Globaloria Game Design

Globaloria Game Design

1. Which one did you like the best?

I would have to say that Space Adventures by Team XYZ was my favorite, but the title of the game and the content of the game didn't really go together, in my opinion. The instructions of the game say you will explore planets to determine if life is viable on different planets, but no where in there did it say anything about having to do math equations to make it through each planet. I thought I'd be learning about planets, their properties, etc, to determine if life was viable on other planets, not solving math equations.

2. What content is being learned?

The content being learned in Space Adventures is mathematical equations. Their not simple math equations like addition, subtraction, etc, but rather finding the area of a triangle, or the perimeter of a rectangle. The math equations required to complete the game were complex and involved a knowledge of finding algebraic functions, which is not something I'm all that familiar with anymore, being out of high school for four years, and not having to use those equations since.

3. Do you think it effectively teaches the content?

Do I think it teaches about space effectively? No. Do I think it teaches math effectively? Possibly. From the title of the game we can assume we're going on a space adventure, possibly to learn about space, planets, etc. But, what the game doesn't tell you is that you're going to learn math, perform math equations, while jumping from planet to planet. The title of the game is misleading, as are the directions given. I think if the title of the game and the content matched more closely, there would be an effective learning opportunity here, but since there's not, I can't say that I think it teaches effectively. 

4. Does it involve higher order thinking?

Higher order thinking is involved because it takes complex mathematical equations, such as those found in both Algebra and Geometry, and uses them to create math problems to move from planet to planet throughout the game. Since I haven't done math equations of the geometric or algebraic sort in years, it wasn't all that easy for me to remember the specific functions without being able to review them first, before jumping into the game.

5. Does the game possess any principles of good games and learning?

One of the six principles of good games and learning that I think this game, Space Adventures, possess best out of all of them, is #2 - They are action-and-goal-directed preparations for, and simulations of, embodied experience." The game is very action and goal oriented. You have to answer the math problem correctly before you can move onto the next level. If you answer the problem in correctly, you get bumped back to the start of that level, and this process continues until you find the correct answer within the game.

6. In your opinion, do you think letting kids design games is productive activity for school based learning?

I think students who design games either on their own in the classroom, or within a group, can learn more material than just being taught from a book, and being given homework. Designing a game requires more thought to be put into learning, and the student has to make sure that the information presented in the game is correct, so that those playing the game can move onto the following levels. I think the student would be more inclined to learning material if games were involved. (This is along the lines of what I'm trying to prove with my action research project.)