What I've found again this week is that planning and thinking ahead saves me time in the long run when playing Settler's Online. It's become part of my routine day, to login and see how my settlement looks and to see what I need to do to complete quests, check out new quests, and look at my mail. I would say that by logging in everyday (sometimes multiple times in a day) that I've engaged in wholehearted participation in the game. While I don't think that a game like Settler's can provide the same real-world connections like the games mentioned in the text do.(Chore Wars...who would've thought that the task of household chores could be made into a video game??) McGonigal states that the future of gaming is "helping to promote the idea that game technologies can be used to organize real-world activity. Most importantly, it’s provoking innovative ideas about how to blend together what we love most about games and what we want most from our real lives."(Kindle Locations 2072-2073). Making the everyday tasks of completing household chores an interactive video games with rewards, makes the engagement with the task more meaningful. This can translate to how video gaming can be used in the classroom as well. Taking those learning tasks and putting them into the setting of the video game makes them enormously more engaging to students who have grown up with the "digital native" mentality mentioned by Marc Prensky. When we're already asking students to work collaboratively with each other, doesn't the MOOC format of many games seem like a great solution to keeping students engaged in their learning?
A balance needs to be maintained so that the alternate reality games that are developing quickly don't take over a student's life. I spent time using Second Life a couple of years ago and quickly found that I was spending too much time trying to live in both worlds that I wasn't accomplishing what I should have been. The time commitment can become overwhelming. It was interesting to me that even the creators of the alternate reality game believe that "we need to be both open-minded and critical about what actually raises our quality of life, what helps us participate more fully in our real lives, and what simply serves as yet another distraction."(Kindle Locations 2407-2408).
It does always seem to me that when I need a push or help accomplishing something in Settler's that I've got a huge resource bank or a helping hand given to me by a member of my guild. I know that the games can be designed to offer rewards when players are on the verge of a breakthrough and that is often enough to encourage the player to keep progressing and playing. I can see how the link between our everyday activities, like flying, can be made more interesting by linking it to a video game. I've known about FourSquare before, but didn't realize that it was a game environment. I don't believe that right now in my life, I'm prepared to add more games like these into my life, but maybe when I finish school, I'll have the time and energy to try more games like these out! They look like fun, but it raises a question in my mind, does every movement that we make become tracked and do we start making moves to improve our standing in the game environment at the expense of our real lives? I don't know how gaming will continue to impact our society and that of our children growing up, but as games become more sophisticated and more connected to our real lives, it will be interesting to watch!
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Friday, February 14, 2014
Fix 5-6
I was excited to join a guild this week and connect with many different players. I asked several players in my guild a few questions and was happy to get several responses. I chose the player with the user name of Psycle! (Loved the name!) She's a few levels ahead of me and I was curious as to how long she has been playing. She reported that she had been playing the game for almost 3 years. She told me that she plays about 3-4 hours during the week and sometimes up to 6 hours on the weekends. I wasn't surprised by the number of hours she plays (I can see myself doing the same thing), but was surprised that after 3 years she's still at level 39. She mentioned that she enjoys meeting people from around the world and that the setting of this game is enjoyable. When we talked about her online gaming experiences, she mentioned that she really doesn't or hasn't played other games. This game is free and that's a great selling point. One last thing that she mentioned was that she really likes the guilds and that it involves cooperative work to accomplish things. She does wish that there were more social activities within the game. I would tend to agree with what she talked about. I like the fact that the game is free, although you can purchase things if you want. I feel like her responses were reflective of what I see in the game when I log in to play!!
I believe that socially connective games, like Settler's Online can be important to our changing culture. We frequently talk about the addictive nature of these types of online games, but in framing in as McGonigal says in the text, "the addictiveness of the game pushes us to initiate social interaction with members of our extended social network whom we might ordinarily leave out of our daily life online" (Kindle Loc 1354). It made me think about the people that I connect with daily through the use of online games. I've connected with family members who normally I wouldn't see or talk to for weeks. I play a couple of games on my iPad and use my Facebook friends as my "opponents" although we don't really compete for anything other than the high score! The communication that takes place as a result of this game playing wouldn't happen if I wasn't playing! I do agree with McGonigal when she talks about the level of "socialness" we are seeing as a society. I can see that my own children have much different interactions with their friends than I did at their age (Kindle Loc 1370)
In joining the guild, "It's 5 o'clock Somewhere" this week, I've found that a whole new set of connections is opening up to me. They (the members of the guild) were there immediately to help out and look over my settlement and offer me suggestions on what I could improve upon. I had an initial conversation with 1 person from my guild who suggested that I needed even more storehouses in my settlement and suggested that I move my residences away from the storehouses. I did what he suggested and realized (don't know why I didn't see this sooner!!), that with the area around my storehouses open, the time of production decreased when I moved other "businesses" into those now open areas. I appreciated his thoughts and rewarded him with a "gift" to his settlement.
