Changing Games: Applying the Power of “Games for Change” in Ethics Education

1. Changing Games: Applying the Power of “Games for Change” in Ethics Education Rudy McDaniel, Stephen M. Fiore, and Nancy Stanlick UCF Summer Faculty Development Conference May 6, 2009

2. Outline • Part I: Why Game are Interesting Possibilities for Teaching Ethics – Nancy Stanlick • Part II: Cognitive Issues with Games for Change – Steve Fiore • Part III: Year II Project Update – Rudy McDaniel • Comments / Q&A

3. Part I: Ethical Games, Gaming Ethics, and Teaching Ethics with Games Nancy Stanlick Department of Philosophy

4. Ethical Games or Gaming Ethics? • First Person Shooters • COD World at War – indiscriminate killing • Brothers in Arms, Hell’s Highway – slow motion head shots • “Cheats” and “Hints” • Mirroring Society or Creating It?

5. Some Theories • Virtue Ethics - character • Utility - happiness • Deontology - duty • Ethical Egoism – self-interest • Contractarianism - agreement

6. Teaching Ethics • Theories, Principles, and Silly Examples • Trolley Problems • Fat Men in Cave Openings • Lifeboats • Practicality, “real life,” and Doing Ethics • Pragmatism – the point of philosophy is to change the world • Immersion, relevance • Decisions, their meaning and consequences

7. Part II: Cognitive Issues with Games for Change Stephen M. Fiore, Ph.D. Department of Philosophy Institute for Simulation and Training

8. Video Games and Learning • “[Video Games are] destined to revolutionize our educational system and in a few years they will supplant largely, if not entirely, the use of textbooks.” • “Scholars will soon be instructed through the eye. It is possible to touch every branch of human knowledge with [video games]” • [Video Games] will be as common in the classroom as the blackboard…The dominant aim of education by [games] is to bring the world to the classroom.” • “[Video Games are] promoted as a way of providing a richer education at less cost than was possible by conventional methods of instruction.”

9. Video Games and Learning Thomas Alva Edison • “The motion picture is destined to revolutionize our educational system and in a few years it will supplant largely, if not entirely, the use of textbooks.” • “Scholars will soon be instructed through the eye. It is possible to touch every branch of human knowledge with the motion picture.” William Levenson and Benjamin Darrow, Ohio School of the Air • A radio receiverwill be as common in the classroom as the blackboard…The dominant aim of education by the radio is to bring the world to the classroom.” • “Televisionwas promoted as a way of providing a richer education at less cost than was possible by conventional methods of instruction.” Cuban, L. (1986). Teachers and Machines: The Classroom use of Technology Since 1920.

10. Technology Enhanced Learning Efficiency Time Video Games and Learning Where are the tremendous increases in learning? • Problem has been too much emphasis on the technology and not enough on the science involved in understanding its implications

11. Paradigm Problem Video Games research exemplifies tension that exists between the basic and applied research dichotomy • On the one hand, some believe games are merely new technology • Thus, “pure applied research” is all that is needed for gains in learning efficacy • On the other hand, some believe to truly understand learning processes • Only “pure basic research” can disentangle the multitude of fundamental issues surrounding learning with games

12. Addressing the Paradigm Problem • Appropriate research efforts in video games technology can be characterized under the rubric of “use-inspired basic research.” • Take a theoretically driven perspective, but, simultaneously consider eventual use of knowledge -- learning technology. • Explore fundamental issues in learning, but, within the context of games-based research. • Follow a learner-centered approach (Mayer, 2001). • focus on the way that the learner constructs knowledge and how it is that technology can aid knowledge construction

13. Theoretical Issues driving our research: Interested in the efficacy of story as a vehicle for learning Interested in understanding the metacognitive processes engaged by learners interacting with game Theoretical and Practical Issues of Games Based Learning • Interested in what individual differences might moderate this effect

14. Practical Issues guiding our research: Increase in instructorless learning environments Metacognition and individual differences becomes increasingly important Developing innovative tools for learning in the humanities Much of the emphasis on the part of the federal government is on STEM with little funding supporting research and development for the humanities. Theoretical and Practical Issues of Games Based Learning • Games supposed to be more enjoyable and thus, more motivating • Does “enjoyment” of the learning experience interact with any factors?

