Game Kits: Metadesign considerations

on game modding for learning

Nikoleta Yiannoutsou Abstract

Educational Technology Lab Today’s technologies that blur the distinction between
University of Athens users and designers have empowered end-users to
School of Philosophy, University engage with powerful learning activities like game
Campus, Greece modding. In this paper we discuss the characteristics of
nyiannoutsou@ppp.uoa.gr modding tools as expressive media that support
teachers and students alike, to integrate in games their
Chronis Kynigos knowledge and ideas without being restricted by tools
Educational Technology Lab bound to the way the game is implemented; i.e. mainly
University of Athens through programming and STEM knowledge. We
School of Philosophy, University present work in progress on “Sus-X”, a GameKit that
Campus, Greece generates SimCity like games and provides
kynigos@ppp.uoa.gr
pedagogically designed modding tools. We explore the
expressive power of “Sus-X”, through two studies with
students that engaged in modification of two different
games created with “Sus-X”: one game involved urban
sustainability and the other involved nutrition.

Permission to make digital or hard copies of part or all of this work for Author Keywords
personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are Game modding; End-Users, Learning; Half-baked
not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that
copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights microworlds
for third-party components of this work must be honored. For all other
uses, contact the Owner/Author.
Copyright is held by the owner/author(s).
ACM Classification Keywords
IDC '16, June 21-24, 2016, Manchester, United Kingdom H.5. INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION
ACM 978-1-4503-4313-8/16/06. H5.2. User Interfaces; User centered design;
http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2930674.2936000.
Evaluation/methodology K.8 PERSONAL COMPUTING
K.8.0 General – Games

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Framework the existing authoring tools available to teachers and
The current technological landscape is populated with students for authoring and modifying games [1, 8].
tools that support end-users to design, modify, extend, Specifically, Marchiori et al [8] argue in favor of
evolve and share their artifacts. Around these providing teachers with tools to modify adventure
technologies emerged a new culture in which user games for teaching. They provide a review of relevant
activity incrementally shifts from consumption to authoring tools to support their claim that existing
participation and the distinction between users and authoring tools are difficult to use due to their basic
designers is blurred [3]. This shift takes place through metaphor; i.e. they are structured around the
a technologically mediated transformation of the user programmable implementation of the game and not
from a passive consumer of finished goods designed by around a metaphor that is understood and used by
some to be consumed by many, to an empowered teachers [ibid]. Apart from trying to design “easier –to-
individual equipped with the means to participate use” tools, Avontuur et. al. [1] discussing modification
actively in the produced culture. In this spirit function of Head Up Games, stresses the following point:
many communities revolving around popular games modding and adaptation tools should be relevant to the
that either support free creation like Minecraft and/or context and the experience they are meant to support
come with modding tools allowing modifications that (i.e. outdoor play shaped by groups in a specific
range from light-weight changes (like skins, location) and programming is not always relevant.
customization of avatars etc.) to alterations in the Along the same lines, we argue that programming-
mechanics of the initial games [12] The widespread use oriented modding tools do not exploit the full potential
of technologies that support user creations and the of games as learning contexts. Specifically, one
informal learning that takes place in the gamers’ characteristic of games is that they constitute
communities, have boosted the interest in exploring expressive media in the sense that they can re-mediate
game design for contextualized learning. Learning in the way we understand phenomena and the way we
these cases involved mainly domains like programming, represent knowledge as designed experience in the
robotics and mathematics, but there were also cases form of challenges, goals and practices [10]. However,
applied to history and language learning and to the we should not forget that games are not realistic
introduction of new skills like design thinking [4, 9]. In representations of the real world and they shouldn’t be.
most cases, however, when domains such as history Instead, they integrate a set of simplified assumptions
are involved, deep modification of the game rules and about the world ensuring playability and easy entry
mechanics is more about programming than history. point for the players. Consider for example class
Civilization 5 for example requires modders to work mobility in “The Sims” (at least in the version that was
with xml code. Similarly, sandbox games like Minecraft, out in 2005): once a Sim enters the game his wealth
which allows creation of maps and historical worlds level can increase but never drop [7]. Such simplified
(see for example the “World of Humanities”), also models, have given rise to criticism about the
requires programming skills to interfere with the game educational value of games, focusing mainly on the
mechanics [2]. Several voices have started to question need for educating children in the new media, so that

