UNIT 5 Games and social media to promote intergenerational learning. Module 1 Introduction: Understanding and classifying games

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1 Module 1 Introduction: Understanding and classifying games Advanced Training Course Adults Learning for Intergenerational Creative Experiences This training course is delivered in the context of LLP Project GRUNDTVIG-ALICE Grant Agreement number : / Project Number: LLP IT-GRUNDTVIG-GMP University Ca Foscari of Venice - Technical University of Crete - Romanian Society for Lifelong Learning SEED The Mosaic Art and Sound - Fondazione Nazionale Carlo Collodi UNIT 5 Games and social media to promote intergenerational learning

2 Unit 5 Games and social media to promote intergenerational learning Module 1: Introduction: Understanding and classifying games Nektarios Moumoutzis Marios Christoulakis Laboratory of Distributed Multimedia Information Systems and Applications Training Coordination University Ca Foscari of Venice Cover graphic design Name of Responsible (SEED) 2 This publication is produced with the financial support from the European Community in the frames of LLP, sectoral program Grundtvig, Grant Agreemen Grant Agreement number : / The publication reflects the views only of its authors, and the European Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained herein. The authors of the Module are not responsible for the content of the websites listed as resources in this handbook. The content of these pages may change over time and is the sole responsibility of their authors

3 The Unit : Working Plan The Unit : Games and social media to promote intergenerational learning Gradual introduction to the creative language of video games through investigation of different types of games and exploration of their value as a means to develop key competencies and promote intergenerational dialogue. Introduction to game design and development with practical activities using Scratch. A holistic approach to games and social media for learning through guidelines for the establishment and support of game communities through the use of social networks. Modules M 1 Introduction: Understanding and classifying games (this document introduces this lesson) Aim: Introduce the core concepts of games, discuss on their learning value and present the most important game genres with respect to their learning potential. Educational value of games from the perspective of intergenerational learning. Practical activities on transforming ordinary games into a learning environment promoting intergenerational dialogue. M 2- Analysing and selecting games: Identifying games for adults and children to play and learn together Aim: Present methodologies and tools to analyse and evaluate games to support game selection and deeper understanding of games. Practical activities promoting self-reflection on own behaviour as game player(s). M 3 Introduction: Tools to invent games Aim: Introduce detailed game design methodologies and use of modern game development tools to create games. Practical activities to introduce educators, adults and children to game design and development. M 4 Establishing and supporting game communities Aim: Present a holistic approach to connect game players and game developers within the context of game communities supported by social media. Practical activities to establish and support game communities connecting families and primary school communities that use games to learn and technically skilled teenagers/volunteers that develop and refine games for them. 3

4 Summary 1- Introducing the topic The topic in brief Preparing your work This is very important Now you are prepared to see practices Hands on! Game genres and their relation to learning What? Why? When? Where? How? Who? External Aids Introducing an example of practice Final Remarks References

5 Module 1 Introduction: Understanding and classifying games Nektarios Moumoutzis nektar@ced.tuc.gr Marios Christoulakis christoulakis@ced.tuc.gr Laboratory of Distributed Multimedia Information Systems and Applications Abstract Video games offer an engaging learning environment. Even games that have not been designed for learning, offer learning opportunities and promote problem-solving and gradual knowledge construction through exploration, trial and error. Within this perspective, it is important to understand the core characteristics of games and find ways of exploiting them in learning. Furthermore, it is argued that educators can provide more effective learning environment if they understand the core ideas behind game design and use these ideas to make learning more effective and engaging. This module introduces the core concepts of games and describes the most important game genres. It also addresses issues related to the educational value of games from the perspective of intergenerational learning. Finally, it identifies ways to enrich learning using games towards the objective of gaming literacy. 5

