Fun, Play and Games: What Makes Games Engaging by Marc Prensky (2001)

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Fun, Play and Games What Makes Games Engaging by
Marc Prensky (2001)

• Facilitated by Kristen Elmer

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WHO IS MARC PRENSKY?

• Marc Prensky is an internationally acclaimed
  speaker, writer, consultant, and designer in the
  critical areas of education and learning. He is
  the author of Digital Game-Based Learning
  (McGraw-Hill, 2001),and Don't Bother Me Mom --
  I'm Learning (Paragon House 2005), the founder
  and CEO of Games2train (whose clients include
  IBM, Nokia, Pfizer, the US Department of Defense
  and the LA and Florida Virtual Schools) and
  creator of the sites www.dodgamecommunity.com and
  www.socialimpactgames.com .
• Marc has created over 50 software games for
  learning, including the world's first fast-action
  videogame-based training tools and world-wide,
  multi-player, multi-team on-line competitions. He
  has also taught at all levels. Marc has been
  featured in articles in The New York Times and
  The Wall Street Journal, has appeared on CNN,
  MSNBC, PBS, and the BBC, and was named as one of
  training's top 10 "visionaries" by Training
  magazine. He holds graduate degrees from Yale
  (Teaching) and Harvard (MBA).  (http//www.marcpre
  nsky.com/)

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Computer and videogames are potentially the most
engaging pastime in the history of mankind
(Prensky, 2001)

• Games are
• Fun, giving us enjoyment
• Play, giving us intense involvement
• Rules, giving us structure
• Goals, giving us motivation
• Interactive, giving us doing
• Adaptive, giving us flow
• Outcomes and Feedback, giving us learning
• Win States, giving us ego gratification
• Conflict/Competition/Challenge/Opposition, giving
  us adrenaline
• Problem-Solving, sparking creativity
• Interaction, giving us social groups
• Representation and Story, giving us emotion

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Fun The Great Motivator

• People rarely succeed unless they have fun in
  what they are doing Dale Carnegie
• What is fun?
• Amusement, something amusing, mockery
• Make fun of somebody or something, poke fun at
  somebody or something
• A cheat or trick a hoax, a practical joke
• To make fun of, or poke fun to ridicule
• On one hand fun is amusement, but on the other
• hand it is ridicule, or cheat or trick, or even
  sexual
• (Prensky, 2001, p. 3).

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Fun Continued

• Fun in a positive sense is not passive, and can
  include a real exertion, as in sports or other
  competitions
• HARD FUN
• The word fun cannot mean enjoyment, pleasure,
  amusement and ridicule.
• This is seen in the resistance by business people
  and educators to new learning approaches based on
  the connection to fun.
• Training and Learning can be related to the
  opposite of fun, pain.
• No pain, no gain!
• (Prensky, 2001, p. 4)
• Question to think about How do you define fun?
  What do you associate with the word fun? How
  often is training/learning viewed as positive fun
  (enjoyment and pleasure) or negative fun
  (painful).
• Think about any of your current training or
  learning experiences.

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Fun and Learning

• People with the notion that learning cannot and
  should not be fun are clearly in an archaic mode
  Mark Bieler
• What is the relationship between fun and
  learning?
• Fun helps to create relaxation and motivation in
  the learning process. Relaxation allows the
  learner to take things in more easily, and
  motivation allows them to put forth effort
  without resentment.

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Play The Universal Teacher

• Play is our brains favorite way of learning
  things Diane Ackerman
• What is PLAY?
• Play is something one chooses to do
• Play is intensely and utterly absorbing
• Play promotes the formation of social groupings
• (Prensky, 2001, p. 6)

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Play and Learning

• Play is the original way of learning things-
  Danny Hillis
• How does play influence learning?
• Play has a deep biological, evolutionary
  important, function, which has to do specifically
  with learning (Prensky, 2001, p. 6).
• Play is one of the cultural universals,
  something every single culture does (Prensky,
  2001, p. 6).

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Play and Work

• Great adults are driven to play too-Danny
  Hillis
• People often separate their career or work from
  play.
• Scientists or artists consider their work to be
  so creative and fun that it can be seen as play.
• The best trainers and teachers try to make
  learning fun and playful.
• The Media Lab at MIT has a research division that
  investigates play and learning called the
  epistemology and learning group the group
  focuses
• mostly on childrens learning, but many of their
  play oriented constructivist
• ideas are being extended to adults though
  computer games such as Roller
• Coaster Tycoon (Prensky, 2001, p.9).
• In an important paper when play is productive
  by Starbuck and Webster, play is defined as
  having 2 common elements. Playful activities
  elicit involvement and give pleasure (Prensky,
  2001, p. 9).
• Question Is it possible to play at work and
  still be productive?
• What limitations/barriers can cause people to
  feel like they cant
• play at work?

