Games Based Learning MOOC

Choose an MMORPG, Console game or other and provide us a description of your first expedition into the game. Did you use a rubric? Does this game warrant further reconnaissance?

Please add screenshots to the Games Based MOOC flickr group.


You could choose from

MMORPG

World of Warcraft
Club Penguin
Runescape
EVEOnline
TERAOnline
SWOTR

Console

Portal
Skyrim
Portal
Assassin's Creed

Other?

Excluding small java and flash games, I have only used COTS in class. I actually use a Kinect in my classes.

Maths allowed data collection from any number of games, even the Kinect adventures. As well as dealing with fractions, angles, etc.
Science allows me to deal with Projectile motion by analsing the games they played.

Still toying with the idea of portal, so will be good to see someone else's view here after discussion.

Consoles (Incl. Kinect) have the potential to create a classroom based story telling lesson. rather than in place of the MMO's the collaboration comes from students directly and not from avatars in virtual worlds. But other questions are asked. i.e. Is it a real collaboration if only some students are playing at any given time? Would be interesting to see what others think.

Oh great I guess I will have to do club penguin and assassin's creed too! "So many games so little time." I am reminded of that old saying to the effect that I would like to sell time in a bottle and I would also be my biggest customer.

I am still messing around with Runescape (I wonder what I can use to record my bumbling around so I can post it online later). The game that I am going to talk about is Assassin's Creed on the Xbox.

Game Navigation: Basic game navigation was easy! I was able to get up and running without any issues. Some more "advanced" movements (like blending into a crown) I learned through on-screen prompts. But basic movement was easy and it leveraged my own previous knowledge of 3D space games.

Game Play: Game play was pretty smooth! No glitches or issues

Graphics: LOVED the graphics. Granted the original AC now seems like an antiquated game by comparison, however when I first got it, I was like a tourist! Sure, I did the missions, but I walked around like a star struck tourist looking at all the buildings, the surroundings and the people. This leads me to...

Degree of Immersion: Assassin's creed was totally immersive. This may also have to do with it being my first xbox game, so everything was new to me then, but I really felt as part of Al-taïr's world. At the end of each AC I couldn't wait for the next one! (Next one comes out in October, woohoo!)

CYTIE index: Pretty high! On weekends (when I usually play) I generally stayed up to 2 or 3 in the morning playing this game; and even though I did not want to go to bed, I did so anyway (so I wouldn't be a zombie next day)

Complexity: The complexity was rather low in that it had clearly defined rules that blended nicely with the story of the game.


Added benefit in subsequent games: tie-in to historical facts and artefacts!