Games for digital humanities

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Game-Based Learning V.S. Gamification

•Game-based learning is training that uses game elements to teach a specific skill or achieve a specific learning outcome. It takes your core content and objectives and makes it fun.

•Gamification is the application of game mechanics in a non-game context to promote desired behavior and drive learning outcomes. Think points, badges, leader boards and incentives.

Gamification

•Gamification is the idea of adding game elements to a nongame situation. Corporate reward programs are a good example. They reward users for certain behaviors.

•Starbucks has done a fine job of getting me to spend more money through their rewards program. It’s not the most sophisticated form of gamification, but I am rewarded for making purchases and can earn extra levels by earning stars based on the program structure. Programs like this have added a scoring game mechanic to commerce.

Apps for vocabulary learning

Game-Based Learning

•Unlike gamification, game-based learning relates to the use of games to enhance the learning experience. Educators have been using games in the classroom for years.

•Commercial games like SimCity, Civilization, World of Warcraft, Mineraft, and Portal 2 have found their way into many a classroom.

Massively multiplayer online role-playing games as arenas for second language learning

Contemporary MMORPGs, such as the popular World of Warcraft, retain the use of fantasy themes based on character role-play, real-time communication with other players, interaction with non-player characters and progression in the game through the completion of tasks known as quests. As is the case with earlier networked-games, MMORPGs require communication and teamwork between players as they form alliances that are necessary to complete required quests. However, modern MMORPGs incorporate a number of features made possible by advances in computer technology. The use of text chat as the primary means of communication between users within a game has been supplemented by the use of voice communication tools. This development has enabled game players to utilize both visual and auditory channels during communication. The dramatic expansion of the Internet has enabled designers to vastly expand the scope of network-based games to enable very large numbers of players to interact within a game world at any given time. Current MMORPGs are large-scale permanent virtual worlds providing access to high-quality 3D graphic interfaces that are characterized by a high degree of realism and immersion.

Motivation

In an effective e-learning game, the learner’s enjoyment acts as a catalyst to encourage his/her learning initiative.

In the e-learning environment, a wide array of complex problems is associated with encouraging students’ willingness to take the initiative in the learning process. To transform the e-learning environment into something more than a source of information for students, the venue must provide incentives for learners to accumulate learning experience.

Thus, the design of a curriculum that is interesting enough for students to immerse themselves in (Virou et al., 2005) and frequently reflect upon is one of the main challenges in the field of e-learning (Kiili, 2005a).

Game-based learning

•To overcome this challenge, an increasing number of researchers have suggested a fusion of gaming and e-learning in the recent years.

•The aim has been to alter the student’s motivations by taking advantage of the characteristics of games (such as the challenges posed by them), as this may ultimately improve the student’s learning experience (Freitas & Oliver, 2006; Brothers, 2007). Based on the research conducted by members of the National Training Laboratories, researchers considered that learning games should fall into the category of practice by doing on the Learning Pyramid, which owned 75% retention rate. This is significantly higher than the retention rate produced by traditional-type e-learning approaches, such as lectures (5%), reading material (10%), and audio/visual material (20%) (Dale, 1969; Brothers, 2007).

•The study has shown that e-learning games help students to devote longer periods of time to their studies and to perceive more interesting (Fu & Yu, 2006).

Game-based learning –

1. Concentration

1. The game grabs my attention

2. The game provides content that stimulates my attention

3. Most of the gaming activities are related to the learning task

4. No distraction from the task is highlighted

5. Generally speaking, I can remain concentrated in the game

6. I am not distracted from tasks that the player should concentrate on

7. I am not burdened with tasks that seem unrelated

8. Workload in the game is adequate

2. Goal Clarity

1. Overall game goals were presented in the beginning of the game

2. Overall game goals were presented clearly

3. Intermediate goals were presented in the beginning of each scene

4. Intermediate goals were presented clearly

5. I understand the learning goals through the game

3. Feedback

1. I receive feedback on my progress in the game

2. I receive immediate feedback on my actions

3. I am notified of new tasks immediately

4. I am notified of new events immediately

5. I receive information on my success (or failure) of intermediate goals immediately

6. I receive information on my status, such as score or level

4. Challenge

1. I enjoy the game without feeling bored or anxious

2. The challenge is adequate, neither too difficult nor too easy

3. The game provides ‘‘hints” in text that help me overcome the challenges

4. The game provides ‘‘online support” that helps me overcome the challenges

5. The game provides video or audio auxiliaries that help me overcome the challenges

6. My skill gradually improves through the course of overcoming the challenges

7. I am encouraged by the improvement of my skills

8. The difficulty of challenges increase as my skills improved.

9. The game provides new challenges with an appropriate pacing

10. The game provides different levels of challenges that tailor to different players

5. Autonomy

1. I feel a sense of control the menu (such as start, stop, save, etc.)

2. I feel a sense of control over actions of roles or objects

3. I feel a sense of control over interactions between roles or objects

4. The game does not allow players to make errors to a degree that they cannot progress in the game

5. The game supports my recovery from errors

6. I feel that I can use strategies freely

7. I feel a sense of control and impact over the game

8. I know next step in the game

9. I feel a sense of control over the game

6. Immersion

1. I forget about time passing while playing the game

2. I become unaware of my surroundings while playing the game

3. I temporarily forget worries about everyday life while playing the game

4. I experience an altered sense of time

5. I can become involved in the game

6. I feel emotionally involved in the game

7. I feel viscerally involved in the game

7. Social interaction

1. I feel cooperative toward other classmates

2. I strongly collaborate with other classmates

3. The cooperation in the game is helpful to the learning

4. The game supports social interaction between players (chat, etc)

5. The game supports communities within the game

6. The game supports communities outside the game

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8. Knowledge improvement

1. The game increases my knowledge

2. I catch the basic ideas of the knowledge taught

3. I try to apply the knowledge in the game

4. The game motivates the player to integrate the knowledge taught

5. I want to know more about the knowledge taught

Types and purposes of games

What are the features of these games?

