A FRAMEWORK for DESIGNING SERIOUS GAMES by Nicholas
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A FRAMEWORK FOR DESIGNING SERIOUS GAMES by Nicholas David Sinkewicz B.Sc., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2001 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ADVANCED STUDIES IN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE in The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (Landscape Architecture) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) April 2015 © Nicholas Sinkewicz, 2015 Abstract Integrating traditional learning content with the feeling of enjoyment that has made commercial video games wildly popular presents a significant design challenge. Serious video games, or games for learning, are most often studied from the viewpoint of disciplines such as psychology or education. There is a lack of applied research to guide serious game design, particularly the development process. Such frameworks are nonexistent or in their infancy. This thesis extends game design theory and creates an applied design framework for serious game development. It focuses on gameplay - the connection between the interactive engagements happening on-screen and the methods by which those events are manifest. Two game design constructs are conceptualized, linked, and illustrated: player archetypes and gameplay themes. The design framework is an applied tool to help serious game designers make video games that are both fun and educational, and that maximize audience appeal. The framework has broad design utility and is suited for use across a spectrum of serious game genres and content areas. The framework is illustrated with examples based on a University of British Columbia serious game project that is the focus of a community-based participatory research project with the municipality of Delta, British Columbia. The game, Future Delta 2, represents a new way to engage hard-to-reach community groups like youth in building awareness and action around the local causes and impacts of climate change. ii Preface I am solely responsible for all parts of this thesis, including the research questions, hypotheses, research design, and methods. I conducted the research and wrote the manuscript. iii Table of Contents Abstract……………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………………..ii Preface……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...…iii Table of Contents………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….iv List of Tables…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………vi List of Figures……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….vii Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………………………….………………………viii Dedication…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….ix 1 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….1 1.1 Goals and aims…………………………………………………………………………………………………….1 1.2 Methodology……………………………………………………………………………………………………….7 2 Literature review: the role of games in learning…………………………………………………………………9 2.1 Introduction to player archetypes………………………………………………………………………..9 2.2 Visualization of data………………………………………………..…………………………………………11 2.3 Games as a pedagogical strategy……………………………………………………………………..…12 2.4 Video game-based learning………………………………………..………………………………………13 2.4.1 Skill building…………………………………………………………………………………………13 2.4.2 Flow……………………………………………………………………………………………….……13 2.4.3 Problem solving……………………………………………………………………………………14 2.4.4 Behavioral psychology………………………………………………..……………………….14 2.4.5 Interactivity and collaboration…………………………………………………………….15 2.5 Summary……………………………………………………………………………………………………………16 3 From visualizations to video games………………………………………………………………………………….17 4 Gameplay design…………………………………………………..…………………………………………………………20 4.1 The mechanics of gameplay……………………………………………………………………..………..20 4.1.1 Camera position………………………………………………………………………………..…23 4.1.2 Locomotion………………….………………………………………………………………………23 4.1.3 3D Model…………………………………………………………………………………………….23 4.1.4 Scale…………………………………………………………………………………………………...23 4.1.4.1 Human or individual level scale………………………………….24 4.1.4.2 Neighbourhood or regional scale………………………………..25 4.2 A revised typology of player archetypes…………………………………………………………….25 4.2.1 Actionist………………………………………………………………………………………………27 4.2.2 Completionist………………………………………………………………………………………28 4.2.3 Socializer……………………………………………………………………………………………..28 4.2.4 Lore enthusiast…………………………………………………………………………………….28 4.2.5 Explorer……………………………………………………………………………………………….29 4.2.6 Stealther………………………………………………………………………………………………29 4.2.7 Tradeskiller………………………………………………………………………………………….29 4.2.8 Learner…………………………………………………………………………………………..……30 iv 4.3 A typology of gameplay themes……………………………………………………………………..….30 4.3.1 Discovery……………………………………………………………………………………………..31 4.3.2 Mini-game……………………………………………………………………………………………32 4.3.3 On-a-rail……………………………………………………………………………………………...33 4.3.4 Gather/fetch……………………………………………………………………………………..