1. TEN PRINCIPLES WE
CAN LEARN FROM GAME
DESIGNERS
JULIE DIRKSEN
USABLE LEARNING

2. © Usable Learning 2013
BUT FIRST, MEET ALLISON
Allison is a brand
new instructional
designer, who just
got hired for her first
job.
I’m really excited – I studied game-
based learning in school, and my new
boss is really enthusiastic about the
idea!

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Donald, Allison’s
new boss is pretty
enthusiastic.
HER BOSS IS ON BOARD…
We hired Allison partly because she
can bring a fresh new perspective.
I’ll need to coach her on the
business end, but she’s got some
great ideas.
We are going to find a learning
game project for her right away.

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…there’s a new development…
BUT THEN….
Hey, Allison, I have
some great news!
I just got the offer to head
up all of South American
training!
It’ll be a chance to perfect
my salsa moves.
And oh yeah – you’re
getting a new boss.

5. © Usable Learning 2013
Lena is not a “game-y”
person.
THE NEW BOSS
I’m not sure I see the business
value of games for learning.
Allison is going to have be pretty
convincing, and make the case for
this project.

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Green Work Practices Software Training
Safety Compliance
ALLISON’S DILEMMA

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MAKING THE CASE
Video
Game
Stare

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 Making the business case
MAKING THE CASE FOR GAMES
Lena needs more than
“engagement” to
convince her.
Secret:
It’s not really about engagement.

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THE BOSS PRIZE OF E-LEARNING
Familiarization
Comprehension
Conscious Effort
Conscious Action
Proficiency
Unconscious Competence
- From Electronic Performance Support Systems by Gloria Gery

10. Glucose Metabolic Rate after several weeks of Tetris Practice

11. Tip #1DESIGN FOR FEEDBACK

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 What does the
feedback loop look
like?
FEEDBACK

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CYCLES OF EXPERTISE
Principle: Expertise is formed in any area by
repeated cycles of learners practicing skills
until they are nearly automatic, then having
those skills fail in ways that cause the
learners to have to think again and learn
anew...
Games: Good games create and support the
cycle of expertise...This is, in fact, part of
what constitutes good pacing in a game.
- James Paul Gee

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ANYBODY EVERY PLAYED DINER DASH?

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How often do users get feedback in e-Learning?
FEEDBACK FREQUENCY

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Positive Feedback
Negative Feedback
Reward
Punishment
BETTER THAN A SKINNER BOX

17. Tip #2TALK TO THE ELEPHANT

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 How long is your attention span?
FIRST, LET’S START WITH ATTENTION

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 Let’s talk about attention…
LET’S START WITH THE ELEPHANT
Jonathan Haidt, The Happiness Hypothesis

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THE RIDER

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THE ELEPHANT

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SO, WHEN THERE’S A CONFLICT…
Who do you think wins?

23. Tip #3URGENCY MATTERS

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URGENCY MATTERS
We are creatures of urgency:
Maybe I should
consider
retirement
planning…Basically, the elephant is
bad at waiting for stuff.

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WE HAVE TROUBLE WITH THIS…
We are also loss averse…

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WHICH DO YOU THINK WORKS BETTER:
I guess I’ll
be glad I
know this
someday…
I’m really
glad I know
this now…

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AND THE FUTURE IS SOOOOO FAR AWAY…

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WE MAKE DECISIONS DIFFERENTLY FOR OUR
FUTURE SELVES
Current self
Future self
Pronin et al 2008

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IT’S ABOUT CAKE VS FRUIT SALAD
Shiv and Fedorikhin 1999
Heart and Mind in Conflict: The Interplay of Affect and Cognition in Consumer Decision Making

30. Tip #4ACCOMPLISHMENTS

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 Instead of WIIFM, How about
WCIDWT?
PURPOSE

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WCIDWT?

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 A goal needs to be an accomplishment
GOALS = ACCOMPLISHMENTS
You completed Module 4!
I crushed the quarterly
sales goal!

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 Would you rather:
THEY NEED TO BE INTERESTING CHOICES
Go
faster
Be
safer

36. Tip #5
STRUCTURED FLOW OF
GOALS

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NEXT, LET’S TALK ABOUT GOALS
Image Credit – Sebastian Deterding
http://www.slideshare.net/dings/dont-play-games-with-me-promises-and-pitfalls-of-gameful-design

40. © Usable Learning 2013
EVER BEEN ROCK CLIMBING?