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Epistemic Games Research Group

• Epistemic games are computer games that can help
  players learn to think like engineers, urban
  planners, journalists, architects and other
  innovative professionals
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vhKyzsEytkQc

• not just at set of technologies that were going
  to set out into the world, what we are designing
  is experiences-learning experiences for kids
• Question What do you think about this learning
  environment? Have you seen anything like this
  before?

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Games Adding the Structure

• One of the most difficult tasks men can
  performis the invention of good games-Carl Jung
• Game is a word of many meanings and implications
• Games are a subset of both play and fun.
• Games can be negatively defined as mocking or
  jesting, illegal and shady activity or positively
  defined as fun and games.
• Games involve rules, contest, rivalry and
• struggle.

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What makes a Game a Game?

• 6 Structural Factors in a Game
• Rules
• Goals and Objectives
• Outcomes Feedback
• Conflict/Competition/Challenge/Opposition
• Interaction
• Representation or Story

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Rules

• Rules differentiate games from other kinds of
  play
• Organized play (in other words, rule-based)
• Rules impose limits, forcing us to take a
  specific path to reach goals and ensure that all
  players take the same path
• Rules make things both fair and exciting
• Rules become more important as we get older
• In computer games, rules are built in the game
• Metagaming is a term that computer game
  designers use to describe not playing by the
  rules, but manipulating the rules and
  circumstances surrounding the game of your
  advantage.
• Magic, The Gathering card game was designed with
  the concept of metagaming.
• http//www.wizards.com/magic/TCG/newtomagic.aspx?x
  mtg/tcg/newtomagic/learntoplay

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Goals or Objectives

• Goals differentiate games from other types of
  play, as well as from other non-goal-oriented
  games (Prensky, 2001, p. 12).
• In a game, reaching your goals plays a big role
  in motivating you.
• The goals are often cited in the rules

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Outcomes and Feedback

• Refers to how you measure your progress against
  the goals.
• Feedback lets us know how we are doing in the
  game.
• Feedback can come in the form of a score or other
  ways.
• Through feedback we learn how the game works, how
  to succeed, how to get to the next level and win.
  
• Too much or too little feedback, can lead to the
  player becoming frustrated
• (Prensky, 2001, p. 13)

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Conflict/Competition/Challenge/Opposition

• Refers to the problems in a game you are trying
  to solve.
• It is important to keep the level of challenge or
  opposition in tune with the players skill level,
  which is called balancing the game.
• Even cooperative games involve some kind of
  conflict or problem for the team to solve.
• (Prensky, 2001, p. 14)

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Interaction

• Refers to 2 aspects
• The Interaction of the Computer and the Player
  (Feedback)
• The Inherently Social Aspect of Games
• Play promotes the formation of social groupings
• Computer games are actually bringing people into
  a closer social interaction, although its not
  face to face.
• (Prensky, 2001, p. 15)

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Representation

• Refers to the game being about something for
  example, chess is about conflict.
• Representation also includes the element of
  fantasy
• (Prensky, 2001, p. 15)

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What is Flow?

• Mental State of intense concentration
• Difficult tasks become easy
• Whatever you are doing becomes enormously
  pleasurable
• In the flow state the challenges presented and
  your ability to solve them are almost perfectly
  matched, and you often accomplish things that you
  didnt think you could, along with a great deal
  of pleasure (Prensky, 2001)
• Question Can you think of a time where you have
  experienced this state of flow? Have video games
  or computer games ever evoked this?

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Other types of Interactivity besides Games

• Toys
• Interactions that have neither goals nor
  objectives
• Played with, explored
• Open-ended
• Stories or Narratives
• Another possible type of computer interaction
• Example is the Living Books Series for Children
  
• Narratives are engaging because they stimulate
  our emotions
• Tools
• Interactive programs that are used to make other
  things (word processor or spreadsheet)
• Tools can be included in games either as an
  integral part of the game play or as supplements.
  

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Digital Games

• Games and computers are one of the greatest
  marriages out there- Eric Goldberg
• Why do people prefer to play digital games?
• they take care of the boring stuff (rules,
  details)
• Typically faster and more responsive
• Funs things that digital games can do that other
  games cannot
• Capable of more, better and far more varied
  graphics
• Can be played with others and against the
  computer
• The whole world is available as potential players
  
• Can generate and allow huge numbers of options
  and scenarios
• Can deal with infinite amounts of content
• Can play at differing levels of challenge
• Can be updated instantly
• Can be customized to and by the desires of each
  player
• Can be modified and added to, making the player
  part of a creative team
• Question Would you prefer a digital game over a
  traditional board game? Are there any advantages
  to playing non-computerized games?

