Fix 1-2

Fix 1 and Fix 2 - Sounds a bit like something from Dr. Seuss doesn't it?  Well in gaming, Fix 1 is making things in games harder than they need to be.  We all need to struggle a bit don't we?  It makes the reward that much sweeter, plus it prolongs the game.  These are concepts discussed in a book by Jane McGonigal.  I end up talking more about this book throughout this posting, but basically it is a book about gaming.  McGonigal (2011) discusses the concept of Fix 1 and Fix 2 (p. 22; p. 38).

Game suffering isn't quite the same as real life suffering, which makes it OK.  I might be frustrated by a level or trying to get something to work, but that struggle is going to feel like something I can overcome.  My real life struggle might not even be able to be overcome.  Overcoming is something we like.  It's hard work, but we end up getting positively rewarded (McGonical, 2011 p. 28).  That brings us to Fix 2 which is that games are something we can change, we are good at, and we enjoy.  I don't enjoy doing dishes.  I don't hate it, but I don't enjoy it.  Just like games, dishes never end.  I finish them all and a few hours later the work is undone.  There was no reward, I disliked it, and I have to repeat it (at least until I can afford a dishwasher!).  In games, I am playing because I like some part of the game.  I like the social interaction, I like the activity, I find it more enjoyable than whatever else I could/should be doing.  I would prefer to play a game to writing a literature review.  I don't dislike reading/writing, but I like being a Dark Elf exploring the forest for herbs to make a potion more.  I might have to search for a long time, but I know that I will find the herb, make the potion, and expand my magical abilities as a result.  I have fix 1 and fix 2 all rolled into one.  It is hard (fix 1) and I have to search for a long time.  I get frustrated, but I am eventually rewarded.  I enjoy it more than real life and I am good at the game (fix 2).  That makes me happy and I continue to play. 

I'm continuing with the game Settlers Online.  Although a bit frustrating at times (fix 1), it is enjoyable (fix 2).  The resources are somewhat difficult to obtain and it is important to find a balance between each resource.  If you are unfamiliar with this kind of game, here is a little bit of information.

Traits of the Game
The goal of the game is to have a thriving settlement.  You are the mayor and you want your city to grow, expand, and succeed.  There are no real rules.  You can technically play in anyway that leads to your success.  The only real "rule" is to be polite in game chat.  As far as gameplay, there are no real rules.  You can work hard to balance resources or pour everything into one or two areas and use that to trade for everything else.  Each player has their own method of what they think is best.  There are quests to level up and to guide the player, but you can technically disregard the majority of the quests, and find other ways to succeed.  This leaves it up to the player to be creative, to find their own success in the game.  The game has something called "voluntary participation" which is a concept discussed in a book by Jane McGonigal, which I discuss more in a bit.  She has four concepts that regardless of game genre, are central in each game.  Goal, rules, feedback system, and voluntary participation (p. 21).  I've already discussed the goals, the rules, and the feedback system of this game.  Those three concepts are more straightforward than voluntary participation.  The goal - how to win.  The rules - ways to get to the goal.  The feedback system - progress towards the goal.  The concept of "voluntary participation" is just that everyone playing the game is adhering to the first three to make it a mutually enjoyable experience. 

So how to make sure that everyone has a good experience.  There are rules that are unspoken (and often written somewhere and enforced by moderators) in all games like this.  It's basically don't be a jerk.  You come into the game as a noob (a new player) but don't waste everyone's time asking stupid questions that are easily accessible on the forum.  Don't beg for stuff in the game.  Don't be rude.  Don't be a jerk.  Don't insult.  Don't have too offensive of language (it's generally assumed that you are going to swear, but there is a limit and generally a conversation topic limit that is considered offensive and not OK).  One thing that would be different in any kind of educational setting is that the rules chance to match the setting.  I wouldn't call someone a *&$@ noob in a classroom, but that is probably OK to say in the setting of a game like say Halo.  The environment and the people playing with you match the setting.  In a game like Halo or World of Warcraft, we aren't teacher/student, we are peers.  We are friends playing a game killing aliens together.  The rules are assumed and somewhat unspoken.  The best thing I can think to compare it to is High School.  You sit outside between classes while some of your friends smoke.  The tone and language used is casual and friendly.  People are swearing, sometimes it is inappropriate, but it fits the situation.  You move into the classroom and the tone/language/words change.  The casual gaming environment is the smoking area out back of the high school where you are just hanging out with friends.  The game has the potential to switch environments and move into the classroom, but in this setting casual is the assumption and the language/manners/behaviors reflect that. 