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Image Credit – Sebastian Deterding
http://www.slideshare.net/dings/dont-play-games-with-me-promises-and-pitfalls-of-gameful-design
MICRO-LEVEL GOALS

42. © Usable Learning 2013
MEDIUM GOALS
Image Credit – Sebastian Deterding
http://www.slideshare.net/dings/dont-play-games-with-me-promises-and-pitfalls-of-gameful-design

43. © Usable Learning 2013
Image Credit – Sebastian Deterding
http://www.slideshare.net/dings/dont-play-games-with-me-promises-and-pitfalls-of-gameful-design
END GOAL!

44. © Usable Learning 2013
BUT WAIT…
5.0 to 5.4 There are two hand- and two footholds for every move; the
holds become progressively smaller as the number increases.
5.5 to 5.6 The two hand- and two footholds are there, obvious to the
experienced, but not necessarily so to the beginner.
5.7 The move is missing one hand- or foothold.
5.8 The move is missing two holds of the four, or missing only one but
is very strenuous.
5.9 The move has only one reasonable hold which may be for either a
foot or a hand.
5.10 No hand- or footholds. The choices are to pretend a hold is there,
pray a lot, or go home.
5.11 After thorough inspection you conclude this move is obviously
impossible; however, occasionally someone actually accomplishes it.
Since there is nothing for a handhold, grab it with both hands.
5.12 The surface is as smooth as glass and vertical. No one has really
ever made this move, although a few claim they have.
5.13 This is identical to 5.12 except it is located under overhanging
rock."

45. © Usable Learning 2013
THERE’S MORE…
5.0 to 5.4 There are two hand- and two footholds for every move; the
holds become progressively smaller as the number increases.
5.5 to 5.6 The two hand- and two footholds are there, obvious to the
experienced, but not necessarily so to the beginner.
5.7 The move is missing one hand- or foothold.
5.8 The move is missing two holds of the four, or missing only one but is
very strenuous.
5.9 The move has only one reasonable hold which may be for either a foot
or a hand.
5.10 No hand- or footholds. The choices are to pretend a hold is there,
pray a lot, or go home.
5.11 After thorough inspection you conclude this move is obviously
impossible; however, occasionally someone actually accomplishes it.
Since there is nothing for a handhold, grab it with both hands.
5.12 The surface is as smooth as glass and vertical. No one has really
ever made this move, although a few claim they have.
5.13 This is identical to 5.12 except it is located under overhanging rock."

46. Demo: Allen
Interactions

47. Demo: Allen
Interactions

48. Demo: Allen
Interactions

49. Tip #6INCREASING DIFFICULTY

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EVEN IF YOU DON’T NOTICE IT…

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EVEN IF YOU DON’T NOTICE IT…
The Art of
Game Design
By
Jesse Schell

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HOW ABOUT MONOPOLY?

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POP QUIZ
How you do you say:
“Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi”
cheat code

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WHAT’S FLOW?
Flow: The Psychology of
Optimal Experience
By
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

55. ArousalAnxiety
Worry Control
RelaxationApathy Boredom
Flow
Low Skill Level High
ChallengeLevel
High
Low

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THE FLOW CHANNEL
Challenge
Ability
- Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

57. Tip #7
DESIGN FOR
AUTOMATICITY

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WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE BRAIN?

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WHAT IS GOING ON WHEN YOU ARE
LEARNING SOMETHING NEW?
Well, areas like
your frontal cortex
gets busy. It starts
burning a lot of
fuel, and hits its
limits pretty quickly.

60. © Usable Learning 2013
WHAT IS GOING ON WHEN YOU USING A
REGULAR PATTERN YOU ALREADY KNOW?
That leverages
parts of the
brain/brain
functions that can
run without a lot of
conscious attention.

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MOST CLASSES ARE BIKING
STRAIGHT UPHILL
New New New New New New
Whew!