I think I was initially hesitant to start this type of conversation. I'm not sure if that was because I was still new to the game or if I was unsure of how this interaction would take place. I didn't want to seem "dumb" or not know what they were talking about or what the acronyms used, meant. I felt more comfortable speaking with those in our class rather than "outsiders". Slowly, I've started to look for more help from others and in doing so, I think I've become more and more at ease talking to people in the game. I do think that the communication that I've used/participated in with those playing the game has helped me to be a happier player. I feel more comfortable and I look forward to working on my settlement, and it doesn't seem to me anymore that this is a series of tasks to be completed. These social connections are important to our existence as a culture. McGonigal mentions that research on happiness has shown, that "Happiness is not a noun or verb. It's a conjunction" (Kindle Loc 1368). I like this analogy as it shows us that the connections we make in the game are important.
With regard to "epic scale", I'm not sure that I've yet experienced that, although I think I've come close! When I figured out that I can use the Adventures in the game to earn XP that will help move me up levels, I was so excited! I think that to date, this has been my happiest moment!!
I believe that socially connective games, like Settler's Online can be important to our changing culture. We frequently talk about the addictive nature of these types of online games, but in framing in as McGonigal says in the text, "the addictiveness of the game pushes us to initiate social interaction with members of our extended social network whom we might ordinarily leave out of our daily life online" (Kindle Loc 1354). It made me think about the people that I connect with daily through the use of online games. I've connected with family members who normally I wouldn't see or talk to for weeks. I play a couple of games on my iPad and use my Facebook friends as my "opponents" although we don't really compete for anything other than the high score! The communication that takes place as a result of this game playing wouldn't happen if I wasn't playing! I do agree with McGonigal when she talks about the level of "socialness" we are seeing as a society. I can see that my own children have much different interactions with their friends than I did at their age (Kindle Loc 1370)
In joining the guild, "It's 5 o'clock Somewhere" this week, I've found that a whole new set of connections is opening up to me. They (the members of the guild) were there immediately to help out and look over my settlement and offer me suggestions on what I could improve upon. I had an initial conversation with 1 person from my guild who suggested that I needed even more storehouses in my settlement and suggested that I move my residences away from the storehouses. I did what he suggested and realized (don't know why I didn't see this sooner!!), that with the area around my storehouses open, the time of production decreased when I moved other "businesses" into those now open areas. I appreciated his thoughts and rewarded him with a "gift" to his settlement.
I think I was initially hesitant to start this type of conversation. I'm not sure if that was because I was still new to the game or if I was unsure of how this interaction would take place. I didn't want to seem "dumb" or not know what they were talking about or what the acronyms used, meant. I felt more comfortable speaking with those in our class rather than "outsiders". Slowly, I've started to look for more help from others and in doing so, I think I've become more and more at ease talking to people in the game. I do think that the communication that I've used/participated in with those playing the game has helped me to be a happier player. I feel more comfortable and I look forward to working on my settlement, and it doesn't seem to me anymore that this is a series of tasks to be completed. These social connections are important to our existence as a culture. McGonigal mentions that research on happiness has shown, that "Happiness is not a noun or verb. It's a conjunction" (Kindle Loc 1368). I like this analogy as it shows us that the connections we make in the game are important.
With regard to "epic scale", I'm not sure that I've yet experienced that, although I think I've come close! When I figured out that I can use the Adventures in the game to earn XP that will help move me up levels, I was so excited! I think that to date, this has been my happiest moment!!
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Fix 3-4
More Satisfying Work:
I have really enjoyed the thrill of getting enough XP to "level up"! I keep a close eye on my progress and know that if I need just a few more XP to get to the next level that I search for the quests that will give me the best chance to move up! As I accept the new quests and begin to complete, I know now as McGonigal states, it's not "if you can complete it (the quest); you just need to figure out when you can fit it into your jam-packed hero schedule" (Kindle Loc 983). For me, it's definitely been a much slower process since level 22 or so, but I think I've finally learned to be patient and really see what is going on and how it all works together. At first, I will admit, I was slightly competitive with my classmates because I wanted to be in the lead. If I was spending all day in front of the computer, it might have been possible. But, alas, I have to work! So, for now I'll just keep focused on the goals and quests to help me get to the next level!!