…33 4.3.5 Tradeskills…………………………………………………………………………………………...34 4.3.6 Stealth………………………………………………………………………………………………...35 4.3.7 Defend/escort…………………………………………………………………………………..…35 4.4 Linking player archetypes and gameplay themes……………………………………………….36 5 A serious design framework……………………………………………………………………………………………..38 5.1 Goals and learning objectives…………………………………………………………………………….40 5.2 Story………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….40 5.3 3D game world…………………………………………………………………………………………………..42 5.4 Evaluating learning objectives………………………………………………………………………..….44 5.5 The integrated framework…………………………………………….……………………………………46 5.6 Future Delta 2: supplemental technical information……………………………………….….49 6 Discussion and future research………………………………………………………………………………………..50 6.1 Learning outcomes…………………………………………………………………………………………..…51 6.2 Evaluation…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..52 6.3 Serious collaboration………………………………………………………………………………………….53 References…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..54 Appendix….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….57 Appendix A: Level design document…………………………………………………………………………57 v List of Tables Table 1 Typology of player archetypes……………………………………….……………………………………….27 Table 2 Typology of gameplay themes……………………………………….……………………………………….31 Table 3 Proposed gameplay theme and player archetype rubric..…….....…………………………….37 Table 4 Player archetype and gameplay theme interactions……..…………..……………………………46 vi List of Figures Figure 1 Serious game development………………………………..……………………………………………………3 Figure 2 Serious game design……………………..……………………………..………………………………………...4 Figure 3 Thesis aims……………………………………..…………………..………………………………………………….6 Figure 4 Methodology………………………………………….……………………………………………………………….7 Figure 5 Bartle’s player motivation scheme..…………………………………………………..……………….…10 Figure 6 Caravaggio, The Conversion on the Road to Damascus…..………………………..……………18 Figure 7 Serious game design process………………………………………….……………………………………..19 Figure 8 Design components…………………………………….…………………………………………………………20 Figure 9 1st person controller without an avatar at a cement factory………………………….……...24 Figure 10 3rd person controller with airplane model at the city level…………………………….…….25 Figure 11 Design components……………………..………………………………………………………………………38 Figure 12 Design framework: goals and learning objectives…………………………….………………….39 Figure 13 Design framework: story………………………………………….………………………………………….41 Figure 14 Design framework: 3D game world…………..……………………………..………………………….43 Figure 15 Design framework: player evaluation……..……………………………..……………………………45 Figure 16 Design framework……………………………………….………………………………………………………48 vii Acknowledgements I offer my enduring gratitude to the faculty, staff, and my fellow students at the University of British Columbia, who have inspired me to continue my work in this field. I owe particular thanks to Dr. Stephen Sheppard and Professor Cynthia Girling, who have both contributed immeasurably to my understanding of design and research. I would also like to thank the Collaborative for Advanced Landscape Planning and the entire Future Delta 2 team, whose hard work, dedication and commitment to building an excellent educational climate change video game has provided me with a living, breathing case study to inform my research. Special thanks are owed to my mother and grandfather, who have supported me unconditionally throughout my years of education. viii Dedication To my Grandfather and Grandmother ix 1 Introduction 1.1 Goals and aims Video games emerged enigmatically onto the cultural scene in the 1980s. Some, like Pong and Ms PacMan, had a public presence in restaurants, bars and corner stores. Others, like Multi- User Dungeons (MUDS), an early internet text-based video game that allowed thousands of users all over the world to simultaneously connect and play online together in a single continuous virtual game world, were largely invisible to the general public. By the turn of the twenty first century, educators and researchers were increasingly interested in the allure that video games hold for children and young adults. The military had long grasped the significance of game technology for creating simulators for training and educating their personnel. Now the serious games movement, across fields as diverse as education, climate change, and health, began to see beyond video games’ reputation for engaging young people in violent and deviant behavior to their potential for influencing society in positive ways. SERIOUS GAMES Games that aim to educate, train, inform, or influence the player. Clark Abt coined the term “serious game” in the 1970s2. He imagined serious games as a combination of "the experimental and emotional freedom of active play" and "the seriousness of thought and problems that require it". Abt maintained