GAMIFICATION REFERENCE GUIDE
2 TERMINOLOGY Game Gal: What the bjective f the game is/ hw t win the game. The Game gal des nt equal the learning gal Ex: In Mnply, the gal f the game is t have the mst prperty and cash. Learning / Instructinal Gal: What yu want the player t learn frm the game. Define the instructinal gal and the bjectives befre creating the game Cre Dynamic: What the player has t DO t win the game and achieve the game gal ; activities f the users as they interact with mechanics. Yu design arund the dynamic fr a mre seamless prcess EXAMPLES OF CORE DYNAMICS: Race t the Finish Get t the finish line first r befre time runs ut Ex: Mari Kart, Life, Candy Land Cultivates cmpetitin Territry Acquisitin - Acquire r take prperty, typically t create a grwing empire f yur wn r acquire the mst f an imprtant resurce. Ex: Catan, Mnply, Risk Explratin Wander and bserve f the gaming wrld r envirnment t find anything f value Ex: Minecraft, Legend f Zelda Cllecting Find and acquire specified bjects Ex: Checkers Can supprt knwledge and recall bjectives as well as higher-rder thinking. Effective if bjective includes the verbs chse, interpret, r analyze Rescue r escape Get ut f a situatin Ex: Frbidden Island Alignment Arrange game pieces in a specific rder Ex: Tic-Tac-Te Can supprt learning bjectives related t learning r executing a prcess Frbidden Act get players t break the rules
3 Ex: twister, peratin Cnstruct r build Create smething using specified resurces Ex: Sims, Z Tycn Outwit Use specialized knwledge r skills t defeat an ppnent Chess Slutin Slve a puzzle r a prblem Prtal, Clue Matching Recgnize things that are alike r that fit a specific descriptin; create paris r grupings. Guess Wh User Interface (UI): The way the user and a system interact, in particular the use f input devices and sftware. Replay-Value: When a game is engaging enugh that users want t play it multiple times. This is an imprtant thught and desired utcme t have in a learning game. The mre the user plays the learning game, the mre they learn and retain the desired knwledge. Game Elements: Features that help immerse the player in the game. Aesthetics: The visual lk and the experience f the end user Badges: An icn a player earns frm finishing a missin, quest, r task Chance: Elements yu include t equalize the playing experience, cause unexpected situatins t ccur, Cnflict: Smething in the game that a player has t vercme befre they cntinue. Leaderbards: If scring is included in a game, leaderbards appear at the end f missins, levels, r when the game gal is achieved. It shws where the player stands amng ther players in terms f scre, and adds mre cmpetitin and mtivatin fr replay-value Levels: A way t rganize a game by splitting it up int levels. This allws a game t get harder and intrduce new elements in every level. Lives / Health: A player s character / avatar may have multiple lives r a health bar t allw a safe place fr failure withut a severe utcme. Prgress bar: May be used t shw the current prgress a player has t the end f the prgress bar. The end f the prgress bar culd represent any applicable milestne, character level, r end f a current level that gives sme kind f reward. Rewards: Any type resurce, flair, r milestnes earned by the player fr accmplishing desired tasks, milestnes, r player perfrmance. Sme types f rewards includes pints, badges, leveling up, r filling a prgress bar.
4 Stry: A narrative that weaves thrughut an entire game r sets up the reasn yu are playing the game Strategy: Giving the player high cntrl ver the game s utcme by including elements that the player mst analyze and cnsider Theme: The envirnment r backdrp f a game Time / Timer: Serves as a resurce that players can gain and lse, r be a cmplete nnfactr. It can be integrated int game gals like when racing the clck t win the game. Virtual Currency / Resurces : These can be assets that dn t apply t the learning bjective but help add replay-value and custmizatin fr the player. Fr example, if yu gain cins just be cllecting them while explring fr a key, and yu can then spend thse cins in a shp t change yur character / avatar s utfit. This adds mtivatin fr the user. RAPID PROTOTYPING: Prttype: First playable, but nt cmplete, versin f a game. Paper prttypes spt a prblem quicker than a digital prttype will Helps t answer the answer the fllwing questins: Is the game idea engaging? D peple like the cre dynamic? Are the game mechanics and game elements engaging? Are there t many? Are there t little? Is the learning experience effective? Is the gameplay helping t achieve the learning bjective? Is the user interface intuitive? When making a paper prttype fr a digital game, remember the fllwing: Create it frm the player s perspective Include the user interface If a player needs t click n a buttn, the buttn shuld be there Mimic all actins Dn t include a tutrial Any difficulties, cnfusin, r mechanics will becme visible frm the prttype, and can be included in the tutrial later
5 Have fun with it, it desn t have t lk perfect r identical t the end prduct TYPES OF GAMES: Entertainment Games: These are purely fr fun with n ther expected utcme. If any learning ccurs, it is a by-prduct f the game and nt the gal Learning Games: These are designed t help players develp new knwledge r skills r t reinfrce existing knwledge r skills. Are als called instructinal games r serius games The end gal is t achieve a learning utcme while being immersed r engaged in the prcess Simulatins: These are an attempt t reprduce reality as clsely as pssible, in a cntrlled and safe envirnment. An example is the flight simulatr used t train pilts Gamificatin: This is the use f game elements in a learning situatin, but nt the creatin f an entire game. An example f this is awarding pints r badges fr cmpleting a task, r leveling up n a leaderbard during training. THINGS TO REMEMBER: Yu dn t want t make the game t hard r t easy The Game Gal and the Instructinal Gal are NOT the same thing Games prvide instant feedback Keep scring simple Nthing shuld happen in a game until a player acts and make decisins Start with simple prblems and intrduce harder elements as a game ges n
6 Gd videgames lwer the cnsequence f failure either by having save pints r multiple lives Failure is gd, prviding the player with cntinual retrieval f new infrmatin abut the game Learning games dn t always have t nline, they can be face-t-face Use the cre dynamic that makes the mst sense fr yur instructinal gal Dn t have cmplicated mechanics fr a learning game, yu want the player t fcus n the instructinal gal, nt figuring ut the rules When using levels, dn t let a player mve n t the next level until they have satisfied the first. Tutrials fr digital games are yur friend Paper prttypes are a gd idea even fr a digital game The cre dynamic f explratin is usually cupled with anther dynamic Character Hierarchy: Use at least ne character frm each level f Prtagnist and Antagnist fr a full Stry and Game Think abstractly if having actual characters desn t make sense Pac-Man is just abut cllecting dts and fruit, but the cllectr was turned int Pac-Man and the Ghsts all have names. There is even a Miss Pac-Man. If yu have a blck breaker game, the Mini Bss r Final Bss culd be having a timer and blcks falling dwn faster. Basically, it is just adding a challenge fr the level. See Next Page fr the Character Hierarchy
7 Guide Created By: Beth Myers Reference: Dr. Karl Kapp