6 1.1. The topic in brief 1- Introducing the topic To understand the learning potential of video games and how it could be exploited within the context of intergenerational learning, it is necessary to understand what s a video game, in the first place. Various definitions have been proposed to describe video games. According to Wikipedia a digital (video) game: A video game is an electronic game that involves human interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. It is obvious, that the above definition assumes the existence of a computer that runs the game software and with which the (human) player interacts. The computer could be an ordinary desktop or laptop computer, a cell phone, a game console, a set-top box or any other kind of computing device that can run the game software. Note, however, that the above definition, although accurately reflecting the common sense knowledge of what is a video game, does not provide a real insight to this complex medium. It fails to shed light on questions like: What makes games so engaging? Why are some games more successful and popular than others? What are the characteristics of good video game? These questions raise the need to investigate more closely the characteristics that most good video games have: They are based on rules that specify what is allowed and what is prohibited in the game world They provide a meaningful space of goal-directed player action. They engage player(s) through conflict (competition or cooperation) with other players or with the game system itself. They provide means to personalize game play taking into account player s skills and knowledge of the game. They employ short feedback cycles to create and maintain player engagement. They employ a wide set of features (such as attractive stories, 3D worlds, challenges of gradual difficulty to create immersive and engaging environments. They can be played again and again as the result of appropriate balance of adapting game challenges (neither too easy nor too difficult for players) and immersion. From an educational point of view the following characteristics are very significant: Reward systems: Games reward player achievements as a means to increase engagement. Various approaches are possible: Give points depending on the time to complete an action, the accuracy of solving a problem, the choices made etc. Rewards may be public (e.g. in multiplayer games) as a means for social recognition. Competition: Good games provide an environment that creates an engaging competition between players of between the player and the system through game scoring and online ranking systems. 6

7 Collaboration: Many multiplayer games promote collaboration of players either as a result of game design to promote this collaboration or as a choice of the players themselves. The widespread use of video games and their success in engaging players attracted the interest of many researchers and scholars from the educational domain that studied thoroughly the opportunities offered by games to increase the learner's motivation. Moreover, another aspect that attracted the interest of researchers is that games give access to immersive learning in virtual situations that are very near to real world complex environments (e.g. physical environments, emergency situations, dangerous workplaces etc.) [Gee, 2003; Sandford et al., 2006]. Following this work games started to enter the learning field in many ways from the practical viewpoint of the educator that wants to offer an engaging and mind-opening learning experience. This is important not only for primary and secondary schools but also for universities, vocational training and adult learning. The most obvious way to do so is to exploit existing video games within a learning framework to achieve certain learning objectives. A more elaborate approach is to design and develop educational video games or serious games. These games are designed and developed to serve a well-defined learning purpose and not for entertainment alone. The term game-based learning is used to describe the above mentioned approaches to learning through playing games. Game-based learning offers to the player the opportunity to explore a world without the intervention of an instructor promoting authentic learning and learning by doing. The learner is able to control his/her own learning experience and participate in highly interactive scenarios that could be encountered in real-world settings where one faces open-ended problems that facilitate the development of problem-solving skills and not only simple fact memorization. Going beyond game-based learning, which is the main focus of this introductory module, it is important to note that playing games is just the entry point for a more deep understanding of games that is the focus of the so called gaming literacy. Within the gaming literacy framework games are considered as objects of study in which children and adults should improve their communication and critical thinking skills just like other types of media like literary works, films etc. From this perspective, the aim is to promote skills towards three complementary directions: Game comprehension through appropriate analysis that promotes the acquisition of the language, technology, genres, values, stereotypes, and production processes of games. Critical consumption through reflection on one s own behavior as a game player in order to better exploit free time. Time spent for video game playing, game preferences, social aspects of game play, type of entertainment offered are issues related to this critical self-reflection. Game production using modern tools that enable non-technical people to develop their own simple video games and be engaged in their design and development by creating rules, characters, narratives, graphics, audio, and animations. We will cover a number of issues related to these aspects of gaming literacy in the modules to follow this introductory one. Other aspects related to games stem from the relationship between gaming and youth culture, describing the penetration and impact that these media have and the role they hold in 7

