Fix 14

Fix 14

Massively Multiplayer Foresight

1. Describe your personal growth in the areas listed below as a result of playing Settlers.

Taking a Long View

            Jane McGonigal (2011) stated, “Taking a long view means working at scales far larger than we would ordinarily encounter in our day-to-day lives” (p. 297). I have experienced this situation in Settlers. Wh ile playing the game, we needed to consider the entirety of our island in terms of increasing population, maintaining resources and materials, building up supplies, and training an army. Consideration of all of these factors was the only way to expand our island and to level up. I never before in my life experienced considering so many things at the same time.

Ecosystems Thinking

            Actually, ecosystems thinking is one of the main goals for this game. McGonigal (2011) writes, “A good ecosystem thinker will study and learn how to anticipate the ways in which changes to one part of an ecosystem will impact other parts” (p. 298). As she says, if we do not have a balanced production of any of resources or materials in the game, it becomes difficult to expand our island and level up. For instance, if we do not have enough natural resources like gold, bronze, and steel, the materials made with these resources cannot be adequately produced. That is why we always need to send our geologist(s) to find all kinds of mines. Even if we have enough mines of all kinds of natural resources, the mines can be depleted. It is similar for our fields, which can become exhausted in the same way a mine can become depleted. We also need to combine manmade resources with our mines to be able to produce crucial items like swords, planks, bread, brew, sausages, and bows. Actually, having enough materials, resources, and manmade products is not enough to maintain a good chain. We also need to achieve stable rates of production because only with this can we maintain a balanced chain of all productive activities. After realizing how difficult achieving this situation is, I came to understand how something little can affect my whole island.

Pilot Experimentation

At the beginning, I thought this game would provide us with all the requirements to level up and I did not need to think about what I should do to help us get there. However, after leveling up, I have learned that I should have run some trials before deciding how many buildings and resources I should have and which ones would be most important to expanding my island. This process is called a “pilot experimentation.” McGonigal (2011) wrote that “Pilot experimentation is the process of the designing and running many small tests of different strategies and solutions in order to discover the best course of action to take” (p. 298). Even though I tried different strategies to cope with the problems in the game, I could not become successful. Then I began to slow the pace at which I leveled up. I began to ask other players for advice and visit the forum of the game to get help. This attempt worked very well! I began to level up more easily, and my trial and error periods began to decrease.  Even though I am now better during trial periods, I still have some difficult moments when new situations arise. I always think I need to find a way to achieve an effective outcome while playing the game.

 

 

 

2. In what ways could these skills be beneficial to any individual?

I think ‘Taking a Long View’, ‘Ecosystems Thinking’, and ‘Pilot Experimentation’ are a requirement in any career. This game teaches individuals the importance of seeing the “big picture.” For instance, teachers can develop better evaluation skills for their students by playing this game. This would allow them to prepare more effective instructions. Moreover, teachers would be better able to see how something little affects the whole learning process and which potential changes might make the learning process more efficient.

3. How could you take this kind of gaming experience and skill learning into an educational context and use it to empower learners? Be creative in your answer!

I think this experience could be very useful for teachers to evaluate their own instructions.

 

Taking a long view: Getting students to see the much bigger picture. To catch students’ attention, teachers should explain why the class they teach is important and how students can use class information in their daily lives. For a good learning experience to take place, students have to see the big picture before teachers start to teach. Students also need to have well-prepared instructions for what they need to accomplish. They also need to know what they can do with the information they learn in their work places or colleges. They need to know the intended outcomes of any learning context before actually learning the information. If students play this game, they will see for themselves how important it is to see the big picture. 

Ecosystems thinking: Thanks to this game experience, students will come to understand how something little, such as lack of studying, has an effect on their whole learning ability. They understand that if they do not study regularly, then they are likely to fail, even if they can study for a long period just once a week.

Pilot experimentation: According to Multiple Intelligence Theory, people have different learning styles and that they learn best in their own learning style. This game could function as a form of investigation of students’ preferred learning style. Investigation of each of students’ learning style is very difficult and time consuming, however students could discover their learning style on their own thanks to this game experience. 