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 they do not take at face value “misleading” information a set of modding tools, they also include “half-baked”
[5]. In our previous research, game assumptions have games, a digital construct integrating our pedagogical
triggered new learning designs structured around the design on domain learning through game modding.
concept of challenging and “hacking” these
assumptions through game modding and empirical Half-Baked Games
studies demonstrated strong learning potential [12]. Half-baked games stemmed from the idea that
Going back to the earlier example of “The Sims”, game modding tools alone cannot support targeted learning.
assumptions might involve various scientific fields and They are an extension of the idea of half-baked
Figure 1: BaDi: A half-baked thus they can be exploited for learning different microworlds coined by Kynigos [6] to describe
game on balanced diet. concepts. To this end, we argue that we need game exploratory digital environments conceived, by design,
modding tools that will allow teachers and students to call for modification and change. Similarly, half-
alike: (a) to access these assumptions, analyze and baked games are designed so that they are fully
modify them; (b) to focus on the concepts of interest functioning games with characteristics that “provoke”
without being restricted by technical difficulties students to modify them because they don’t like them
imposed, for example, by a simplified programming [12]. Twisting a game idea like this, supports students to
language; and, (c) to use games as new creative forms focus on what is important for learning. Furthermore, half-
of expressing and representing knowledge. baked games build on the new media pedagogy of
educating students to be critical of game assumptions and
Design of “Sus-X” they take it a step further as they provide students with
Figure 2: Meals represented by
To address the above challenge, we borrowed from the tools to change these assumptions and see the effects of
yellow dots and pictures.
gaming world the GameKit idea. For our purposes, we their changes in the modified game they create. To
define GameKits as thematically coherent generators of illustrate the idea of half-baked games further, we present
games with the following characteristics: (a) they two of the instances created with “Sus-X” both of which
support the embedding of specific pedagogies in are accompanied with data from their use with
games; (b) they provide the respective modding tools; students.
and, (c) they empower non-technical users (like
teachers and educational researchers) to design games BADI: A HALF-BAKED GAME ON BALANCED DIET
that allow modding [12]. GameKits can support the BaDi is an instantiation of “Sus-X” designed to support
generation of different games of the same genre and student game play and modification around the concept
the alteration of these games with a set of modding of Balanced Diet. BaDi was designed in the context of a
tools. “Sus-X”, the GameKit we present here, consists course on “Design and Evaluation of Educational
of a template generating SimCity-like games. Game- Software” by a postgraduate student who was also a
Figure 3: Overview of the values
play revolves around selecting items of the game teacher in a private primary School. The aim in the
of a selected meal (chicken) with
respect to the parameters of the
according to their properties, in order to achieve a game-play mode is for the players to help Ignatius (see
game specific score or to avoid running out of resources. Fig.1) to lose weight by selecting his meals to create a
GameKits do not only come with a game template and balanced diet. The rationale underlying this game is

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 that a good plan for weight loss includes a diet that is like “restaurant”, “library”, “work” etc. (see Fig. 4,5).
healthy but it also fits with personal preferences. This Each site has a specific value with respect to a set of
concept has been twisted to become half-baked as parameters – sustainability indicators - such as energy,
Ignatius can have a balanced diet only if he consumes hygiene, money, health etc. (see Fig.6). During game-
not only healthy food (like chicken, fish, eggs, dairy) play, players need to decide which places to visit after
but also some fattening, pleasure increasing food (like reviewing the attributes of each place and after taking
pizza, sweets, ice-cream, soft drinks). Pleasure along into account the changes in their resources (i.e.
with “nutritional value”, “weight (kilos)”, “health” and energy, money etc.) caused by each visit. The basic
Figure 4: PerfectVille: a half- “meal” are the parameters of the game. Each meal has axiom of this half-baked game is that players in order
baked game on urban specific values in each of these parameters (see fig.3) to win are expected to lead a hectic life moving from
sustainability
affecting the player’s score (i.e. selection of pasta one place to the other, while trying to keep their scores
results in reducing weight by 1 and in raising pleasure high in all parameters; i.e. have a lot of fun, a lot of
by 10 points, health by 15, nutritional value by 30). money, good social status, high energy and good
Pleasure is one of the main control conditions of the health. This axiom is expressed in the values of the
game and when it drops under critical values, it parameters in each game item (energy raises when
generates messages that aim to direct the player to going home and sinks when going at work) and in the
feed Ignatius with fattening food. Similarly, “Pleasure” way the game treats the parameters determining the
is one of the conditions that might end the game if the outcome of the game. Specifically, the game ends if
players do not manage to keep it above 0. A related any of the parameters drops to a value below 0, so
feature of the game design is the “Meal” counter players should try to keep them all above this
function: when a food is selected, then “Meal” value is threshold.
Figure 5: Background of
raised by 1. This counter indicates if the diet is at the
PerfectVille with the sites of the
city beginning, in the middle or towards the end. Thus, the The Modding tools of SusX
same parameter -“Weight” value for example- can be The half-baked games described above, serve as the
treated differently by the game taking into account the context for using the modding tools of “Sus-X”.
stage of the diet: if “Meal =2”, which means beginning Modders can insert items in the game with a point and
of diet and “Weight” >100 kilos, the game considers it click interface. Each item when inserted in the game
as a good start. However, if “Meal=8” and “Weight” space is automatically represented with a record in the
>100 kilos then the game generates a message Game Database (see Fig.1). Adding or changing the
prompting the player to focus on less fattening food. parameters of the items (e.g. money, health etc. in
PerfectVille), involves renaming or adding a numerical
PERFECTVILLE: A HALF-BAKED GAME ON URBAN field in the database through its menu. End and control
SUSTAINABILITY conditions of the game are also manipulated in
PerfectVille was designed by our team of researchers, respective databases, where users express relations:
Figure 6: Overview of the with expertise in technology enhanced learning and (a)between parameters and their values using simple
properties of Chemistry Lab (job) environmental education. It includes a set of city-sites mathematical symbols (>, <, =); and (b) between

