Game Developers Conference 2008 - (Page 53) Serious Games Summit the paradox of play: the challenge of Measuring What game players Learn Don Daglow (stormfront studios, inc.), Alex games, Frank Lantz (area/code), richard Wainess (usc), eric Zimmerman (gamelab) 1:40-2:50pm We all have a sense that games are good for players. But what exactly are games teaching, and can we define and measure just what it is that players learn through play? Increasingly, researchers of games and learning are focusing on the idea that games are best at teaching processes, not information. Games can help players be more creative, learn to strategize, become better problem solvers, become more socialized, or become more media- or systems-literate. This is in contrast to the conceptualization of games as vehicles for players to acquire information or other traditional curriculum-related skills. The challenge of a process-centric over an information-centric approach is that it becomes much more difficult to understand exactly what it is that players are learning through games. And even if we can identify what players learn, other dilemmas emerge – for example, are players becoming smarter and more playful from games, or is it that smart and playful people are the ones who are drawn to and benefit from games? Given these questions, what methodologies and approaches can researchers and designers use to better make and study games? Can we measure what games provide to players besides engagement? Should we even try? This important topic contains a thorny paradox. Without strict methods and concrete outcomes, we can’t prove to skeptics that games help players. Yet by continuing to quantify the measurement of games and learning, we are in danger of leaving out the playfulness which lies at the very core of games. Join us for a lively session of debate and discussion as we unpack this debate which is so crucial for the future of games and learning. improving software Development with games Li-te cheng (ibM), robert Musson (Microsoft), John nordlinger (Microsoft), steven rohall (ibM collaborative user experience research group), ross smith (Windows core security, Microsoft) 3-4pm Three distinct efforts exist at the intersection of games and software developments. This suite of presentations from Microsoft and IBM showcases these efforts and in doing so provides a unique look at the variety of methods that can be applied in serious games towards a particular problem— in this case software development. In the first presentation, John Nordlinger of Microsoft Research will present a quick overview of Microsoft Research’s efforts to utilize game development and programming as part of an effort to improve enrollments in traditional CS degree programs worldwide. In the second presentation IBM will detail its efforts to combine collaborative development environments, like Rational Jazz with 3D virtual worlds. As teams become more distributed, it is important to support “heads up” work—the kind of social interaction that is achieved by seeing people in the hallways when they are co-located. Can a virtual world foster the sorts of team-building interactions that are common with co-located teams? IBM will demonstrate Bluegrass, a 3D virtual environment integrated with Rational Jazz, and explore how virtual colocation could support a software development team’s activities. In the final presentation members of Microsoft’s Core Security Team for Windows will discuss Bug huntEr—a “games as work” project that started as a basic offline game and is now becoming part of an integrated multiplayer game built into its development tools to foster greater productivity and fun during development and testing cycles. Often it is hard to understand how games can provide a myriad of solutions to a particular problem space. In this specific session attendees can see games being used in education, recruitment, on-the-job productivity and motivation, team building, and more. coffee break 4-4:10pm WolfquEst David t. schaller (eduweb) 4:10-4:40pm woLfquEst is an innovative learning game that brings the compelling interactivity of commercial videogames to the field of informal science education. Developed by the Minnesota Zoo and eduweb with funding from the National Science Foundation, woLfquEst immerses young people in the social behavior, ecology, and natural history of gray wolves in Yellowstone National Park. Single and multiplayer missions challenge players to hunt, find a mate, establish a territory, and raise pups. The game itself is a catalyst for extended learning on the woLfquEst community web site, where players can share strategies, stories, and artwork; chat with wolf experts; and find out where to go see real wolves in zoos and parks. Serious Games Summit Make this game better: thE rEDistrictinG GamE (continued) chris swain (university of southern california) 4:40-5:10pm Please see “Make this Game Better: thE rEDistricting gamE (Part I).” serious games potluck 5:10-6pm At the end of the conference, the Serious Games Summit reveals the first ever Serious Games Potluck. Members of the audience with projects in tow will each be given 5-10 minutes of time to demo to the audience their current or finished serious game project. This exciting finish to the conference offers a unique outlet to the many attendees who often show up with new projects in hand but which aren’t otherwise featured on the agenda. Visit www.gdconf.com for daily coverage of GDC 2008 53 http://www.gdconf.com/?cid=GDC08_showguide http://www.gdconf.com/?cid=GDC08_showguide
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