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Usable Learning

Design for How People Learn

PACT

Blog Posts

Usable Learning Game-related blog posts: https://usablelearning.com/category/games/

Presentation Slides:

[slideshare id=5750187&doc=astd-tcc2010-dirksen-slides-101112000916-phpapp02]

Resources

Game Genres

Action Games An action game requires players to use quick reflexes, accuracy, and timing to overcome obstacles.
  • Space Invaders
  • Super Mario Brothers
  • Console Games
 Brain Games
First Person Shooter Video game genre centered on shooting where the player’s on-screen view of the game world simulates that of the character.
  • Doom
 America’s Army
Action-Adventure Games An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements.
  • Tomb Raider
  • Legend of Zelda
 Thinking Worlds Demo
Adventure Games An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge.
  • King’s Quest
  • Myst
  • The Longest Journey
 Tandem Learning’s Change Game
Role-playing Games Role-playing video games draw their gameplay from traditional role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons. Most cast the player in the role of one or more “adventurers” who specialize in specific skill sets (such as melee combat or casting magic spells) while progressing through a predetermined storyline. Gameplay elements strongly associated with RPGs, such as statistical character development through the acquisition of experience points, have been widely adapted to other genres such as action-adventure games.
  • Final Fantasy
  • Elder Scrolls
 The Power of Research
MMORPGS – Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games MMORPGs feature the usual RPG objectives of completing quests and strengthening one’s player character, but involve up to hundreds of players interacting with each other on the same persistent world in real-time.
  • World of Warcraft
Sims Construction and management simulation games (or CMSs) are a type of simulation game which task players to build, expand or manage fictional communities or projects with limited resources. Other types of sims include life sims and social sims.
  • Sim City
  • The Sims
 Simulations
Strategy games Strategy video games focus on gameplay requiring careful and skillful thinking and planning in order to achieve victory. These can be turn based or real-time.
  • Civilization
 Spent
ARGs – Alternate Reality Games An alternate reality game (ARG) is an interactive narrative that uses the real world as a platform, often involving multiple media and game elements, to tell a story that may be affected by participants’ ideas or actions.
  • The LOST experience
Casual Games A casual game is a video game targeted at or used by a mass audience of casual gamers. Casual games can have any type of gameplay, and fit in any genre. They are typically distinguished by their simple rules and lack of commitment required in contrast to more complex hardcore games.[1] They require no long-term time commitment or special skills to play, and there are comparatively low production and distribution costs for the producer.
  • Tetris
  • Bejeweled
  • Diner Dash
  • Angry Birds
 Celebrity Calamity
Social Games Social Casual Games are browser based casual games that have social network integration or elements. Social casual games evolved somewhat independently from two sources: Casual games which added social network integration and social networks which added casual game support. A social casual game may or may not have a multiplayer aspect to it.
  • Farmville

Books Referenced:

  • Electronic Performance Support System  by Gloria Gery
  • Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (A reasonable Wikipedia explanation can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology) )
  • What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy by James Paul Gee
  • The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt
Game Articles:
General Articles
Egghead stuff
Tools:
A few other things I mentioned or should have:
Meaningful Play – Getting Gamification Right
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZGCPap7GkY]
and
Designing Games for the “43-year old woman”
[slideshare id=7265365&doc=christrottierdesigndesigningforthe-110314201424-phpapp01]