No way! Darth Vader cannot be Luke’s father?

At Caspian Learning we utilise the element of surprise as one of the five key design filters we apply to initial serious games storyboards. Partly, this is to craft a more engaging experience for the learner; one that will increase learner attention levels and replayability. This is important, but can be seen as an ‘indirect’ driver of learning performance. More importantly, we consciously design game mechanics that surprise the learner as a direct method to improve learning performance.

There are very good reasons for doing this. A number of experiments have shown that comprehension of text can be improved by including surprising events in the narrative (Campion et al, 2009). Why does the element of surprise have this effect?

It appears that when we are engaged in a scenario we construct a situation model through which we seek to understand and act. For example, the relationships between individuals, what objectives and roles individuals have and how this may change. This situation model is updated as we work through the scenario.

However, as humans we are strongly wedded to our points of view. We will look for information that confirms our view of the world. When we receive information that does not fit with our situation model, we may often choose to ignore it, or even use it to polarize our view. This has been shown in experiments featuring individuals holding extreme political views on the left or right of the spectrum.

When we encounter a surprise in a scenario it grabs our attention and forces us to question the situation model that we have formed. In performing this action, the leaner must go beyond surface learning activities. Instead they must engage in deeper learning processes to compare, contrast and synthesize information presented with this event (Graesser et al, 2009).

For a surprising event to be able to compel the learner to reflect upon their model it needs to have certain properties:

• It should be relevant. So, Homer Simpson dancing in the middle of a financial consulting training experience would qualify as a surprise, but not particularly relevant to the learning
• It needs to be distinctive and not what the student expected at that point in time
• It must provide information that contrasts with the persons situation model
• Ideally, it should also raise the student’s emotional interest

A Surprising Event! Challenges our situational model, creates uncertainty, requires us to think and is emotional

How should this be utilized in Serious Games design? This question is the focus of a recent study by Erik Van der Spek published in the British Journal of Educational Technology. Erik and his colleagues at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands used a mod of the game Half Life 2: Episode Two to create a training scenario in which students undertake the role of a medical first responder.

In the training scenario a terrorist attack has been perpetrated in a subway platform resulting in a mass casualty incident; the player must approach victims and should roughly perform checks to diagnose the patient’s condition and the level of care that they require.

Screenshots from ‘Code Red Triage’ – copyright Erik van der Spek

In an ingenious design, Erik and colleagues inserted surprising events into the games for some players and then measured the impact on learning performance and engagement levels. In designing these events, the researchers identified key moments in which new information to some extent contrasted the previous notions of the player. In total they designed three different surprising events. Players that were selected for the surprising event manipulation would only get to experience one of the three surprising event versions.

Screenshots from ‘Code Red Triage’ showing the user interface for players when interacting with victims of the attack – copyright Erik van der Spek

“the 13th victim in the game is standing upright, with its back turned toward the player. The moment the player approached the victim, the cut scene started. Here, the camera starts shaking and a rumbling sound is played. A large piece of ceiling debris came crumbling down and fell on the victim’s head, which produced a startled scream before collapsing to the ground”

This intervention I think ticks the boxes of relevance, distinctiveness, uncertain information and emotion. The surprising event in this case changes the actions that the user should undertake and compels them to rethink their approach.

The results of the experiment demonstrated that well designed surprising events improved learning outcomes. The study recorded scores within the game scenario and also gave the students a post game structural knowledge assessment. The study shows that introducing small surprising events in a serious game leads to improved deep comprehension of the instructional material. The surprising events were shown to significantly improve mental model construction as evidenced by the structural knowledge assessment.

This also did not have an adverse effect on engagement. Players indicated a similar level of engagement and higher levels of perceived ‘presence’ in the surprising events condition.

Controlled studies of Serious Games are relatively rare in the literature. Erik Van der Spek has broken new ground in seeking to identify specific mechanics and methods that can be used in Serious Games to improve learning performance. I recommend that you read Erik’s PhD thesis that can be found here:
http://igitur-archive.library.uu.nl/dissertations/2011-1005-200312/UUindex.html

For those of us designing and implementing Serious Games and Immersive Simulations then surprise and plot twist are elements that we must include in our design tool box.

This is set to increase significantly over the next eighteen months. in the UK MOD, the Niteworks organisation is corralling interested parties, identifying requirements and knowledge sharing that is being delivered as the MOD Handheld Devices strategy. My recent dealings with DOD, Dutch, Canadian and NATO forces indicates that mobile is almost ready to move from the phase of ‘excited experimentation’ to hard headed delivery with clear mobile requirements and measured outcomes. Given the speed of movement so far, how long until this is mainstream and business as usual. From what I am seeing, this cycle will be shorter than others.

Here is a presentation I gave to UK MOD describing some lessons from current case studies:

A summary is here:
Gamification is all about applying game elements (the ‘DNA’ of games) to non-game activities. It’s about making ‘normal’, day-to-day activities more compelling. Gamification leverages ‘game mechanics’ such as points, levels, badges and achievements to create engagement and interest.

Simulations are real and immersive games which offer an experiential educational experience. Simulations place people in a risk free environment which supports their engagement in an authentic experience which contextually demonstrates benefits and consequences.
Serious games use traditional gamecraft techniques (for example video game technology, Kinect, strategy) around serious concepts such as business, education, environmental or social issues.