4. Summarize the three most memorable concepts from McGonigal's book that you learned or could relate to while playing Settlers.

1- (Hacking happiness) McGonigal (2011) states, “We gain confidence that we can connect with others when we want to, and when we need to” (p.182). She also states that “Recent research has shown that we don’t even have to know someone to experience the benefits of thanking and being nice to them” (p. 189).  

Actually, I did not think like that at the beginning of the game. However, I am now confident enough to ask any question to people that I never even see. I have also gained the confidence to be thankful to those I have never seen in real life. That made me happier than I was before. I have really experienced the benefits of this social game. That is why I cannot forget McGonigal’s insights.

 

2-(Leveling up in life) McGonigal (2011) states that “Games, of course, help put people back in control” (p. 149). As she said, if we manage everything effectively, like we do with the consumption- production chain in the game, I think we can attain the power to balance our lives too. Playing this game gave me the power to control things in my life better than before because progressing toward goals gave me a kind of power. 

3- (The Benefits of Alternative Realities) McGonigal (2011) writes of a game named Chore Wars that “Even as the laundry gets dirty again or the dust starts to sneak back in, your avatar is still getting stronger, smarter, swifter. In this way, Chore Wars brilliantly reverses the most demoralizing aspects of regular housework” (p. 123). Just as in the game Settlers, even if my general loses a war, I can always return him to life, and I can cure him with medical packets all the time, unlike in real life. In real life, even if you do everything correctly, there is always the possibility of losing something. That is why the quotation above is also one of the memorable sentences to me.

 

Reference

McGonigal, J. (2011). Reality is broken. New York, NY: The Penguin Press.

 

 

Fix 13

Ten-Thousand Hours Collaborating

This game makes establishing a settlement possible without help from others. However, doing so makes it harder to move up levels in the game. If I interact and collaborate with others through sending gifts or trading for their needs, I could advance to a higher level more quickly.

I would like to continue describing my experiences about the collaborations in the game by giving some details about specific game terms.

Collaboration

In her book, McGonigal (2011) stated the following about collaboration: “Collaboration is a special way of working together. It requires three distinct kinds of concerted effort: cooperating (acting purposefully toward a common goal), coordinating (synchronizing efforts and sharing resources), and cocreating (producing a novel outcome together)” (p. 268).

I believe this game includes all of these kinds of concerted effort. When I think about the collaboration in the game, the first thing that comes to my mind is helping other gamers and receiving help from other players. I think of these helps in a kind of an epic way because we are trying to settle an island by defeating bandit camps with our soldiers and experiencing adventures with the soldiers and other players.

Shared Concentration and Synchronized Engagement

In her book, McGonigal (2011) described a game: “They actively focus their attention on the game, and they agree to ignore everything else for as long as they’re playing. They practice shared concentration and synchronized engagement” (p. 269). The Settlers Online game also provides shared concentration and synchronized engagement. All players have to log in every day to prevent the loss of our settlement. This might be an example of shared concentration. As for synchronized engagement, we know whether or not our friends are online in the game.

Reciprocal Reward

The author alleged the following about a game: “Whether they win or lose, they’re creating reciprocal rewards” (McGonigal, 2011, p. 269). The Settlers Online game also provides these rewards to the players. I have experienced a player’s trading with me for an amount of coal, even though he needed the coal, because the primary goal of this game is helping each other. This makes the game meaningful emotionally. With this help, he won because he felt good by helping me, and I won because I received help. It is a reciprocal reward.

Real-Time Coordination Tools

The author stated, “Game developers aren’t just designing more co-op play; they are also creating new real time coordination tools to help us find the right people at the right time to cooperate with” (McGonigal, 2011, p. 273). In the Settlers Online game, players also get help from other players in a synchronized manner through the Help tab. Therefore, the Help tab is one of these real-time tools. Players are also being friends and trading resources in the game in a synchronized platform.