It took me a while to figure out that keeping a well-stocked reserve of units ready for battle was so important. There are certain things that I do each time I login. I check the wells, fields, and supply chains to see what is missing or low. I also create "buffs" daily so that I have enough to get me through the next couple of online visits. I usually take a stroll around the island to see what I can collect! This also helps me to see where the next bandit camps are that I need to defeat. I haven't yet reached out to many other players, but am learning about the guilds and I can see how using these games in the classroom can really create the collaboration that 21st Century Skills deem so important. As an added bonus, I now really understand that when my son says, "just another minute, Mom", that he might be close to a goal or to another level and to cut him at least a few extra minutes of slack in whatever game he is working on!!
Better Hope of Success:
The feedback I've received while playing the game has been very helpful in knowing what to do next. In the early levels, it was given in the form of step-by-step guided help during the quests. Now, I'm able to figure out what I need to do to successfully complete each quest. I'm also much more patient in getting the larger quests complete. In the early stages of the game, I expected to move very quickly through the levels, but now, I know that sometimes they will move slowly.
With regard to mastery, I feel like I have much better handle on what needs to be done. For example, getting recruits/soldiers ready for the battles. Little by little, I'm working my way through both the quests and the bandit camps. I've also started to try the adventures and feel like if I can be successful with those, I can handle anything! Having a good grasp of the production chains and supplies has helped me. Knowing and using the Trade Office frequently has helped keep my supplies running and my settler's moving in! McGonigal makes a statement in the text that I believe is important: "Any gamer who puts in the effort can’t help but get better. And yet the better we are at a game, the less of a challenge it presents." (Kindle Location 1172). I'm not sure that I'm at the point where the game presents less of a challenge for me, but, I can see how that thought process could be true for gamers more experienced than myself. I think that if I asked my 8th graders to play this game, that I could be a support, like others have been for me. I don't think I would have said that a couple of weeks ago, when I was still needing support from my son to get through!
I have really enjoyed the thrill of getting enough XP to "level up"! I keep a close eye on my progress and know that if I need just a few more XP to get to the next level that I search for the quests that will give me the best chance to move up! As I accept the new quests and begin to complete, I know now as McGonigal states, it's not "if you can complete it (the quest); you just need to figure out when you can fit it into your jam-packed hero schedule" (Kindle Loc 983). For me, it's definitely been a much slower process since level 22 or so, but I think I've finally learned to be patient and really see what is going on and how it all works together. At first, I will admit, I was slightly competitive with my classmates because I wanted to be in the lead. If I was spending all day in front of the computer, it might have been possible. But, alas, I have to work! So, for now I'll just keep focused on the goals and quests to help me get to the next level!!
It took me a while to figure out that keeping a well-stocked reserve of units ready for battle was so important. There are certain things that I do each time I login. I check the wells, fields, and supply chains to see what is missing or low. I also create "buffs" daily so that I have enough to get me through the next couple of online visits. I usually take a stroll around the island to see what I can collect! This also helps me to see where the next bandit camps are that I need to defeat. I haven't yet reached out to many other players, but am learning about the guilds and I can see how using these games in the classroom can really create the collaboration that 21st Century Skills deem so important. As an added bonus, I now really understand that when my son says, "just another minute, Mom", that he might be close to a goal or to another level and to cut him at least a few extra minutes of slack in whatever game he is working on!!
Better Hope of Success:
The feedback I've received while playing the game has been very helpful in knowing what to do next. In the early levels, it was given in the form of step-by-step guided help during the quests. Now, I'm able to figure out what I need to do to successfully complete each quest. I'm also much more patient in getting the larger quests complete. In the early stages of the game, I expected to move very quickly through the levels, but now, I know that sometimes they will move slowly.
With regard to mastery, I feel like I have much better handle on what needs to be done. For example, getting recruits/soldiers ready for the battles. Little by little, I'm working my way through both the quests and the bandit camps. I've also started to try the adventures and feel like if I can be successful with those, I can handle anything! Having a good grasp of the production chains and supplies has helped me. Knowing and using the Trade Office frequently has helped keep my supplies running and my settler's moving in! McGonigal makes a statement in the text that I believe is important: "Any gamer who puts in the effort can’t help but get better. And yet the better we are at a game, the less of a challenge it presents." (Kindle Location 1172). I'm not sure that I'm at the point where the game presents less of a challenge for me, but, I can see how that thought process could be true for gamers more experienced than myself. I think that if I asked my 8th graders to play this game, that I could be a support, like others have been for me. I don't think I would have said that a couple of weeks ago, when I was still needing support from my son to get through!