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Game Taxonomy- Categories of Games

• Circa (2000) computer games fall into 8 genres
• Action Games (Super Mario, Sonic, PacMan, Missle
  Command, Doom, Quake, Duke Nukem, Half-Life)
• Adventure Games (Zork, Myst, Riven, Zelda, the
  Ocarina of Time)
• Fighting Games (Mortal Kombat, Virtua Fighter)
• Puzzle Games (Tetris, Devil Dice)
• Role Playing Games (Ultima, EverQuest)
• Simulation Games (Sim City, The Sims)
• Sports Games
• Strategy Games (Civilization, Roller Coaster
• Tycoon)
• Which genre do you prefer? It can be
• Challenging to try a game you may not
• think your good atyou may surprise
• yourself!

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Computer Game Design

• Game designers have a better take on the nature
  of learning than curriculum designers- Seymour
  Papert
• Game Designers are
• Not just nerds with ponytails and t-shirts
• They are the most talented and creative people of
  our generation!
• Are often unknowns

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The Principles of a Good Game Design

• Computer-based training designers could learn a
  lot from the people who build computer games-
  Bob Filipczak
• 6 Elements found in every successful game
  throughout history
• Balanced
• Creative
• Focused
• Character
• Tension
• Energy

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Other Important Digital Game Design Elements

• Processes used to create good games include
• A Clear Overall Vision
• A Constant Focus on the Player Experience
• A Strong Structure
• Highly adaptive
• Easy to learn, hard to master
• Stays within the flow state
• Provides frequent rewards, not penalties
• Includes Exploration and Discovery
• Provides mutual assistance thing helps solve
  another
• Has an interface that is very useful
• Includes the ability to save progress

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Eye Candy vs. Game Play

• The distinction between the way a game plays and
  how it looks
• Games gradually become more and more graphically
  detailed
• Some games dont have complicated graphics, but
  they have a good rule structure (they are
  considered classic games, Tetris)

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Digital Game Preferences Culture and Individuals

• Some people are very specific in the types of
  games that they like, while others like more of a
  variety.
• Games are extremely age and culture specific.
• We often gravitate to the games we learned at an
  impressionable age.
• Knowing as much as possible about your intended
  audience is crucial to successful game design.
• (Prensky, 2001, p. 26).

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Digital Games and Age

• Adults and Games
• Adults sometimes shy away from learning new games
• Involves too much effort and practice
• Embarrassed to not be good at something
• Old hand-held games from the 70s are being sold
  for (Frogger and Ms PacMan)
• http//www.freefrogger.org/welcome.html
• http//www.pacmangame.info/ms_pacman.html
• Age is no barrier to learning and playing
  computer games
• When one realizes what a particular game is about
  there is a big aha
• Question What has been stopping you from trying
  a new game? Have you ever experienced a aha
  moment? What made you want to learn a new game or
  try something new on the computer?

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Digital Games and Violence

• Theres so much comedy on television. Does that
  cause comedy in the street?- Dick Cavett
• There are violent games, but games in of
  themselves are not violent
• The vast majority of digital games are not
  violent at all, including the best sellers (Sim
  City, The Sims, Roller Coaster Tycoon, Tetris,
  Myst and Riven)
• Action/fighting games are only one of the 8
  genres of video and computer games

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Digital Games and Gender

• There has been a huge rise in the number of
  computer games designed for girls.
• There are more girls that are interested in
  computer games than there were in the 80s.
• There are lots of girls who like fighting and
  role playing adventure games.
• It is generally accepted that there is more women
  playing computer games, the dispute is how much
  are they playing and how fast.
• (Prensky, 2001, p. 29)

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The Language of Digital Games

• Every medium of communication has its own
  language
• There are sometimes shortcuts that we have to
  learn for a certain medium
• There is also a language or rhetoric of
  computer games
• Digital Game Players Know
• You build things by clicking on an icon and
  dragging it to where you want it to go.
• You move people by selecting them and clicking
  them to where you want them to go.
• There are hidden combinations of keys that do
  interesting things.
• There are hidden surprises commonly known as
  Easter Eggs for you to find.
• There is almost always more then one way to do
  something.
• You may have to try something many times before
  it works.
• You can look up cheat codes on the internet.
• Games can always be saved and reloaded later.

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Final Thoughts from Marc Prensky

• Barriers, Barriers, Barriers
• What needs to be done?
• Moving the Curriculum into the 21st Century!
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vhmoVs4GYXUY

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References

• Prensky, M. (2001). Fun, Play and Games What
  Makes Games Engaging. Digital Game-Based
  Learning. Retrieved May 4, 2009, from
  http//tinyurl.com/6l3amq