Massively Single-Player Online Game

McGonigal (2011) said about a game, “There are no other players in the simulated ecosystem; everything in the world is controlled by artificial intelligence” (p. 275). In the game, we experience the same thing. We do not have to play with any of players as long as we do not want that in the game. We are managed by artificial intelligence.

Reference

McGonigal, J. (2011). Reality is broken. New York, NY: The Penguin Press.

Fix: 11–12

Sustainable Engagement Economy

Good Game World

In her book Reality is Broken, McGonigal (2011) states that “participants should be able to explore and impact a ‘world,’ or shared social space that features both content and interactive opportunities” (p. 245). I think that the game The Settlers Online creates an entertaining and challenging world by McGonigal’s standards. She mentions that, in this game, players function in an environment that encourages them to interact with different elements. These interactions satisfy gamers mentally and emotionally. McGonigal (2011) also states, “In the economy of engagement, it is less important to compete for attention and more and more important to compete for things like brain cycles and interactive bandwidth” (p. 228). The Settlers Online provides these opportunities for interaction. It is necessary during the game, for example, that players make decisions about whether or not they should build buildings or have a guild. The decisions are optional. These different levels of complexity within the game cause players to think strategically.

Good Game Mechanics

The author continues on to define what constitutes a good game: “Wikipedia has good game mechanics. Player action has direct and clear results: edits appear instantly on the site, giving users a powerful sense of control over the environment” (McGonigal, 2011, p. 229). Likewise, because The Settlers Online offers clear quests and clear results, the game has good game mechanics. To give an example, when a player needs to fight bandits, the game allows him or her to choose how many fighters are within the bandit camp and who rules the bandits before engaging in combat. Gamers thus can defeat a well-defined enemy. Such mechanics empower gamers and motivate them to continue playing.

Good Game Community

McGonigal (2011) states that a “good game community requires two things: plenty of positive social interaction and meaningful context for collective effort” (p. 230). The Settlers Online provides exactly those two things she mentions. Some of the requirements for leveling up in the game relate to one’s connection with other players. These requirements include buffing other players’ buildings and trading resources with other players. To give another example, gamers sometimes need to ask questions using the Help Tab; during these times, other players are often very friendly and willing to assist others in a social forum.

More Epic Wins

1. Has this game made you curious about what more you can do? If so, in what way?

My answer is: yes. This game did make me curious about what more I could do within the context of the game. I at least wanted to construct many different types of buildings and defeat every bandit camp. However, I had to give up the game because of having severe neck pain.

 

2. How does this game harness the social participation of the masses?

The game harnesses the social participation of the masses in several ways. This game encourages players to assist each other, for instance, through the Help Tab function or through guilds. It also offers many appealing challenges. In McGonigal’s words, “Gamers are creative, persistent, and always up for a good challenge. Their strong cognitive resources, combined with their proven engageability, are a valuable resource just waiting to be tapped” (p. 240). Through its rewarding and challenging quests, The Settlers Online provides the engagement that McGonigal recommends.

Crowdsourcing

I examined AT&T’s quarter-billion-dollar campaign named AT&T Announces Quarter-Billion-Dollar Expansion of Education Commitment which is designed to help more students graduate from high school, prepared for both college and a career. It is obvious that this campaign has improved high school success and college/career readiness, especially for the students most likely to drop out of high school. The campaign was started on March 19, 2012. I believe this campaign has created an important opportunity for these students. McGonigal’s take on crowdsourcing was that “it is not for a lack of time spent on the Internet. It is just incredibly difficult to achieve the necessary critical mass of participation on any given serious project” (p. 226).

 

Reference

McGonigal, J. (2011). Reality is broken. New York, NY: The Penguin Press.

