Games+Learning+Society 12 Conference

Designing Scientific Argumentation into the Mission HydroSci
Griffin, Kim, Sigoloff , Sadler, Laffey, Babiuch, Speck

This paper provides an introduction to the argumentation system being developed as part of the Mission HydroSci (MHS) learning game. We will report results from the early stages of development over three iterative phases of design work. The results of these phases suggest progress toward richer argumentation scenarios, which support scientific learning and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). We will describe how the system supports richer argumentation interactions in three specific ways: 1) dynamic evidence collected by the player in problem-based simulation experiences, 2) complex argument generation, and 3) an intelligent assessment system, which allows for specific player feedback. We will discuss our design progression and how these game mechanics evolved as well as provide implications for supporting argumentation development in learning games.

Implementing Evolution in Video Games
Robison, Soule, Mirabzadeh, Streett, Wood

Instruction of evolutionary biology at the state and national K-12 level is fraught with challenges. We are therefore developing video games that feature explicit models of biological evolution. Our premise is that adding biological evolution to video games makes the games better for the game player and facilitates player comprehension of complex concepts that are hard to teach. By integrating principles of evolutionary biology, we argue that video games can be made more compelling. In this paper, we describe two simple video games in which generations of enemies undergo adaptation through natural selection. The enemies with the traits that best counter the player’s strategies survive to reproduce, and their offspring feature prominently in the next generation (analogous to a game level or wave). In both cases, we demonstrate significant phenotypic evolution of enemy populations over time scales that are amenable to game play.

An Astronomy Education Game for Facebook: Learning From Those Games You Love to Hate
Harold, Haley-Goldman & Hines

With support from NSF and NASA, we have developed a stellar and planetary evolution game for Facebook. The game uses the “sporadic play” model of games such as Farmville, where players may only take actions a few times a day, but may continue playing for months. This framework is an excellent fit for teaching about the evolution of stars and planets: systems evolve in scaled real time (a million years to the minute), so that massive stars supernova within minutes, while stars like our sun live for weeks. The game has now been live for over a year, and has attracted over 20,000 players. Using a mix of data and evaluation strategies, we discuss play duration and retention; player demographics; and content gains. We close with a summary of our current opinions on the perils and promise of developing educational games using this platform and game framework.