15. Linking Theoretical and Practical Issues Motivating Games • How might learning based games stimulate motivation to learn? • May enhance curiosity on content • Provide challenges along side fantasy elements • Players have sense of control • Does a strong narrative support cognitive processing while stimulating motivation? • Well-crafted story structure leads to positive affect and eases comprehension • Story captures the evocative and the social and the cognitive complexities of particular content

16. Video Games and Narrative • Video games utilize narrative in a variety of ways: • Rouse • out-of-game (cut-scenes), • in-game (dialog, text, game setting, NPC behaviors) • external materials (manuals, packaged materials) • Jenkins • evocative spaces (draw upon existing narrative competencies – linear story lines) • enacting stories (result from player movement - broadly defined goals and localized incidents) • emergent narratives (players define goals and create own stories)

17. Develop Game Mod in collaboration with local collector of African American artifacts Context chosen was Underground Railroad Learning African American History Historically embed pieces of collection Game Mod Role-playing game – learner plays the role of a runaway slave Manipulate presence/absence and nature of story Prior research on Video Games and Narrative (McDaniel and Fiore) • Learning Content • Elements of 19th Century History • Components of underground railroad • Plantation and Overseer • Safe-house and Conductors • Passwords and Trust • Laws of the Time • Florida Sunshine State Standards • Content linked to FSSS Safe house

18. STUDY TWO – Elementary School Students and Underground Railroad Results – Learning historical facts embedded in the game • Boys significantly benefited in learning facts when story present • No difference for girls in learning when story present/absent 0.75 0.7 0.65 0.6 0.55 Percent Correct Historical Facts Male 0.5 Female 0.45 0.4 0.35 0.3 0.25 Game with Story Element Game without Story Element Game Condition

19. Results – Combinatory metric looking at judgments of learning with actual learning – assesses biases in judgments (over or under-confidence) • Marginally significant interaction between gender and learning condition • Presence of story generally made predictions more accurate • Without story, boys more over-confident and girls more under-confident • Boys actual performance was worse than they expected and girls actual performance was better than they expected 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 Metacognitive Accuracy Male 0 Female -0.1 -0.2 -0.3 -0.4 Game with Story Element Game without Story Element Game Condition

20. Next Steps – Ethics Game • Ethics-relevant learning objectives integrated into game • Story/narrative content • Game/learning activities • Identify most relevant evaluation of learning • Examine role of: • Story in learning • Enjoyment in learning • Metacognitive processes and individual differences on each

21. Rudy McDaniel, Ph.D., Department of Digital Media Part III: Year TWO UPDATES: An Ethics Game for change

28. Initial Project Goal • Build a video game to teach players about ethics at a deeper level. • What does this mean? • Is this even possible? • How do you assess such a game? • How do you distribute such a game?

29. Internal Partnerships • Office of Information Fluency • Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning • College of Arts and Humanities • Center for Humanities and Digital Research • Department of Digital Media • Honors College • Institute for Simulation and Training • Department of Philosophy

30. Selected Publications and Presentations • Fiore, S.M., Wirth, J., McDaniel, R., & Stanlick, N. (2008). Somatics and simulation: Bridging the body and the brain to understand ethics education. Paper presented at the Bodies in Motion: Explorations in Perception and Performance conference in Boca Raton, FL. December 5, 2008. • McDaniel, R., Fiore, S.M., & Stanlick, N. (2008). Using game-based technologies for teaching ethics. Paper presented at the 8th International Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT) conference in Minneapolis, MI. August 9, 2008. • McDaniel, R., Fiore, S.M., Underberg, N., Tripp, M., & Telep, P. (2008). Game-based learning in the humanities. The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (With Video Games!). Keynote presentation for the UCF Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Showcase during UCF Research Week. April 2, 2008. • McDaniel, R., Fiore, S.M., Underberg, N., Tripp, M., Kitalong, K., & Moshell, J.M. (2008). Designing Usable Learning Games for the Humanities: Five Research Dimensions. Paper presented at the 2008 Digital Humanities Conference in Oulu, Finland. June 26, 2008. • McDaniel, R. Game-Based Technologies for Teaching Ethics. (2008). UCF Research and Development on Ethics Education Panel. Paper presented at the 2008 Knowledge Rights and Information Sharing Conference in Orlando, FL. February 1, 2008. National conference. • McDaniel, R., Fiore, S. M., & Nicholson, D. (In Press). Serious storytelling: Narrative considerations for serious games researchers and developers. In J. A. Cannon-Bowers & C. A. Bowers (Eds.), Serious Game Design and Development: Technologies for Training and Learning. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

31. Production Timeline • Year 1: Game Design Document and Game Mockup using Torque Game Builder • Present initial game for feedback • Knowledge Rights Conference • MERLOT conference • FCTL Summer Conference 2008 • Year 2: Revise GDD and re-envision game based on initial feedback

32. Meeting with Ethics Faculty • Perhaps a more attainable goal is to make players aware of the implications of their actions in a virtual world. • “Make players comfortable with uncomfortable situations” – Mason Cash.

33. Initial Feedback from Conferences • Need customizable avatars • Less focus on ethical models • Include opportunities for reflection

35. Player Customization

36. Third Person View

37. First Person View

38. Hacking Minigame

39. Map Editor

40. Game Cinematics • Introduction: Setting the Scene

41. Game Cinematics • Ending

42. Next Steps • Continued development of game over summer semester by students enrolled in Rudy’s independent study games workshop course • Development of assessment and reporting instruments (Steve) • User testing and scenario development by students enrolled in Nancy’s online ethics course

43. Thank You Questions / Comments?