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Fix 1-2
Traits of the Game:
The goal of the Settler's Online game is to create and sustain an economy with settlers, "armed unit forces", workers, and bandits (the bad guys who want to stop your progress). With regard to the rules of the game, I'm finding that I have to work to achieve each level and determine which of the quests given will move me ahead the fastest. I was stuck on level 22 for quite a while and it became frustrating to me. I found that I needed to be patient and keep plugging along in order to move up the next level. I would agree with McGonigal (Kindle version) that I'm forcing myself to "foster strategic thinking" as I try to decide what will help me the most. As I work through the game each day, I continually check my "progress bar" to see how close I am to gaining a new level. I've learned since the earlier levels that I need to be patient and really pay attention to the resources and which building is using which resource. Having that understanding has made it easier to wait to get to the next level. However, if I'm close to finishing the level, I will try to spend a little more time just to see if I can accomplish before shutting down for the night.
Flow is best described as a state of mind/emotion in which there "is virtually nothing as engaging as this state of working at the very limits of your ability" (Kindle Locations 438-439). I think that the Settler's game has the capability of bringing a player to engage in a state of "flow" as much of the outcome of the game is dependent upon what the player puts into it. I don't know if I've personally felt it at this point. I do think that the game provides the continuous feedback, although when I get stuck, I often have to venture out to other websites to get information that will help. I am selecting my own goals as I decide on which of the quests to focus.
For the second fix, I think I'm finding the challenging aspects of the game to be rewarding. Having to problem solve is keeping me alert to decisions I'm making in the game. I do feel a bit of pressure to keep up with the others in the class and find myself logging in often. I secretly wish I could play on my iPad!! I think that there are consequences of playing this game (and probably all others). When I'm logging in often to keep track of what's going on, there is probably something else that I should be doing. I've started to give myself a time limit when I have other things that need to be done. Engaging in this game for a long period of time could present itself with physical difficulties as are well researched with regard to various computer games. I can see how games can become addictive and in watching the video about the guys playing World of Warcraft, I can see how younger children become enchanted with the game and have a hard time breaking away to take care of other tasks/activities.
Overall, playing the game has been rewarding and educational.
The goal of the Settler's Online game is to create and sustain an economy with settlers, "armed unit forces", workers, and bandits (the bad guys who want to stop your progress). With regard to the rules of the game, I'm finding that I have to work to achieve each level and determine which of the quests given will move me ahead the fastest. I was stuck on level 22 for quite a while and it became frustrating to me. I found that I needed to be patient and keep plugging along in order to move up the next level. I would agree with McGonigal (Kindle version) that I'm forcing myself to "foster strategic thinking" as I try to decide what will help me the most. As I work through the game each day, I continually check my "progress bar" to see how close I am to gaining a new level. I've learned since the earlier levels that I need to be patient and really pay attention to the resources and which building is using which resource. Having that understanding has made it easier to wait to get to the next level. However, if I'm close to finishing the level, I will try to spend a little more time just to see if I can accomplish before shutting down for the night.
Flow is best described as a state of mind/emotion in which there "is virtually nothing as engaging as this state of working at the very limits of your ability" (Kindle Locations 438-439). I think that the Settler's game has the capability of bringing a player to engage in a state of "flow" as much of the outcome of the game is dependent upon what the player puts into it. I don't know if I've personally felt it at this point. I do think that the game provides the continuous feedback, although when I get stuck, I often have to venture out to other websites to get information that will help. I am selecting my own goals as I decide on which of the quests to focus.
For the second fix, I think I'm finding the challenging aspects of the game to be rewarding. Having to problem solve is keeping me alert to decisions I'm making in the game. I do feel a bit of pressure to keep up with the others in the class and find myself logging in often. I secretly wish I could play on my iPad!! I think that there are consequences of playing this game (and probably all others). When I'm logging in often to keep track of what's going on, there is probably something else that I should be doing. I've started to give myself a time limit when I have other things that need to be done. Engaging in this game for a long period of time could present itself with physical difficulties as are well researched with regard to various computer games. I can see how games can become addictive and in watching the video about the guys playing World of Warcraft, I can see how younger children become enchanted with the game and have a hard time breaking away to take care of other tasks/activities.
Overall, playing the game has been rewarding and educational.
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