLOW
INTENSE and
PASSIONATE
INVOLVEMENT
CREATIVITY
SOCIAL
GROUPS
ENJOYMENT
AND
PLEASURE
©2003 Marc Prensky
Games are
SOCIAL
©2003 Marc Prensky
Solo
1
(individual war fighter)
Versus and Arcade
10
(squad)
LAN Party
Cyber-Café – PC Baang
100
(company)
1,000
(brigade)
©2003 Marc Prensky
LARGE-SCALE GAMING
COMPETITION
Order of magnitude:
10,000 (division)
“The Gathering”
Norway
©2003 Marc Prensky
MMPG:
Game Console:
1,000,000
(military)
10,000,000
(country)
Handheld:
Cell Phone:
100,000,000
(continent)
1,000,000,000
(planet)
©2003 Marc Prensky
Global, Massively Multiplayer
Training
World-class Wireless gaming
… in your pocket
Nokia N-Gage
©2003 Marc Prensky
Game Design
IS HELPFUL
©2003 Marc Prensky
Key Things About
Game Design:
• Focus is on the user’s engagement
• Done by playing, not theory
• Frequent, important decision making
• Short, medium and long range goals
• Gameplay over Eye Candy!
©2003 Marc Prensky
©2003 Marc Prensky
©2003 Marc Prensky
includes
•Continuous decision making
•Good pacing
•Complexity
•Big worlds to explore
•Important choices
•Immediate feedback
•Adapting to the player’s skills
©2003 Marc Prensky
TRAINING
GAMES
©2003 Marc Prensky
We must learn to put
content
into Game Language
©2003 Marc Prensky
This is
NOT TRIVIAL
©2003 Marc Prensky
It’s
ART,
NOT SCIENCE
©2003 Marc Prensky
“Whenever you
add an
instructional
designer, they
suck the fun out”
– a game designer
©2003 Marc Prensky
Use
Pragmatic
Pedagogy
©2003 Marc Prensky
The most important
things to remember are:
multi-player, creative,
collaborative,
challenging, and
competitive.
– a high school student
©2003 Marc Prensky
Use Our
Recruits
They are the Natives!
They can help!
©2003 Marc Prensky
At this stage,
the most important things are
THINKING,
EXPERIMENTING,
and
SHARING
©2003 Marc Prensky
A Range of
Gaming Solutions:
cell phone, email,
COTS, templates,
mods & custom
MP and MMP
©2003 Marc Prensky
www.dodgamecommunity.com
©2003 Marc Prensky
Recap
©2003 Marc Prensky
©2003 Marc Prensky
ENGAGEMENT
FIRST
©2003 Marc Prensky
©2003 Marc Prensky
GAME
LANGUAGE
multi-player
creative
collaborative
challenging
competitive
©2003 Marc Prensky
©2003 Marc Prensky
Pragmatic
Pedagogy
©2003 Marc Prensky
“Don’t
suck the
fun out”
©2003 Marc Prensky
What We Get
Victory is possible.
I have what it takes.
I want to win.
I am going to play now
I won!
(I am going to play again)
After Garris & Ahlers
©2003 Marc Prensky
www.marcprensky.com
www.dodgamecommunity.com
marc@games2train.com
©2003 Marc Prensky