What do serious
game players
think?
November 13, 2013
PADLA
West Chester
University
JC Kinnamon
Christopher Rousseau
R & D Division
Games
John Sweller
vs.
Jane McGonigal
Richard Mayer
PRO
CON
Why this topic?
• What do...
players think?
Why this topic?
• What do...
players think?
Pedagogical effectiveness
Why this topic?
• What do...
players think?
User acceptance
Game description
Skills
• Planning
• Interviewing
• Gathering information
• Eliciting cooperation
• Challenging lies
• Documenting
• Reporting out findings
Game samples
Why this game?
At this time?
Upgrade the learning experience
Address “reluctant leaners”
Data Collection Methods
Data Collection Methods
Formal
Informal
Live / remote
6
7
Homework/debrief
12
3
Subjects
Live / remote
Homework/debrief
Formal
Informal
6 Attorneys
7 Attorneys / staff
12 Law students
3 Attorneys
“Serious Game”
They had no idea what we
were talking about
Maximize the Content
(not actual data)
Cognitive Load
Content
UI
Story
Other
Managed
Early challenges
Figured things out
Designers made changes to
lessen extraneous cognitive
load
Motivation
Game elements were
powerful motivators
Grabbed pads of paper
Restarted
Paid attention / checked
things
Story
Powerful element in the pull
of the game
Learners were well aware of
the narrative
Need for closure
Be careful—has to be
relevant
Younger audience had
harder time
Reading
on-screen text
% of on-screen text read is
normally low in compulsory
training
Startling high level witnessed
Hawthorne effect?
Read when necessary
Engagement
Annoyed by technical
glitches
Little tolerance for
distractions
Focused on relevant details
Mastering
techniques
Disclosure
Open- ended questions
Gaining cooperation
General questions before
focused questions
Planning strategies
Challenging lies
Feedback
Processed
Changed behavior
Focused on learning from
errors
Challenged evaluations
Debriefings
Quotable Quotes
•
“I couldn’t multitask. I had to stop whatever else I was doing.”
•
“I had never done an internal investigation before. I want to do one now.”
•
“I would pick a sim over a lecture; particularly for a skill topic.”
•
“It was fun. That is not something I thought I would say.”
•
“It is more valuable to do it vs. hear about it.”
•
I wouldn’t have thought to use evidence that way.
•
“It is wonderful to see how it is done. Better than sitting and listening.”
•
“The game throws you in.... gives an associate a taste of how things happen.”
•
“If I have the choice of a PowerPoint lecture and a game, I will choose the game.”
•
“After the first episode I stopped playing a game and I did it like it was real.”
Summary
•
•
•
•
•
Acceptance of game approach by professionals
Preference for the approach – 100%
High levels of engagement
High completion rate
Trade-off: Cognitive load vs. motivational factors
Thanks
for coming!
jckinnamon@pli.edu
(212) 824-5813