 

 

Fix 9-10

            Fix 9-10 

McGonigal who is writer of Reality Is Broken alleged that:

In order to turn a group of strangers into a community, you have to follow two basic steps: first, cultivate a shared interest among strangers, and, second, give them the opportunity and means to interact with each other around that interest. (McGonigal, 2011, p. 172)

In the game The Settlers, I have experienced both of the steps the author mentions.  An example of my experiencing a sense of community is when I became too exhausted waiting to train the army and send an explorer to find a coin with a medium search.  I said in the help tab of the game that I am too tired waiting for everything.  I feel exhausted with everything in this game! Then, a player said this game does take a lot of patience and I have to be willing to wait for things.  The player also said with luck one gets a coin on the Explorer’s first twelve-hour run; others don’t get it for weeks and I just need to make sure he runs all the time. After getting this motivating answer from one of the players, I felt like I was in a community in which all its members experience the same difficulties.

Another example of my experiencing a sense of community is when I sent my army to an adventure island and I could not complete the adventure on time.  I did the only thing I could and canceled the adventure.  However, I was too scared that I would lose all my troops and my general, so I asked whether or not there is a possibility for losing my all troops there on the help tab of the game.  One of the players said if I also send the general on the adventure, it will take more time.  The player also said they are on their way and I can check how much time remains to get them back on the Star. Moreover, the player tried to motivate me by saying absolutely I will get all my troops back. After getting this reassuring answer, I felt I was in the game with other helpful people.  I have never felt alone since that conversation.  The writer of Reality Is Broken summed up this feeling very well: “We gain confidence that we can connect with others when we want to, and when we need to.  And with that confidence, there is no reason to ever feel alone in the world—virtual, real, or otherwise” (McGonigal, 2011, p. 182).

I have experienced common interests between me and other players in various interactions.  The first interaction was when I was trying to find wild animals to get more meat.  When I asked how to find wild animals on the help tab of the game, some players answered my question, and others offered a trade.  It was a win-win situation.  Other opportunities in which I interacted with other players were when I buffed other players’ buildings, added other players as friends, and sold some stones and water.  We cooperated because of common goals in the game.  As the author of Reality Is Broken said, the game “focuses the attention of a group of people on a common goal, even if they think they have nothing in common with each other” (McGonigal, 2011, p. 172).

I think all of these opportunities create a sense of community when I compare it to real life.  Actually, the author mentions about creating a sense of community through good games in her book by saying that “compared with games, reality is lonely and isolating.  Games help us band together and create powerful communities from scratch” (McGonigal, 2011, p.172).

When we think about how there is an interests gap between grandparents and grandchildren, this game is something that can really bring them together.  McGonigal mentions how good games work to get together all generations by writing: “What would it take to convince young people to call their grandparents more often?” (p. 177).

McGonigal mentioned that “alongside platforms for communicating the science of happiness, we need platforms for engaging people in scientifically proven happiness activities” (p. 187).  I believe The Settlers is one of these platforms engaging us in scientifically proven happiness activities because the game does not allow us to feel alone thanks to its features such as buffing other players’ buildings, asking questions on the help tab of the game, and being friends with other players.  In her book, McGonigal also stated that “according to most scientific findings, there are almost no good ways to be happy alone for long” (p. 186).

The Settlers allows me to be thankful and to be nice people in the activities I have mentioned.  This situation is a happy experience.  In her book McGonigal mentions about happy experiences by saying:

Researchers have shown that sharing the same space for even just a few minutes a day with kind and friendly strangers makes us more optimistic, improves our self-esteem, makes us feel safer and more connected to our environment, and generally helps us enjoy our lives more. And if we return the favor, we benefit as well: when we give to others, or act cooperatively, the reward centers of the brain light up. (p. 190)

I can say that I have experienced all the benefits described in this quote. Since I began to play this game, I feel more connected to other people and have more self-esteem because of giving to and receiving from others.  I feel good thanks to this game!

I would like to mention a video game called Top Secret Dance Off, which is on our class PB work page.  People can dance together on the Internet thanks to this game. Moreover, they can have real-life adventures with a soundtrack, throw their bodies around, make each other laugh, and convince each other to dance more than they thought possible, at home, in public, wherever! I found it to be possibly the best happiness hack!

 

References

McGonigal, J. (2011). Reality is broken. New York, NY: The Penguin Press.