Why are they effective?

1. Tutorial games

•Tutorial games are games specifically designed for educational purposes, and are normally of simple design and involve a small numbers of game features (Criswell, 2009).

•For example, Young and Wang’s (2014) game asked students to select target words from candidate answers based on given pictures on the screen, and then students pronounce the words to cross over various barriers.

•Wu and Huang’s (2017) game provided English or Chinese vocabulary definitions or sentences and asked learners to practice the spelling of target words by connecting adjacent letters on the system interface to form English words.

2. Simulation games

•Simulation games create real or imaginary contexts where players solve problems and complete missions in simulated situations (Khenissi et al., 2016; Reiners & Wood, 2015).

•Ranalli (2008) investigated a game that asked students to play roles in a virtual family of members called Sims to help them find jobs, decorate homes and solve problems related to daily life.

•In Sylven and Sundqvist’s (2012) study, various games were involved, some of which were simulation games (e.g. The Sims, Restaurant City, etc.), while some were role-playing games, such as World of Warcraft and Call of Duty.

•Franciosi’s (2017) game simulated energy production and conservation and introduced new words about energy through form-meaning matching exercises

3. Role-playing games

•Role-playing games have learners take certain roles and act them out to complete tasks (Cornillie, Thorne, & Desmet, 2012).

•In Hwang and Wang’s (2016) empirical study, the participants learned vocabulary about daily life by playing the roles of children who helped parents do housework and buy groceries. Vocabulary flash cards, cloze and multiplechoice exercises were employed as supplementary exercises for the game.

4. Motion-sensing games

•Motion-sensing games use technologies to track players’ body movements and integrate these as a partial fulfillment of game completion (Chuang & Kuo, 2016).

•Huang and Huang’s (2015) game has participants/ students moving their hands to control the directions of cars, breaking through barricades of different missions, collecting fruit and completing associated spelling exercises.

•And in Pan’s (2017) study, participants learned target vocabulary by answering form-meaning matching questions and selecting answers via four kicking motions.

5. 3D Virtual games

•Virtual games provide players with virtual worlds for better immersion.

•One example was Luccioni, Benotti and Landragin’s (2015) 3D virtual game, which allowed learners to see and interact with the objects in the game from diverse angles, viewpoints and observation points.

6. Adventure games

•Adventure games normally have interactive storylines driven by exploration and puzzle-solving and involve game characteristics such as fantasy, rules, goals and challenges, stimuli and competition or cooperation (Sandberg, Maris, & Hoogendoorn, 2014).

•Sandberg et al.’s (2014) game had two modes: in the zoo animal mode, players were asked to find escaped animals and put them back in the zoo; in the neighborhood mode, players needed to identify items in a collage screen of all items.

7. Card games

•In card games, much like many other games, players take turns to play (Tsai, Tsai, & Lin, 2015).

•In one example study, McGraw, Yoshimoto and Seneff (2009) introduced a card game development platform and a game named Word War. This game was played in two modes in the their study: in the speaking mode, learners manipulated game cards by giving spoken commands; in the listening mode, they manipulated the cards by following computer directions with their mouse.

8. Board games

•Board games normally involve boards where counters or pieces are moved or placed by players according to certain rules.

•Wei, Kao, Lu and Liu’s (2018) game was developed based on Monopoly. Similar rules were applied, and the interface consisted of ‘vocabulary tests, movement rolls, travel, and card areas’ (Wei et al., 2018, p.148). Players learn target vocabulary by rolling the digital dice, completing cloze exercises and reviewing the completed practices.

9. Serious games

•Serious games, which aim to motivate students’ learning through entertainment, feature three main advantages in educational contexts:

1. applying actions rather than explanations to promote motivation and satisfaction;

2. providing personalized learning experiences that can massively accommodate diverse students’ learning styles, goals and levels; and

3. scaffolding decision-making and problem-solving activities in a virtual setting (Guillen-Nieto & Aleson-Carbonell, 2012).

Selected publications about Game for digital humanities

1. Zou, D. & Xie, H. R. (2018). Flipping an English writing class with technology-enhanced just-in-time teaching and peer instruction. Interactive Learning Environments, doi.10.1080/10494820.2018.1495654.

2. Chen, M. P., Wang, L. C., Zou, D., Lin, S. Y. & Xie, H. R. (2019). Effects of caption and gender on junior high students’ EFL learning from iMap-enhanced contextualized learning. Computers & Education, 140, 103602.

3. Zou, D., Huang, Y. & Xie, H. R. (2019). Digital game-based vocabulary learning: Where are we and where are we going?. Computer Assisted Language Learning. doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.1640745.

4. Zou, D. & Xie, H. R. (2018). Personalized word-learning based on technique feature analysis and learning analytics. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 21(2), 233-244.

5. Zou, D. & Lambert, J. (2017). Feedback methods for Student Voice in the digital age. British Journal of Educational Technology. British Journal of Educational Technology, 48(5), 1081-1091.

6. Zhang, R. & Zou, D.* (2020). Types, purposes, and effectiveness of state-of-the-art technologies for second and foreign language learning. Computer Assisted Language Learning. https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/SMJFRDJZNEJERCEBZMPR/full?target=10.1080/09588221.2020.1744666

7. Chen, M.P., Wang, L.C., Zou, D.*, Lin, S.Y., Xie, H., & Tsai, C.C. (2020). Effects of captions and English proficiency on learning effectiveness, motivation and attitude in augmented-reality-enhanced theme-based contextualized EFL learning. Computer Assisted Language Learning, doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.1704787