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Study1: Modding BaDi more than one parameters. In Addition, end-Users can of the half-baked games and modded the games to
Participants: Four 6th grade shape the background of the game space by loading integrate their ideas, based on an analysis of the
students, all girls working in any picture through the menu (see Fig.2 and Fig.5). concepts of balanced diet and sustainability. In both
groups of two. The teacher studies students engaged in changing the game space
who designed BaDi acted as Studies with “Sus-X” and items: i.e. meals and sites of a sustainable city. In
teacher and researcher. In this section we present two separate studies with BaDi students challenged the concept that pleasure is
students that involved the modification of the half- connected with fattening food, by replacing pizza,
Duration: three 2-hour baked games we presented earlier. The aim of these burgers etc. with tasty but healthy choices like home
sessions studies was to investigate: (a) how students use the made cheese pie, fruit juice and sushi. In PerfectVille
modding tools of Sus-X to challenge the axioms of the study, students discussed urban sustainability in terms
Setting: Computer lab of a two games; (b) how the modding tools of SuS-X shape of recycling spots, green energy, parks, playgrounds
private school in the context of and facilitate negotiation of domain learning in fields and bike-lanes. A highlight of the study was the
extra curricular activity. The not directly related to the implementation of digital addition of a scout troop in the game with the rationale
school was selected by the games; and, (c) how the modding tools can help that scouts teach respect to the environment. Addition
researcher because she students to integrate their ideas and understandings of new parameters in the game were observed only in
worked there as a teacher. about different concepts in the game. two of the six groups of PerfectVille, where one group
added the parameter of pollution and the other the
Study 2: Modding Research Method and procedure parameter of safety in the database of SusX. In both
PerfectVille In both studies, we implemented design-based research studies students changed the values of existing
Participants: eighteen (18) involving theory-based intervention to study learning parameters. This modding activity (changing the
students from 7th, 8th and 9th with game modding [11]. Each study took place in values) triggered an interesting discussion in one of the
grade. Students worked in six three two-hour sessions. The 1st session included game groups of BaDi. Students reduced the health value of
groups of two. Two - play with the half-baked games (BaDi and sweets to “-17” in an attempt to represent the habit of
researchers acted as PerfectVille), comparison of group scores and people with obesity problems to consume large
participant observers and discussion on the axioms of the games (i.e. balanced amounts of sugar. The same group of students
teachers of the activity. diet and sustainability). The 2nd session was dedicated reformulated verbally the goal of their game, declaring
to modifying BaDi and PerfectVille. The 3rd session was that in 20 meals Ignatius’ weight should be reduced
Duration: three 2-hour used for finalizing modifications and presenting the new from 150 to below 100 kgs (End Condition: Kilos<100
sessions games. Data collection included student games, screen and meals = 20). Although this was an easy
captures of student interaction with the games and modification, students did not implement the idea.
Setting: Afternoon sound-recordings of student exchanges during the However, they engaged in an involved discussion that
environmental education club. activity. touched upon defining an upper value for players to
Experimental public school in reach as opposed to defining a lower threshold for
Athens, selected because it Findings players to avoid crossing.
was affiliated to the University The preliminary results of these two studies showed
and as such was open to that students in both cases challenged the assumptions
research collaborations.

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REMARKS AND FUTURE WORK 3. Fischer, G. 2009. End-user development and meta-
In this paper we discussed games as expressive media design: Foundations for cultures of participation.
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a GameKit that provides pedagogies and tools that
4. Hayes, E.R. and Games, I.A. 2008. Making
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Computer Games and Design Thinking: A Review of
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The research reported here has received funding from
H2020 project Educational Robotics for STEM: ER4STEM 10. Squire, K. 2006. From Content to Context:
Videogames as Designed Experience. Educational
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