Tag Archives: Serious Games

IPT

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Matthias Spruill (SAIC) sent me an email out of the blue and asked if I would be interested in serving as a member on the IPT team. Well, yeah! ;-)

It’s been two/three years now, since I got to know Curtis Conkey, Brent Smith and Kent. Not only are they a very interesting group of individuals, they are the only group who knew immediately how to pronounce CILR properly! :mrgreen: (None of my educator/academic colleagues has ever done it… they always tried “siller”, or something unrecognizable…)

Great to be able to run with people who understand what I am doing, again. With the pending changes in my workplace, it may work out well this time.

Research Interest Group on Video Games/Virtual Worlds

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Last December, I initiated a Research Interest Group for Video Games and Virtual Worlds in my institution. We were finally able to meet this month. (Note to self: Spring may not be a good time for this kind of meetings, as we are all busy with reviewing conference proposals, reading thesis/dissertations, and attending conferences).

Our RIG currently comprised of the following members:

  1. Michale Young, from Brain & Cognitive Science (military training games)
  2. Shawn Cheng, from Computer Science (data mining)
  3. David Rakowski, from Finance & Business Administration (business and finance games)
  4. Regina Kaplan-Rakowski, Curriculum & Instruction (SecondLife), and
  5. myself (serious game assessment)
Research Interest Group Meeting

Research Interest Group Meeting

(There were a couple more who came for the first meeting, but have not shown up since; so I don’t know what to make of their status. Perhaps it is time commitment, and then may be it no longer interests them, who knows?)

As Shawn put it, it doesn’t really matter if others are no longer interested; what’s important is for those who are really interested in (the matter) to continue meeting, and make something worthwhile out of it.

In this economic climate, I’d say that’s a good attitude!

Games For Learning Institute (G4LI)

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There will be a new Games for Learning Institute (G4LI) in New York University. The institute is a new joint research endeavor of Microsoft Research, New York University, and a consortium of universities, including: Columbia University, the City University of New York (CUNY), Dartmouth College, Parsons The New School for Design, Polytechnic Institute of NYU, the Rochester Institute of Technology, and Teachers College at Columbia University.

Microsoft Research is providing $1.5 million to the Institute. NYU and its consortium of partners are matching Microsoft’s investment, for a combined $3 million. Funding covers the first three years of the G4LI’s research, which will focus on evaluating computer games as potential learning tools for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects at the middle-school years (grades 6–8). The institute will work with a range of student populations, yet focus on underrepresented middle-school students, such as girls and minorities.

The aim is to identify which qualities of computer games engage students and develop relevant, personalized teaching strategies that can be applied to the learning process.

Effectiveness of Video Games. Again!

“While educational games are commonplace, little is known about how, why or even if they are effective,” said John Nordlinger, senior research manager for Microsoft Research’s gaming efforts. “Microsoft Research, together with NYU and the consortium of academic partners, will address these questions from a multidisciplinary angle, exploring what makes certain games compelling and playable and what elements make them effective, providing critically important information to researchers, game developers, and educators to support a new era of using games for educational purposes.”

How do they plan on doing it?

The G4LI also will evaluate game prototypes and introduce them, along with accompanying curricula, to an existing network of 19 New York City area schools; results in the classroom will be tracked. Based on the findings, the institute’s goal is to expand its research and game development to all K–12 grades. Resulting scientific evidence will be shared broadly with researchers, game developers and educators.

Original article: here.

I am one who don’t think qualitative tracking will work. So I can only hope they are not going down that path. I can only guess (since it is NYU) at what methodology they will be using…

ModSim World conference

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Come across a ModSim World Conference: Decision Making in Complex Environment [http://www.modsimworld2008.com] from September 15-18, 2008, at Virginia Beach, VA.

The conference looks to be small to medium size (as compared to AECT and AERA, of course). But I wonder how is it when compared to Ed-Media and E-Learn? No doubt the computer science and engineering people are getting into these kind of things fast! (Selected presentations will be published in ACM digital library, so go figure.) :mrgreen:

And something new for my radar: there is Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center (VMASC) at Old Dominion University, perhaps I should “look around more”? The VMASC is a multi-disciplinary modeling, simulation and visualization collaborative research center managed through the Office of Research at Old Dominion University.

There are several tracks in the conference. but the tracks include:

Education & Training

This track focuses on the development and preparation of modeling and simulation professionals and specialists, and issues related to the development and enhancement of the 21st Century modeling and simulation workforce. This includes high school, community college, undergraduate, and graduate level education; modeling and simulation as content and methodology; professional development; and continuing education.

Education and training are broadly defined to include instruction, instructional-related issues and techniques, curricula, standards, certification, accreditation, and resources.  The education and training track serves as a forum for (1) the exchange of knowledge; (2) interchange among individuals and parties; and (3) for the presentation, discussion, and resolution of issues pertaining to pedagogy and modeling and simulation.

Day 1: M&S in Engineering & Technology 1: Aerospace (Charles Camarda), M&S in Engineering & Technology 2: Science (William Dunn), Emerging M&S Capabilities in 2030,

Day 2: Vertical Panel on M&S in Eng & Tech: K-12, CC, University, Industry; M&S in Engineering & Technology 3:  Civil & Naval Design (Alexander Kott), Game-Based Learning,

Day 3: M&S in Program & Project Design & Management – Part 1

And, no kidding! They have a track for serious games, too. This is getting really “serious”…

Cross-Cutting Track – Game-Based Learning (Serious Games)

In addition to the core areas of concentration, MODSIM will explore some of the conceptual and technological threads that run between these various disciplines. Our cross cutting secessions will focus on the exciting world of Game-Based Learning (serious games) as it applies to each of the focal tracks. By exploring these topics we will begin opening the door to revolutionary new solutions.

This track embraces the full spectrum of thought from theory and practice, research and experimentation, development, to test and evaluation of game-based learning (GBL) and its application across a variety of disciplines and communities of practice.

Topics of interest include learning theory; comparative research in human and synthetic learning; the application of GBL to the “teaching and learning” of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at all levels; and the technical, social, and logistical challenges associated with implementing GBL.

This track is also a forum for fostering research, information exchange, and for individuals and groups interested in curriculum and professional development, tools and user applications, infrastructure and integration, and assessment and evaluation.

No presentation???

Took a quick look at their contacts: Alicia Sanchez.

 

Book Chapter on Game Modding

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I have finally sent off the book chapter I co-wrote with JaeHwan Byun for the Gibson-Baek’s book.

Book Title: Digital Simulations for Improving Education
Editors: David Gibson & Young Kyun Baek
Chapter 18 - Making Video Game By Modification (Game Modding): Lesson Learned

Apart from the regular “fix this”, “change that”, I am actually very pleased with the reviewers’ feedback:

  • There are very few chapters that I know of that walk a reader through the mod process.  As such, this was not only entertaining, but also informational.

  • …this would be potentially one of the more widely used chapters!

  • …the chapter will be widely used by designers and educators.