Progress
In the top left corner of the screen is the player avatar showing your image, level, and progress to the next level.  This is also where you view active quests and collect the reward for those that you have finished.  In the screenshots below, the first window shows the player view.  My city is in the background.  My player profile picture, the masked red figure sits on the top left.  The quest dialogue box is currently open showing me the goals to make progress.  The feedback system is shown through this box and under my image, in the small semicircular partially filled green bar.  When that green reaches the far right side of the semicircle, I will progress to the next level. 

 

Unnecessary Obstacles

All games are filled with unnecessary obstacles.  In Settler's Online, the game has obstacles of getting resources, overcoming bandits to get land, not having enough workers, and other similar issues.  My goals are to try to balance my resources evenly, although this can be difficult to do.  I am trying to level up my buildings instead of building extra low level buildings.  In Settler's Online, you have a limited number of building permits.  You can purchase more (with actual $$ or earned gems) but the smart way to do it is to be careful in how many you allow for each type of item (wood cutter, farm, homes, and so on) and level those up to be better instead of making a bunch of cheap homes, I have many large homes that allow for more settlers to live in them.  The leveled up homes are larger, nicer looking, and have additional floors.  The feedback is continuous.  I am able to have my town continue.  My factories have enough raw resources to run or they don't.  That feedback allows me to make changes.  I complete quests to gain extra experience, which lets me level up, which allows access to items that can only be had at higher levels.  The obstacles of running out of wood or having a quarry collapse are part of the game - real life obstacles, in a more fun setting. 

Emotional Activation
 The intrinsic rewards that I am getting from the game are enjoying seeing my city succeed, my husband also plays so there is an element of both competition and cooperation (trade).  It is a nice break/distraction from other things that I have to do.  Occasionally I chat with other players and enjoy the social element of the game.  Consequences of playing the game could eventually be addiction.  I've played this type of game so much in the past that it doesn't hold the same appeal for me that it once did, but other similar games are easy to become addicted.  I'm a bit concerned about one of my favorite games who is launching a MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online.  I've spent far too much time playing these games.  I love sandbox games.  I love this universe.  This may be a difficult one to not spend more time than I should playing.  

Addictive Potential
Games have the potential to be addictive.  I've seen this in my own life.  I have a close friend who failed out of college because of Starcraft, another who failed her semester because of World of Warcraft (WOW), and another who missed his final exam because of Minecraft.  The video talks about life skills, such as managing money and the social interaction, but how these lessons and the interaction can interrupt "real life" by causing people to lose in-person friends or to be late to work.  I've lost sleep, had weird schedules, and avoided family/friend interaction to ensure that I would be able to play my game or meet my clan. 

McGonigal (2011) also addresses this, stating that "gamer addiction is a subject the industry takes seriously - it's a frequent topic at industry conferences and on game developer forums: what causes gamer addiction, and how can you help your player avoid it?" (p. 43).  Personally it seems like the industry would want addicted gamers, but McGonigal brings up a valid point that "the industry wants to create lifelong gamers: people who can balance their favorite games with full and active lives" (p. 43). 

Games - Love 'em or leave 'em
As I've mentioned earlier, this book by Jane McGonigal "Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World".  This book is talking about gamers/gaming and the real world relationship.  I like how she opens the book talking about how everyone has a bias.  You can't help it really.  Gamers and non-gamers are no different when it comes to opinions about gaming.  McGonigal (2011) states that the terms associated with gaming are ones that can have negative connotations, such as "player" or "playing the game" and even the term "game" (p.19). 

So regardless of your personal feelings towards games, hopefully after reading this blog, you are a bit more educated to the potential benefits and the potential negative side of gaming.   I personally feel that the good outweighs the bad, and my own bias has me hear the word gamer and associate it with someone more like myself than not.  Others may hear the word and their first instinct is still based on a bias that views gaming as something done by nerds in dark rooms who have no lives or is just something silly to waste time.  Regardless of your opinion, I urge you to keep an open mind when considering the impact that gaming has on students today and the potential to help us keep our students learning effectively and engaged.