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Games of Concept (Type 2 of 4) - Applications For Mastery

An in-depth look at the second of the four categories of game-based learning: Games of Concept, or "Applications". This will include a definition, how it connects to Bloom's Taxonomy, several examples, and what instructors can learn from their use.

 

Last Time

Last week we learned about Games of Data and their unique role in education. Due to their simple nature, instant-engagement structure, and linear learning abilities, these games are perfect for supporting for instruction within Remembering and Understanding within Bloom's Taxonomy. They are also extremely cost-effective; however, they are limited in supporting higher-order thinking. As we move up within Bloom's Taxonomy, we must pass the baton to a more complex type of educational games.

 

Games Of Concept - "Applications"

In a similar manner to my post on Games of Data, I will present the following information:

  • Definitions of Concept and Games of Concept

  • The steps involved with producing a Game of Concept

  • How it is used in learning (Bloom's Taxonomy)

  • Top Strengths and Weaknesses

However, I will begin with an example that best demonstrates all of these things.

Human Resource Machine is a computer and mobile phone game developed by Tomorrow Corporation. In this game's story, the player takes the role of a low-level employee at a massive company and must climb up the corporate ladder by completing tasks in which they must move boxes.

Each floor in the skyscraper is a new puzzle to solve. Player must create a set of commands in the tab on the right and organize them to ensure that the "inbox" (boxes with letters and numbers on the left) are organized in the correct way to produce the proper result and send it into the "outbox" on the right.

For example, in the picture above the challenge is to "Send only the ZEROs to the OUTBOX." (as indicated at the top-right). The player must use the correct series of commands and loops to make sure that the little human they control "throws away" every non-zero box and sends every zero box to the outbox.

Watch the video below to view this specific challenge in gameplay. You can rewind and watch more of the levels in the game if you wish.

The game uses great music, sound effects, and a framing story about robots taking over the earth as a background to the puzzle-based gameplay. However, it has a much more deliberative goal than it first appears.

The game follows a fairly linear path, starting with very simple concepts and puzzles and building on top of them as players move from floor-to-floor up the skyscraper. Over time, players are exposed to concepts in For Loops, While Loops, Modulo Operations, Control Flow, and more as they apply them in strategic situations to complete challenges and progress in the game. However, the game never uses any of these terms - instead, it uses words like "jump," "copy to," "if negative," and "if zero" in their instructions and gameplay.

Those with a background in computer science might have already caught on, but I will clarify for those who do not know - Human Resource Machine is teaching players how to program code without them even realizing it. It relies on players having a basic understanding of math, but otherwise teaches them a vast array of concepts by making them apply their knowledge in puzzle-based scenarios.

However, it gets better than that. Take a look at the video above or the image below and you will notice something:

The game studies your behavior and provides feedback based on the optimization of your code - that is, how efficiently your instructions completed the challenge. If your code used more commands than necessary ("size challenge") or forced the animated human to perform too many steps ("speed challenge") to complete the level, then it will challenge you to restart the level and think of ways to improve your code in order to achieve a higher result.

So, to review, Human Resource Machine is a game that accomplishes the following:

  • Makes itself accessible to anyone that understands basic math

  • Breaks down difficult concepts into short levels that players can complete

  • Requires players to apply previous concepts in conjunction with newer concepts

  • Visually represents concepts in coding in a way that is memorable and engaging

  • Provides instant feedback for players and provides challenges to shape their learning towards optimizing their code

  • Tells a story about the characters and environment that adds to the weight of the player's actions

  • Offers additional "Bonus Levels" which are significantly more difficult, allowing players to push themselves if they wish

  • Secretly teaches players how to conceptualize computer programming without ever stating it.

Unsurprisingly, Human Resource Machine won awards from Apple and the International Mobile Games Awards (IMGA) in 2016 forTop Educational Games and Excellence in Innovation, respectively.

Let's unpack more about Games of Concept to find out why this game was successful, both in engaging players and in teaching valuable content. While you're at it, you might also consider purchasing Human Resource Machine and experiencing the fun yourself.

 

Defining Our Terms

Concept:

An abstract or generic idea generalized from particular instances.

(Merriam-Webster)

Concept (In Education):

An abstract idea which has variable applications.