8 children's and adolescents' lives. Investigations on these matters are mainly undertaken by sociologists. Their findings are very important for educators and caregivers, because they promote a more appropriate and respectful approach to children and teenagers offering intelligent responses to the children s and teenagers learning needs (for an overview see the Video game culture lemma in Wikipedia - Another aspect of paramount importance is the protection of children's rights by moderating their access to media products and respecting their growth. To moderate the access of children to violent or vulgar game content, various organizations have been established and initiative have been undertaken such as the Pan European Game Information ( that classifies the commercial game titles of the Entertainment Software Rating Board ( in the USA. All these issues that link games to our modern society constitute a horizontal aspect covered through appropriate references in each one of the unit s modules and during the personalization phase of each module as well depending on the interests of each participant Preparing your work Initially, participants will be introduced to basic concepts of learning through video games and then they will be invited to study and discuss the methodology and practice examples presented at the handbook for teachers entitled Production of Creative Game-Based learning scenarios. During the lab phase all participants will be invited to describe a video game they like and they consider as a potential tool for learning. They will be asked to answer questions like: Why do you like this game? How often do you play it? Did you play it with other people? What kind of social relationships where created/strengthen through playing with other people or through discussing about the game etc. What the game offered to you? Entertainment? Skills? Knowledge? Personal relationships? Concluding this phase the participants will be invited to watch the short video at and discuss in the course forum the concepts presented in it that link good video games to learning. Following this first introductory lab phase, the participants will be asked to play the online game at that provides a gamebased learning introduction to games. They will be then invited to discuss this game with their peers and review that important concepts presented regarding the common characteristics of good video games. During the personalization phase, the participants will register to the Scratch community ( site and create a personal collection of games related to their interests or teaching needs This is very important James Paul Gee, a pioneer scholar that studied the relationship between games and learning in a systematic way, argues that:

9 Good video games incorporate good learning principles... Why? If no one could learn these games, no one would buy them and players will not accept easy, dumbed down, or short games. At a deeper level, however, challenge and learning are a large part of what makes good video games motivating and entertaining. Humans actually enjoy learning, though sometimes in school you wouldn t know that. [Gee, 2005] It is indeed important to note that the principles behind good game design are closely related to learning and, in contrary to traditional learning, good games provide an engagement environment to learn. However, not all games are good or appropriate for all learners. How could one distinguish the good ones, how could we evaluate and analyze game in order to select the most appropriate one? This is one of the main topics that will be explored in the module Now you are prepared to see practices An important parameter for the successful introduction of games as learning tools, is to understand the main types of games and how each type is related to learning. Like other media types, game classification schemes use the concept of genres. A game genre provides a description framework that makes clear the common features that characterize it within the classification scheme as a whole Hands on! 2.1. Game genres and their relation to learning The rapid growth of the gaming sector and the evolution of gaming technology makes it impossible to fix a certain game classification scheme. New genres emerge through combinations of existing genres or by introducing new features not present in previous games. However, it is interesting to identify the learning potential of the most general game genres depending on the learning context. Action games The action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand eye coordination and reaction-time. Action games require good hand-eye combination and engage players to use quick reflexes, accuracy, and timing to overcome obstacles. It is perhaps the most basic of gaming genres, and certainly one of the broadest. Indicative examples: Super Mario Bros, Mario Galaxy, Pac-Man, Asteroids. The educational value of action games stems from their potential to promote resource planning, spatial orientation, mental mapping and other spatial abilities. They can be used to immerse the player in historic or professional environments to be explored. Although action games tend to have gameplay with emphasis on combat, it is important to note that action does not necessarily imply violence. Action games usually assign to the player the task to resolve a certain conflict. Violence is not the only way to resolve a conflict. There are also other ways that could be really engaging and effective. Good action games exist and can be produced that leave violence aside.

10 Role-playing games In these games the player undertakes the role of one or more characters in the game world. The usually include point systems to evaluate player s performance or provide social recognition. Indicative examples: Role-playing games promote cooperation and resource management as the player usually depends on a group of cooperating characters. Strategic thinking and problem solving skills are also promoted. Point systems of these games can provide a means for learners evaluation. Adventure games In adventure games, the player solves a sequence of puzzles following a certain game plot to progress in a story. Indicative examples: The learning potential of adventure games is related to the development of problem solving skills and the linking of different concepts. This genre also supports the paradigm of thinking outside the box ( Players in many cases are required to engage their imagination in order to solve puzzles they are faced with. Strategy games In these games, the player plans the use of resources and faces an enemy following a certain set of rules within a historical or fantasy environment. Indicative examples: Strategy games have a significant learning potential related to the development of planning skills, understanding complex rules and recreating historic events. Simulation games Games of this genre simulate real-worlds processes, environments or events and allow the player to explore the game world, interact with it and realize the consequences. Indicative examples: simulations of airplanes, cars and other machinery, simulation of working environments such as hospitals and universities, city-life simulations etc. The educational potential of simulation games is significant. They allow exploration and hypothesis formation and confirmation through observation of player s interactions and their results What? Exploiting video games to promote intergenerational play and learning Why? Games provide an engaging environment to explore. Apart from this, video games are an important part of youth culture. Instead of disputing about the time spent for gaming or the types of games that are allowed for children to play, parents could employ an effective strategy of playing together with their children. This approach strengthens the family links, provides the necessary care and support for the development of the children and creates new opportunities for learning When? During free-time, while on vacations or during weekends. 10

