Chapter 4 & 5

Linking Learning
with Game Design
and Case Studies
By Nilima
 Agenda
+Instructional goals to Game Design
+Matching Core Dynamics with
Learning Needs
+Game mechanics linking to learning
experiences
+Using Game Elements
+Case Studies

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Instructional goals to Game Design
• Instructional goals are distinct element of
learning games
• Goals should resonate with the target
audience
• Instructional goal is not related with
winning the games
• It defines what learners will know and
able to do as a result of playing the game

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 TE TOWN

• Target learners: Independent distributor

reps
• Instructional goal: Recognize TE product
selling opportunities across a range of
customers and application types, resulting in
increased parts sold per customer and new
customers.
• Game type: Mobile, casual
• Game goal: Construct a town and attain the
highest level possible in the game
• Core dynamic: Construct or build(individual
mini game within this larger game with
different dynamics

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 Tips for creating game goals for
learning games:

• Goals should focus on the in-game

challenges that the players need to achieve
• Should focus on knowledge or behaviour
change
• Appeal your target learners and what they
need to do in their real life roles
• The actual challenge should be defined
properly

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Matching Core Dynamics with Learning Needs
Core Dynamic
Race to finish (Ex – Candy land)
Territory Acquisition (Ex – Civilization)
Exploration (Ex – Tomb Raider)
Collecting (Ex-Trivial Pursuit)
Rescue or escape (Ex- Capture the flag)
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Learning Purpose
Time constraint, process to be completed
within specified period
Dominance, increasing or shrinking of
territory, business success or failure
Compare and contrast, explain, describe,
analyze
Making associations, such as customer
types to specific products
Knowledge recall games to rescue
ON TITLE or something 6
Matching Core Dynamics with Learning Needs
Core Dynamic
Alignment (Ex – Candy Crush)
Matching (Ex – Spot it)
Construct or Build (Ex – Minecraft)
Solution (Ex- Chess)
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Learning Purpose
Identify, recognize, choose and select,
putting things in order or sequence
Linking features to benefits, objection and
appropriate responses
Creating something in the real world,
such as expanded sales territory
Higher level thinking or skill practice,
simulation type problem solving, conflict
resolution
PRESENTATION TITLE 7
 Game mechanics linking to learning
experiences
Game Rule Link to learning need
Formulation type Players choose what questions to Real world experience of sales
matters ask the customers reps- positive customer feelings
Knowledge Guru Immediate feedback upon making Repetition cements memory and
mistakes, repeating and correcting feedback helps in learning
A Pay check away Each turn, draw a job card, rolling a Mimics reality, feasibility
dice for getting the job checking
A Pay check away Rolling dice to check whether they Harsh reality of loosing housing
can stay in shelter, get enough cash and associated stress handling
by playing to have alternatives
A Pay
2 / 2 / 2 0 Xcheck
X away Drawing a “chance”P Rcard
E S E N T Aon
T I O N every
TITLE Real life incidents with financial8
 Using Game
Elements

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1. Conflict:
- Conflict may come in many forms but always
represents a challenge.
- Every game design does not need conflict

Questions:
1. What level and amount of conflict is needed?
2. Conflict with other players, or all players work
together to overcome that?
3. How to gamify real world conflicts?

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2. Cooperation and Competition:
- Some games have pure competition and some
have a combination of cooperation and
competition

Questions:
1. Is competition really needed in the real world in
using the skill and knowledge of game?
2. Players are working together or competing
against each other in the game?
3. Will competition motivate or demotivate the
target group?

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3. Strategy and Chance:
- Strategy puts control into the player’s hands in
making decisions.
- Chance takes all control from the player
- Combining strategy and chance

Questions:
1. Is your game unintentionally creating “win”
states?
2. Is the blend of strategy and chance application
oriented?
3. How much control is given to the players?

