Hi Wenshang, I’m always a fan of any topic that has to do with gamification as I entered the MET program with it as my biggest area of interest. As mentioned already by Feras, I was a little confused at first about the title, as it could imply either realistic games or virtual reality games. I thought you started us with a solid foundation of theory about gamification, but I only wish that there was some kind of direct connection with newer research about the educational benefits of VR technology. I also thought that your general tone could have pushed more towards having a clear argument/ push for educational VR games with the elements that you describe at the beginning. Instead of just projecting that they will exist, maybe you could conceptualize one as an example of what you think they should look like in order to be successful? It’s hard when they don’t yet exist, but I think that coming up with your own design would show off your creativity and application of the research you’ve done. Overall, good work putting together a video that showed us your passion.
Hi Wenshang. Thank you for examining the concept of immersive play through VR technology. It is truly a hot potato that is in continuous growth by the day. I noticed that the title reads “The Reality Educational Games”, but I thought you meant virtual reality, but later on I saw the link to “realistic technologies” which made things clear. I agree with you that educational games are usually not as sophisticated or fun as commercial ones. Although learning may take place in multiple subtle ways through immersive play, I am convinced that educational video games are still basic and less engaging for this generation of gamers. The gamification techniques you mentioned (such as rewarding, progressing, unlocking, competition, and multiplayer) may make the educational games more immersive, but I believe graphics and dynamics draw the fine line between those games and the casual ones. I would also add to the solutions you discussed the concept of creating a “gaming culture” or community where gamers feel that they are part of a community that shares the same experience, goals, and challenges. This community of narratives gives the gaming experience another layer of value. Do you think that a collaboration between the prestigious educational institution and giant game producers is one way to produce a video game of immersive depth and educative elements? On a different note, I am not sure why the video shows VR gameplay while your presentation is about games in general. I may have missed the link there. I am glad you mentioned the metaverse in the third step where Zuckerberg mentions the buzzword “realistic presence” as one feature of the digital metaverse. In their article “OP-ED Serious Play,” De Castell and Jenson (2003) state “educational games are primarily non-consensual—students ‘play’ them because they are told to, the rule system is not one that they have agreed to, and so the constraints of the game do not become something to play within, but something to kick against.” Perhaps this is a chief point to consider as well. I am curious to hear your thoughts.
Hi Leo, thanks for this presentation on what is certain to become a huge growth area: learning through augmented game experiences. Using a video format allowed you to deliver relevant text-based content and entertaining complementary visuals while your narration linked everything together by providing context. It’s clear this is an area where you have a keen personal interest and I appreciated your adding your own reflections on the challenges and potential of the technology, especially in the suggested 3-step process. While the principles underlying the pedagogic soundness of more complex educational games were well-supported by the research you presented, I would have liked to have seen more examples, like Prodigy, of what’s currently available in this field and how these principles are applied in practice. Although eye-catching and informative, there were areas where more editing would have improved the final product, for example, I didn’t always see the connection between the content and the visuals. On occasion, you began reading a presented text which then disappeared and I found this a bit jarring as viewers are naturally inclined to start reading along with you only to find themselves cut off. You might consider condensing some of the longer texts into shorter chunks, with just the key information presented, and shortening the narration at those points. In addition, previously used screens of text would occasionally appear and quickly disappear before they could be looked at. Finally, I noticed a spelling mistake in a heading; bloopers happen to us all so make sure to do that final edit. This is just technical fine-tuning though; overall, I enjoyed watching the video and thought it was a useful and informative presentation.
Hello Wenshang,
It is not a secret that commercial companies are pioneers in the video games industry. As educators, we are steps behind those developments and, we don’t have enough resources to lead them, generally speaking. It does not matter if we talk about classic games or VR, AR and Mixed Reality. However, as you mentioned in your video, there are many advantages of using them for education. At this stage, I agree with you that careful design could contribute to creating and popularizing more learning games and ways to integrate them into the curricula seamlessly. Good reflection.