11 Where? In the living room, while on the move, whenever there is time and a computer available that can run an appropriate game software How? Using a game console in the living room, using a smartphone on the move, using a desktop or laptop computer to play online Who? Parents (or grandparents) and children together External Aids Many other game genres exists with limited learning potential for game-based learning such as fighting, sports, and party games. However, these games can greatly affect the creation of strong intra family links and cannot be excluded from an intergenerational learning setting. Moreover, in a game literacy learning setting that addresses game development, these genres are equally important as the rest. Wikipedia article on video game genres at offers an exhaustive list of game genres with links to additional information and extensive list of games in each genre Introducing an example of practice How one could exploit a commercial-off-the-shelf or an educational game to create new opportunities for adults and children to learn together? An inspiring five-week family program called Family Quest is studied in [Siyahhan et al., 2010]. The programme was based on Quest Atlantis ( a multi-user 3D educational video game. Activity theory was employed as guiding framework. The programme was organized at a local afterschool club with participants of diverse ethnic background. It was integrated as an activity that children and their parents could participate in as part of their membership to the club. The programme was promoted through flyers and posters distributed to parents and children in combination with short presentation by the organizers during parent information sessions. After registration, parents and children formed pairs (one parent, one child) and were provided with a list of mandatory and optional missions to accomplish in the game environment. Support was also provided regarding the use of the game environment. There were three introductory missions that oriented the players to the Quest Atlantis environment and backstory which had to be completed before the pairs were able to work on their choice of missions. After completing the mandatory missions, game pairs were involved in working on various tasks ranging from finding a special location to analyzing water quality and uploading a report. Details on the Family Quest programme are presented in a video that can be watched from An important conclusion drawn from this family programme was that the mediation between the interactive narrative-based context of a game such as Quest Atlantis and the

12 parent-child game pair is mediated by the shared norms of the players and by the community of game pairs and parent-child relations against and within which they compare their own interactions. To create opportunities for transformative experiences for all children, an educator needs to design interactive narratives that push back on the traditional roles of parents and children. Productive intergenerational play, collaborative work between parent and child around an interactive narrative-based game is characterized by exchange of expertise between the parent and the child around shared intentions. Such kind of intergenerational learning based on interactive environments can be different than non-formal learning that happens in other contexts like museums where only static objects exist. The game context is a dynamic environment that is continuously changed as the results of the players actions. The game play can be designed in a way that promotes shared intentions. Fictional scenarios can promote the argumentation around subjects that are not easily discussed in everyday family life. This way, they could lead to transformative processes that cannot take place otherwise. Designing opportunities for the exchange of expertise between the parent and the child can turn intergenerational play into a valuable means of strengthening communal norms. 3- Final Remarks In this first introductory module to intergenerational learning through games, we have seen why games are important learning tools in school, at home, or on the move. We have explored the characteristics of games and game genres and linked them to learning in terms of affordances that they offer. Finally, we have started our investigation on how games could be exploited to design and implement intergenerational learning experiences. In the next module, we will focus our attention on game analysis and selection. We will see important criteria and techniques for analysing and evaluating games to guide the selection of games that comply with the aims of a certain learning intervention. Furthermore, analysing and evaluating games is also important when applying game-development approaches for learning within the context of gaming literacy. 4- References Gee, J. P. (2003). What video have to teach us about learning and literacy. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Gee, J. P. (2005). Good video games and good learning. Phi Kappa Phi Forum, 85(2), [Retrieved from on 12/7/2012] Sandford, R., Ulicsak, M., Facer, K., Rudd, T. (2006). Teaching with Games: Using commercial off-the-shelf computer games in formal education. [Retrieved from TWG_report.pdf on 19/07/2012] Siyahhan, S., Barab, S.A., & Downton, M.P. (2010). Using activity theory to understand inter-generational play: The case of family quest. Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 5(4),