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Dr. Jacob HabgoodHead of Serious Games

© 2009 Sumo Digital Limited

Wii Don’t do “Edutainment”!Sumo Digital Limited:

� “Work for hire” Console Developer• SEGA, Konami, Sony (Xbox, 360, PS3, Wii, DS, PSP).

• Around 120 developers in Sheffield.

• Heritage going back to Gremlin Graphics in the 80’s.

� Foundation 9 Group• Around 900 developers worldwide.

Just who are Wii?

Personal BackgroundIndustry & Academia:

�Gremlin / Infogrames / Atari• Hogs of War, MicroMachines, Actua Sports.

• Programmer / Technical Lead (PSX, PS2, Xbox, GC) .

�Ph.D. in Learning Sciences• LSRI, University of Nottingham.

• “The Effective Integration of Digital Games and Learning Content” (www.zombiedivision.co.uk).

�Head of Serious Games• “The Game Maker’s Apprentice”.

• Game Development tools for Kids (Game Maker).

• But no explicit “learning” products… yet.

Learning ShowcaseWork for Hire:

�Console-based Learning• “Edutainment” products are trickling onto consoles.

• Often developed by smaller developers to make ends meet while chasing the big publishing deal.

• Not necessarily any expertise or passion for learning.

�Sumo: Serious about Learning• Large console developer, great track-record : large

publishers beat a path to our door.

• Passion and expertise for game-based learning.

• Perfectly positioned to branch into learning-based console products.

�Showcase Game• Self-funded WiiWare title: “Outnumbered”.

Design PhilosophyAnti-Edutainment:

�Intrinsic Integration (Kafai, 2001)

• Extrinsic “chocolate-covered broccoli” approaches to integrating games and learning do not work.

• Modern example: Questionaut by Amanita Design (Award-winning web game designers).

• More integrated approaches could be more effective.

Research EvidenceZombie Division:

�Controlled Trials

�Results• Intrinsic games are more motivating than extrinsic

games (as measured by time-on-task).

• Intrinsic games are more effective than extrinsic

games (as measured by learning gains).

• IntrinsicSkeletons = DividendsWeapons = Divisors

• ExtrinsicSkeletons = Symbols+ Extrinsic Q&A

• ControlSkeletons = Symbols

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Design PhilosophyMaths-Based Game for WiiWare:

�Intrinsically Integrated• Deliver learning content alongside, and in tandem

with the flow experience of the game.

• Integrate the learning content within the structure of the gaming world and its core-mechanics.

�Unpatronising and Unapologetic• Kids are aspirational: so design for big ones.

• Safe is dull – zombies/monsters/explosions are fun.

�Does Not Try to “Make Maths Fun”!• Maths is simply a medium.

• All games are about learning something.

• The fact that this happens to be maths should be almost entirely irrelevant to the player.

PedagogyInterconnected Mathematics:

�Learning Content• Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division.

�Conceptual and Procedural Knowledge• Should be developed alongside each other (Rittle-Johnson,

Siegler & Alibali, 2001).

�Beyond Rote Learning• Embodies the meaningful relationships between knowledge

essential for understanding (Hiebert & Lefevre, 1986).

�Anchored Instruction• Successful mathematics teaching needs to be

grounded in “real world” situations (Greer, 1992).

• Real world “anchors” (Brandsford et al, 1990).

OutnumberedBasic Concept:Maths can be fatal – especially if you’re a monster!

Attach your brain to your wand-arm and get ready to cause some serious mayhem as you defend your wizard’s home against an army of magical beasts…

Outnumbered

Screen Layout

OutnumberedCore Mechanics:“Mechanism through which players make meaningful choices and arrive at a meaningful play experience” (Salen & Zimmerman, 2004).

�Core Mechanic 1: “Playing with Goo”• Magical mana comes in two flavours.

• Monsters are made of bad mana while wizard’s towers attract good mana.

• Bad mana can be neutralised with good.

• Monsters die when you reduce their bad mana exactly down to zero.

• Overshooting makes all the good manafall off the monster.

OutnumberedCore Mechanics:

�Core Mechanic 2: “Monster Grow Bags”• Create your own good monsters.

• Drop mana onto a monster grow bag and it will form its own “good” cloud.

• Fill it up to the desired value of good mana.

• Grab the cloud to pull the monster from the earth.

• The good monster will defeat any bad monsterof equal value in its path AND take out anyother monsters standing behind it.

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OutnumberedProgression:

�At the beginning of the game:• Throwing Goo = Subtraction.

• Growing Monsters = Addition.

• Mixing colours of goo is fine.

�Progressing to PURE EVIL:• Monsters which are pure evil can only be defeated by

pure good mana – i.e. a single colour of goo.

Now :

• Throwing Goo = Division by repeated subtraction.

• Growing Monsters = Multiplication by repeated addition.

OutnumberedCore Mechanics:

�Core Mechanic 3: “Divide and Conquer”• Repeated subtraction is a slow way to divide.

• Magic can speed that up.

• Any value of blob can be powered upto become a divisor.

• Magic blobs kill monsters instantly(provided that they divide!)

Fire Ice Lightning

Core Mechanics:

�Divisor Relationships:

�Core Mechanic 4: “Multiplying Monsters”• Repeated addition is a slow way to multiply.

• Magic can speed that up.

• The result is always “pure” good.

Outnumbered

2, 4 &8 3, 6 &9 5 & 10 7

OutnumberedEmergent Gameplay:

�Core Mechanics:• Throwing Goo = (Repeated) Subtraction.

• Growing Monsters = (Repeated) Addition.

• Dividing Monsters = Division.

• Multiplying Mana = Multiplication.

�Mixing Mechanics:• Pure Evil / Pure Good.

• Monster Immunity (Red, Blue, Yellow).

• Subtract -> Divide / Multiply -> Add.

• (23 – 2) / 3

• “Smart Bombs”

• End of Level Bosses – multiple clouds

OutnumberedDifficulty Level:

�Gameplay Difficulty:• Standard gameplay progression:

• Speed, quantity, strength, visual cues.

• Same for every player.

�Mathematical Difficulty:• Cognitive Model:

• Tracks use of key domain concepts.

• Varies difficulty accordingly.

• Different experience for every player.

• Additional replay value.

OutnumberedWii Demo

�Around 50% Complete:

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Any questions?

Release

�Coming to WiiWare Summer 2009� 500-1000 Wii Points (£3.50 - £7.00)

Outnumbered