In practice most serious games will based upon and use simulation as the dominant method of learning transfer. There may be a handful that are not, such as a Tetris like game that may improve visual search skills that may be transferred into performance on other tasks like air traffic control or bank trading screens. But in most serious games the student will practice the task / content of the domain.

If you are interested, I have a presentation on simulation/game distinction here http://slidesha.re/gkPkXF

What terms we use to describe them may change depending upon who we are talking to. It’s funny, for corporate clients they prefer the term simulation even though many implementations include a lot of game mechanics. In the military, the term simulation refers to realistic models of behaviour only and they are happy with the game based learning term.

Happy

Part of blame for this mayhem has been levelled at a new biometric technology solution -the IRIS recognition immigration system. The system has been bedevilled by technical problems, however this is not entirely to blame. In many cases it has been found that staff did not in fact know how to use the system. Training was either not given, or when given, was not effective.

Lucy Moreton of the Immigration Service Union, told the Bureau that staff training in the scanner manual control had ‘fallen foul of the cuts’.

An immersive training application would have helped in this situation. Providing realistic scenarios in which recruits could practice routines, make mistakes and receive diagnostic feedback. In fact, just like an application Caspian Learning developed for the European Border Control agency. They had exactly the same problem – a complex technology implementation and a big training requirement. Immersive training scenarios enabled recruits to train when and where they liked, as many times as they needed. There is no limit to the variation of scenarios that they can be trained on.

Check out a short slice of the application here. Happy travelling!

Thinking Worlds is a powerful, rapid game creation tool. But do you know how to use it?

Last month we contacted some of our more experienced users to find out what problems they had encountered whilst creating sims or games with Thinking Worlds.

What do you think was one of the most common problems?

I can tell you.

It was that there was NO instruction manual.

This was a source of frustration for many of our users and since then, I’ve been working on a way we can try and reduce this frustrating experience and turn it into a positive one.

Although I was unable to write a manual, I have managed to find a huge collection of training material that will help you start creating your first real game.

I’ve wrapped it all up nicely in an easy to follow guide for you.

Click the link below to see for yourself.

Follow the Lessons Here to Create Your Own Quality Simulation or Game

In the meantime, we’ve put together this Thinking Worlds getting started guide which will help you find your feet.

• Introduction – What is Thinking Worlds?
• Video Tutorials
• Written Tutorials
• Support Forum

Introduction – What is Thinking Worlds?

This short video will give you an overview of how the software works and what you can do with it without needing to know a programming language.

Video Tutorials

• Introduction to Thinking Worlds
• Downloading & Importing Example Journeys
• Step-by-Step Educational Game Tutorial
• Additional Training Modules

Written Tutorials

• A Selection of Getting Started Tutorials

Follow these step-by-step instructions to create your very own game.

• Lesson One
• Lesson Two
• Lesson Three
• Lesson Four
• Lesson Five
• Lesson Six

Play the Finished Game

This is a question constantly asked by companies, designers and educators that are interested in building a 3D immersive simulation. At Caspian Learning, we have developed and deployed over 80 simulation applications for military, corporate and education clients across the world. We have gained a lot of insight into this question through this experience.

When we begin to answer this question, we must first ask what type of simulation experience is being developed:

• Performance Simulation
• Constructive Simulation
• Branching Story
• Vignette – mini sim
• Communication Challenge

Within each of these different types of simulation experience, the exact development time will vary according to complexity of requirement: the level of 2d & 3D bespoke artwork to develop; detailed performance diagnostics; custom database work to capture performance; and complexity of the scenario design (number of ‘nodes’ in the tree). That withstanding, there are some guidelines for development timeframes within these simulation categories.

Performance Simulation

A 3D simulation of a situation or scenario in which the learner must perform behaviours congruent to their real life application.

The simulation provides the opportunity for:

• Safe failure
• Personal relevance
• Consequences
• Practice
• Real time feedback
• Measured improvement

The player controls the avatar, and performs actions within the 3D world to influence events and to achieve learning goals.

The high level of user control over movement, navigation and interaction, coupled with the personal viewpoint perspective engenders high levels of presence “a feeling of being there” in the situation depicted in the world.

Estimate: 270 – 350 man hours per hour of learning

Branching Story

An unfolding sequence of animated scenes within a story or event. The user is able to influence and even determine the flow of the story by making choices and decisions at different points.

At these points the flow of the story will follow different branches.

Estimate: 280 – 330 man hours per hour of learning

Constructive Simulations

Construction and Management Simulations are games about processes and strategy.
A player must build, expand or manage an entity or project with limited resources. The game provides an interface that enables the player to manipulate and change values and properties within the simulation – for example, to change the level of funding for a public department within an economy simulation.

Estimate: 270 – 350 man hours per hour of learning

Vignettes – Mini Sim

A shortened performance simulation focused on a specific task, behavioural activity or situation. This experience will last between 20 and 30 minutes for the learner and targets very specific behaviour change in the learner – checking for IED‟s in Afghanistan, assembling water filtration units in high risk environments, performing sales closes in an automotive scenario, reacting to over estimating cognitive biases on a trading floor, shift start procedures in a hotel kitchen, etc.

Estimate: 100 – 140 man hours of learning

Communication Challenge

These simulations will typically target attitude change as an objective, be it for business change, marketing messages or entertainment. They range in formats and design, including full mini games. They are typically of short duration – 5 minutes to 25 minutes for the user.

Estimate: 30 – 100 man hours of learning

Immersive Simulation Improves Learning