Examples of Concepts:

  • Newton's Laws of Motion

  • Hospitality in Panhellenic Society

  • Quadratic Equation

  • Role of Religion in Mesopotamian Civilization

  • Impact of Animal Domestication on Disease

  • DNA and Genetic Mutation

  • For Loops in Coding

Games of Concept:

Activities which use game mechanics to help students master concepts through variable application; that is, using a series of slightly-altered environments to refine the student's understanding of the abstract idea.

It is easy to see this demonstrated in Human Resource Machine - each level provides a slightly-different puzzle for the player to complete, giving them the chance to learn from the variable application of the relevant concepts. Over time these can be stacked together to produce truly challenging problems, but players will be able to complete these easily thanks to the finely-tuned difficulty curve of the levels in the game.

 

Games of Concept in Learning

So where do Games of Concept fit into the hierarchy of cognitive development?

Right here:

Games of Concept are extremely useful at providing an guided, effective, and engaging system for mastering critical concepts. Through their variable application, they make it easy for students to apply concepts to new situations and analyze new problems with a systematic approach.

In simple terms, Games of Concept are the perfect answer to the question, "How can we make sure that they know how to do this thing well?"

However, unlike their cousins in the Games of Data, the Games of Concept are infrequently used in education and are rarely designed with the same production value as Human Resource Machine. There are several reasons why this might be the case, but we'll address that below as well as in our post on Gamification in Education.

 

Games of Concept: Top Strengths

1. Applying Concepts

The best way to ensure a student understands a concept is to have them apply it in many different ways. Due to the self-pacing, intensive feedback, and well-tuned difficulty curve of Games of Concept, players can discover, learn, apply, and master increasingly complex ideas in the fraction of the time of traditional instructional models.

2. Analyzing Situations

When students are required to progress through a series of challenges which alter the application of their concepts, they learn to develop a framework for dissecting new problems and a system for constructing solutions to those problems. Not only do Games of Concept support this by providing those variable challenges, but the games can be specifically designed to help students develop effective frameworks and systems by showing students the steps it takes to efficiently solve a problem and providing incentives for them to use those steps as they complete their challenges.

3. Comprehensive Assessment

For instructional settings focused on ensuring that their students have mastered concepts vital to their success (such as corporate training, pre-professional programs, and targeted learning centers), Games of Concept are by a wide margin the most confident way to assess their abilities. These games can be programmed to include every relevant situation to the work of the student. In addition, their capacity for intensive feedback means that teachers can use them to qualify with specificity and certainty the preparedness of their students for success.

 

Games of Concept: Top Weaknesses

1. Remembering Data

Players using Games of Concept do not walk away remembering the things that they did; they remember how they did it. Games like these are less effective at teaching data (like dates, names, facts, or trivia) because data cannot be use for variable application. These games are too linear and specific to help with data acquisition.

2. Interdisciplinary Instruction

Games of Concept are both specific in content and relatively linear in progression. This means that it necessarily cuts-off the potential for students to connect their learning in one concept with their understanding of a separate concept. For fields that are focused on practical knowledge (maths, sciences, languages) this is acceptable, but for fields that are naturally interdisciplinary (humanities, social studies, arts) this can limit learning in a holistic sense.

3. Cost To Develop & Implement

In environments where instructors are hoping to teach a broad array of topics and concepts, effective Games of Concept are either too rare or too expensive because they are forced to focus on specific fields and knowledge bases. However, as educators increasingly invest in technologies to aid their instruction, the infinitely-scalable business model of most Games of Concept will make these applications accessible to more students in the future.

 

Conclusion: What Did We Learn?

  1. Concepts are abstract ideas which can be effectively learned through variable application.

  2. Games of Concept are powerful resources for helping students master new concepts by providing a series of variable applications with a finely-tuned difficulty curve.

  3. In addition, Games of Concept are great at helping students discover frameworks for analyzing problems and systems for solving them.

  4. Furthermore, Games of Concept provide some of the most powerful comprehensive assessment of student mastery of ideas.

  5. However, due to the specific and linear nature of Games of Concept, they can be costly to develop and difficult to use in instructional settings with broad learning objectives.

Games of Concept will continue to rise in popularity as developers find niches in practical or pre-professional learning programs in which they can build meaningful games. However, they lack the immersive potential to enable students to acquire skills or habits in their development. For this, we must pass the baton again to the next type of educational games.

 

Next Time

We will investigate Games of Skill ("Simulations") and discuss the role it plays in helping students achieve mechanistic competency in learning. We'll then provide several examples and weigh the advantages and disadvantages it plays in educational settings.

Next Post:

 

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