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GAMES, ON THE OTHER HAND…
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Level 6
Some new
stuff, pretty
easy
though
Stuff you
know plus
a bit more
Stuff you
know,
maybe a
little
faster
Stuff you
know plus
a bit
more
Stuff you
know,
kicked up
a notch
Boss Fight

63. Glucose Metabolic Rate after several weeks of Tetris Practice

64. © Usable Learning 2013
IT ALSO ALLOWS YOU TO PAY
ATTENTION TO WHAT’S DIFFERENT.
In this model, everything is new and
everything is important (so nothing is).
Whew
!

65. © Usable Learning 2013
IT ALSO ALLOWS YOU TO PAY
ATTENTION TO WHAT’S DIFFERENT.
In this model, the new material is
mixed in with existing stuff, so the
new material stands out.
Whew
!

66. © Usable Learning 2013
KEEP IT BALANCED
Challenge
Ability

67. Tip #8MAKE THINGS VISCERAL

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LET’S TALK ABOUT VISCERAL FEEDBACK
http://vhil.stanford.edu/pubs/2011/VHIL-technical-report.pdf

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CONSEQUENCE-BASED FEEDBACK
 “Incorrect, a better
choice would be to
establish a perimeter
before proceeding
into the secure
area.”
 BLAM!
“You just triggered a
secondary device,
killing yourself and
several bystanders…”
This is opinion... …while this is data.

70. Tip #9MAKE IT FUN

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TYPES OF FUN
Fiero or Hard Fun
Overcoming Challenges,
Solving Puzzles
Easy Fun
Curiosity, Exploration,
Discovery and Surprise
People Fun Socializing,
Collaboration
Serious Fun Excitement,
Relaxation
Nicole Lazzaro: The 4 Fun Keys

72. © Usable Learning 2013
TAXONOMY OF GAME PLEASURES
Leblanc's Taxonomy of
Game Pleasures
 1. Sensation
 2. Fantasy
 3. Narrative
 4. Challenge
 5. Fellowship
 6. Discovery
 7. Expression
 8. Submission
Additional (Schell)
 Anticipation
 Delight in another's
misfortune
 Gift giving
 Humor
 Possibility
 Pride in an accomplishment
 Purification (and Set
Completion)
 Surprise
 Thrill
 Triumph over adversity
 Wonder

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 There’s no such thing as mandatory
fun.
GAME EXPERIENCE - FUN
Hmm…I realize that
gaming experiences
are fundamentally
subjective, but
objectively speaking,
this game is just not
fun.

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 Is five dollars a good reward?
BE CAREFUL ABOUT REWARDS

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GOOD SURPRISES ARE GOOD
 Pleasant surprises cause a dopamine spike
“PAY ATTENTION!
If this is good, then you want more.

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EVEN BAD SURPRISES ARE GOOD
 Unpleasant surprises cause a dopamine drop.
“PAY ATTENTION!
This is bad. Avoid in future.”

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NO SURPRISES ARE BAD
Hmm. I wonder
what I should
have for dinner...

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GAMES DO THIS WELL
Gold
Coin
Gold
Coin
Gold
Coin
Gold
Coin
Super Platinum Hammer of Death™ that
lets you SQUASH evildoers!!!

79. Tip #10
DON’T MAKE CRAPPY
GAMES

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MATCH GAMEPLAY TO THE REAL TASK
 Games are good at teaching you how to play games (not
necessarily how to actually do things)

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 Is this a good game?
MATCH GAMEPLAY TO CONTENT
logo
logo
logo
logo

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PLAYTEST LIKE CRAZY
You HAVE to test games
out.

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PLANTS VS ZOMBIES LEVEL DIFFICULTY

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Green Work Practices Software Training
Safety Compliance
ALLISON’S DILEMMA
I need to
decide.

85. © Usable Learning 2013
Green Work Practices
Software Training
Safety Compliance
ALLISON’S DILEMMA
10 Tips:
1. Design for feedback
2. Talk to the Elephant
3. Urgency Matters
4. Design for accomplishments
5. Create a structured flow of goals
6. Increase difficulty
7. Design for Automaticity
8. Make it visceral
9. Make it fun (use surprise and unexpectedness)
10.Don’t make crappy games (Match gameplay to real task)

86. © Usable Learning 2013
 Thanks!
 Julie Dirksen
 Usable Learning
 julie@usablelearning.com
 Twitter: usablelearning
 Linkedin: Julie Dirksen
 References here:
http://bit.ly/TKgame
QUESTION? COMMENTS? VIOLENT
DISAGREEMENT?