Hi Wenshang, I’m always a fan of any topic that has to do with gamification as I entered the MET program with it as my biggest area of interest. As mentioned already by Feras, I was a little confused at first about the title, as it could imply either realistic games or virtual reality games. I thought you started us with a solid foundation of theory about gamification, but I only wish that there was some kind of direct connection with newer research about the educational benefits of VR technology. I also thought that your general tone could have pushed more towards having a clear argument/ push for educational VR games with the elements that you describe at the beginning. Instead of just projecting that they will exist, maybe you could conceptualize one as an example of what you think they should look like in order to be successful? It’s hard when they don’t yet exist, but I think that coming up with your own design would show off your creativity and application of the research you’ve done. Overall, good work putting together a video that showed us your passion.
Hi Wenshang. Thank you for examining the concept of immersive play through VR technology. It is truly a hot potato that is in continuous growth by the day. I noticed that the title reads “The Reality Educational Games”, but I thought you meant virtual reality, but later on I saw the link to “realistic technologies” which made things clear. I agree with you that educational games are usually not as sophisticated or fun as commercial ones. Although learning may take place in multiple subtle ways through immersive play, I am convinced that educational video games are still basic and less engaging for this generation of gamers. The gamification techniques you mentioned (such as rewarding, progressing, unlocking, competition, and multiplayer) may make the educational games more immersive, but I believe graphics and dynamics draw the fine line between those games and the casual ones. I would also add to the solutions you discussed the concept of creating a “gaming culture” or community where gamers feel that they are part of a community that shares the same experience, goals, and challenges. This community of narratives gives the gaming experience another layer of value. Do you think that a collaboration between the prestigious educational institution and giant game producers is one way to produce a video game of immersive depth and educative elements? On a different note, I am not sure why the video shows VR gameplay while your presentation is about games in general. I may have missed the link there. I am glad you mentioned the metaverse in the third step where Zuckerberg mentions the buzzword “realistic presence” as one feature of the digital metaverse. In their article “OP-ED Serious Play,” De Castell and Jenson (2003) state “educational games are primarily non-consensual—students ‘play’ them because they are told to, the rule system is not one that they have agreed to, and so the constraints of the game do not become something to play within, but something to kick against.” Perhaps this is a chief point to consider as well. I am curious to hear your thoughts.
Hi Leo, thanks for this presentation on what is certain to become a huge growth area: learning through augmented game experiences. Using a video format allowed you to deliver relevant text-based content and entertaining complementary visuals while your narration linked everything together by providing context. It’s clear this is an area where you have a keen personal interest and I appreciated your adding your own reflections on the challenges and potential of the technology, especially in the suggested 3-step process. While the principles underlying the pedagogic soundness of more complex educational games were well-supported by the research you presented, I would have liked to have seen more examples, like Prodigy, of what’s currently available in this field and how these principles are applied in practice. Although eye-catching and informative, there were areas where more editing would have improved the final product, for example, I didn’t always see the connection between the content and the visuals. On occasion, you began reading a presented text which then disappeared and I found this a bit jarring as viewers are naturally inclined to start reading along with you only to find themselves cut off. You might consider condensing some of the longer texts into shorter chunks, with just the key information presented, and shortening the narration at those points. In addition, previously used screens of text would occasionally appear and quickly disappear before they could be looked at. Finally, I noticed a spelling mistake in a heading; bloopers happen to us all so make sure to do that final edit. This is just technical fine-tuning though; overall, I enjoyed watching the video and thought it was a useful and informative presentation.
Hello Wenshang,
It is not a secret that commercial companies are pioneers in the video games industry. As educators, we are steps behind those developments and, we don’t have enough resources to lead them, generally speaking. It does not matter if we talk about classic games or VR, AR and Mixed Reality. However, as you mentioned in your video, there are many advantages of using them for education. At this stage, I agree with you that careful design could contribute to creating and popularizing more learning games and ways to integrate them into the curricula seamlessly. Good reflection.