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Educational aspect in games?
Author
Im supposed to make a 3D simulation gaming engine but on top of it...(unfortunately) im supposed to make an educational game. can ne1 think of some game having a broad educational aspect n that also makes use of the engine fully ?
i want creative ideas...!
On a long enough time line, the survival rate drops to zero.
Ever heard of that game, "Typing of the Dead" ? Well, to make things short, each monster on the screen had a random word linked to it, and if you typed that word, you would hit the monster.
This kind of game mechanics can be extended to other areas, such as making forms for each action (for instance, opening a door would require calculating something, going through a checkpoint would require playing hangman, etc...). The player would be able to move fluently through the world, but once in a while, when a special action is required, a quiz or question appears.
Just one additional idea: a role-playing game. Your first ability is to attack using addition. For instance, you would be asked to answer 1 + 2 = ?. If you answered anything but 3, you''d miss your shot/swing/whatever, otherwise you''d score a 1-damage hit. Then you''d learn another attack: substraction. An old sage would explain to you how it works. Then when you fight, you''d be able to choose addition or substraction, the latter inflicting 2 points of damage but being harder.
Multiply axb -> 3 damage
Multiply axbc -> 4 damage
Multiply abxcd -> 5 damage
Divide ab/c -> 8 damage
Find x so a/b = c/x -> 12 damage
Find x so a/b + c/d = x/(b+d) -> 15 damage
and so on...
Or maybe the first attack would be: ooo (apples) = ? (answer is 3).
Cheers, ToohrVyk.
This kind of game mechanics can be extended to other areas, such as making forms for each action (for instance, opening a door would require calculating something, going through a checkpoint would require playing hangman, etc...). The player would be able to move fluently through the world, but once in a while, when a special action is required, a quiz or question appears.
Just one additional idea: a role-playing game. Your first ability is to attack using addition. For instance, you would be asked to answer 1 + 2 = ?. If you answered anything but 3, you''d miss your shot/swing/whatever, otherwise you''d score a 1-damage hit. Then you''d learn another attack: substraction. An old sage would explain to you how it works. Then when you fight, you''d be able to choose addition or substraction, the latter inflicting 2 points of damage but being harder.
Multiply axb -> 3 damage
Multiply axbc -> 4 damage
Multiply abxcd -> 5 damage
Divide ab/c -> 8 damage
Find x so a/b = c/x -> 12 damage
Find x so a/b + c/d = x/(b+d) -> 15 damage
and so on...
Or maybe the first attack would be: ooo (apples) = ? (answer is 3).
Cheers, ToohrVyk.
Author
i guess the idea is very interesting but the thing is that dya think it''d b able 2 exhibit the capabilities of a 3D graphics rendering simulation engine ? the idea is pretty good but i just want something more than wat we can do with sprites =)
On a long enough time line, the survival rate drops to zero.
On a long enough time line, the survival rate drops to zero.
Any marginally competent programmer would have been able to code Final Fantasy X from a game mechanics point of view... But it took lots of hard work to create all graphical environment.
If your engine allows for loads of eye candy, just do it ;-)
Cheers, ToohrVyk
If your engine allows for loads of eye candy, just do it ;-)
Cheers, ToohrVyk
quote: Original post by b1llz
Im supposed to make a 3D simulation gaming engine...
So, you must program an engine, right?
And what do you exactly mean by simulation gaming engine?
quote: Original post by b1llz
im supposed to make an educational game
And you must also use your engine to do it, right?
...wow, that's a lot of work!
quote:
and if you typed that word, you would hit the monster.
I would prefer a different way. Killing monsters isn't very nice in educational games. Letting "word-bombs" fall that you must destroy before reaching the ground or some non-violent context would be better.
This could also be done in 3D, with a small spheric world in the middle.
Well, these were my comments, and here are my ideas:
1) Move "old-school" games to 3D. I don't mean putting 3D for the same unchanged game but extend it's playfield to 3D. Have you ever imaginated to play chess on a 8x8x8 board? (Damn, i love the idea!) The only very know yet is a connect 4 game in 3D with a 4x4x4 playfield, the natural extension of the classic 7x6 playfield.
Educative is maybe not the right attribute, but it makes the brain really work!
2) If you want something that is learning something, purely educative, then you must first know what you want to learn. Maths, knoweldge, physics, culture?... For each, you must find a way how they will learn it. knoweldge with question-answer, maths with exercices, physics with examples-conclusions, culture with discoveries... Each have their own preferences on the way to be teached... Once you've found what and how to be teached, you can find out a interestiong an plotting context. Rules: crazy, colorfull, animated, diversified, rewarding, highly interactive => result: interesting!!! and not violent, boring or ridiculous.
And if you don't have ideas, ask kids! (we aldults are also only big kids! ;-))
cheers
[edited by - misterX on September 15, 2002 11:23:01 AM]
Author
ya basically i definitely hav to make an engine n by simulation engine i mean a kinda engine that''s more suited for cityscapes and outdoors like a kinda engine that handles games more like Driver, GTA3 just as examples. Simulation in a sense that we''re gonna hav to model a whole city sorta stuff and real life objects like vehicles...unlike Quake or other FPS where indoors r emphasised...
u guyz gave pretty good ideas but if i could get just a clear eduacational storyline...colors, characters kids love to interact with, places kids love to be in, stuff kids love to do are the thing im definitely planning...but just a clear creative storyline...if someone could just..
so far the ideas hav been very helpful..i must say
cheers
On a long enough time line, the survival rate drops to zero.
u guyz gave pretty good ideas but if i could get just a clear eduacational storyline...colors, characters kids love to interact with, places kids love to be in, stuff kids love to do are the thing im definitely planning...but just a clear creative storyline...if someone could just..
so far the ideas hav been very helpful..i must say
cheers
On a long enough time line, the survival rate drops to zero.
kay so dropping in a multiplication question or a hangman game at every bend in the game would definatly make it educational.. but its not hidden. why would anyone play the game if they''re constantly bombarded with math questions. thats not education, thats homework.
why not make the game some sort of time travel game and make it a history lesson in the process. you would be able to take advantage of the 3d engine.. and then u just have to visually throw history at the person. u could go back to gettysburg, ancient egypt/rome, middle ages, etc. educational value in a game doesn''t allways have to be obvious to the player that they''re learning something.
"The human mind is limited only by the bounds which we impose upon ourselves." -iNfuSeD
why not make the game some sort of time travel game and make it a history lesson in the process. you would be able to take advantage of the 3d engine.. and then u just have to visually throw history at the person. u could go back to gettysburg, ancient egypt/rome, middle ages, etc. educational value in a game doesn''t allways have to be obvious to the player that they''re learning something.
"The human mind is limited only by the bounds which we impose upon ourselves." -iNfuSeD
Henry Jenkins has been doing some research with this. You might remember him as the guy who has been testifying in front of congress an behalf of the game industry.
Games-to-Teach
Henry Jenkins
Phriction
Games-to-Teach
Henry Jenkins
Phriction
Thanks, I''ll check those out, I''m really into the slowly-emerging field of educational video games myself.
Brian Lacy
Smoking Monkey Studios
Comments? Questions? Curious?
brian@smoking-monkey.org
"I create. Therefore I am."
Brian Lacy
Smoking Monkey Studios
Comments? Questions? Curious?
brian@smoking-monkey.org
"I create. Therefore I am."
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