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4. Aesthetics

- Aesthetics or visuals are sources of great power

in games
- Strong visuals make players curious and
positively motivated
- Provides immersive experience for the players

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5. Theme

- Theme can add interest and create engagement

- Can be useful in learning games in linking all components of a
curriculum

6. Story

- Can be used as a narrative thread, foundation for activities

within a learning game
- Stories can inspire and engage
- Story has 4 elements: Character, plot, tension(or conflict) and
Resolution

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7. Resources

- These are tools players get at the start or acquire during

game play
- Helps players achieving the game goal
- Usually they are limited in some way and thus becomes a
strategic element
- Can be money, tools or building materials

8. Time
-It is often a type of resource but can take many forms
- Can be something one can purchase, using currency

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9. Levels

- Game complexity normally increases in the

upcoming levels
- It can allow players to play in tutorial mode first
- Motivates players upon achieving higher levels

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 Case Study – Feed the World

Overview
+ It is a board game created for the phosphate-mining company Mosaic.
+ The game helped bottom line performance and Mosaic won several
awards
+ It is the final activity of a five-day new employee orientation program
+ Target players are anyone hired to work at Mosaic – mostly male, age
group of 40 to 55 years and high school graduates – would have worked
in similar industry before

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 Game Description

+ The game takes about 2 hrs to play and gives players an opportunity to
recall and practice using previous day training content
+ The game goal is for players to feed an ever-increasing world
population, achieving production goals each year
+ The learning goal is to recall all the safety steps and environmental
protection steps covered through the workshop snd identify resources
to achieve the goal
+ To play an entire game, players complete four rounds, representing 4
years of actual mining production. Each round has 7 turns. The 7 turns
aligns with the 7 steps to get phosphate from mines to food producers
+ Game difficulty increases as the game progresses

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 Game Design decisions and learning
Game Design decisions
Game title: Feed the World
Progression within a round of play (7 turns)
Link to learning and job context
This correlates with the company mission
Learning map focuses on the 7 steps of
mining process throughout the workshop

Rounds that correlate to a calendar year World population is increasing each year and
so is the requirement

Scenario cards to be drawn - discussion Collaboration, not competition

Each scenario card needs identifying that Reinforcing the resources used in workshop
what resources are needed for the solution

Scoring mechanism – Phosphate crystals Correlates to what Mosaic produces

collection
Game aesthetics illustrates 7 steps of mining Reinforces the teaching of the workshop
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process
 Case Study – TE Town

Overview
+ It is a smartphone game designed for independent distributor reps
selling TE Connectivity products along with other connectivity products
+ They wanted TE products to be in top of the mind of the reps
+ TE products had huge breadth and can be used in a huge array of
product applications. Therefore, they needed to build customer
recognition and application with each customer types
+ Expanding number of products sold

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 Game Description
+ Players are elected Mayor of TE town when they log in to game. Their game
goal is to upgrade their town to the highest level possible
+ Each upgrade to the town moves them up a level in the game
+ The learning goals are to identify 3-5 customer types and specify product
technologies associated with each of them
+ Once a product technology is identified, they should be able to identify
appropriate product families relevant to the customer type
+ Upon entering the game the players see large undeveloped plots and began
developing their town by selecting a region. To access it they must assign it a
customer type. This unlocks a customer type grid that they populate by
playing a mini game called Hunt for Application
+ Through play and replay the players build their knowledge of the products
associated with customer types. Then there are more mini games to help
build knowledge of product technologies
+ Players can earn treasury dollars to upgrade their towns further

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 Game Design decisions and learning
Game Design decisions Link to learning and job context

Mobile first game- few minutes of play Field based sales representatives use their
smartphones mostly – Time constraint

Mayor of a town – building population, Territory building, acquiring commissioning

increasing treasury – upgrading the town revenue and growing customers – element of
further fantasy and risk-taking

Mini-games with few minutes – players repeat Repetition for learning of sales reps
3 mini games for building population – games
are linked to specific product application

Element of surprise and variety- “limited Sales Scramble is more fun than learning –
availability” mini game called sales Scramble – “learning light”- helps building population-
more challenging and no repetition element of challenge - engagement
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Thank You!

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