“A healthy gamified classroom must include a variety of elements that build upon one another and create opportunities for effective communication and collaboration among students.”
– Michael Matera in Explore Like a Pirate
I’m at a place in my game where I am starting to have multiple good ideas, but no idea which I should choose. In this post, I am going to write my thoughts and try to organize them in a way that will make sense. Hopefully, writing the ideas out will help me make some decisions. I also hope that you will be inspired to incorporate some ideas into your games too.
Idea Conflict #1 – Items or Badges
Background
My plan is for different Supers to provide side mission options. For example, Ironman could provide a side mission where students must figure out how a certain math concept is used in the world outside the classroom. This fits with Ironman’s character – he uses math all the time to solve problems that come up with his suit or on his missions. My plan is to have an ever increasing variety of side missions students could choose to go on. Some missions – like Ironman’s – would be continuous; students can complete that side mission once per unit. Some side missions will be one-time-only and some will be only for students who can find them.
Dilemma
Should I create an item for each side mission – Ironman’s Plasma Cannon – or should each successful side mission earn a badge?
On the one hand, the items are useful. On the other, the badges are collectible. The items are consumable and tradeable, but badges will eliminate the jeopardy effect. I’m leaning towards items, but am quite worried about the jeopardy effect. I can’t think of where I could give badges other than the side missions. I wonder if I will even need badges since students can redo any assessment and there will be lots of side mission opportunities.
Idea Conflict #2 – Plot
Credit: http://filmnoerden.dk
Do I want to use antagonists of my own creation or supervillains from various franchises?
Pros: Using supervillains would be easier because I can just grab images from the internet. Using my own characters would create a more unique storyline.
Cons: If I use existing villains, what could I use for my storyline? Why would the real superheroes leave a bunch of trainees to battle legit supervillains? If I use my own characters, how am I going to get images for the skirmishes and clashes?
I’ve also been toying with the idea that I am the villain. They find out at the end of the year and have to defeat me by showing they know more math collectively than I do alone. The communication could be audio clips with voice changed, me sitting in shadow with voice changed, random letters, encrypted notes that they have to solve math problems to read – basically my plot with the trio, but with just me instead. I could still use the Denominators as my henchmen. I do wonder what I could use as the enemy for my bigger reviews/clashes… What do you think?
Idea Conflict #3 – Include Assessments in game and Leader Boards
To include grades, or not to include grades, that is the question…
If I get the position I’m hoping to get, I will have the opportunity to spend class time on higher creativity problems. Students will have more opportunity to earn xp on main missions, something I didn’t think I would have the opportunity to do. As a result, I’m rethinking my “star” system. I think I’ll keep the stars, but add another column to convert them to xp. If I were to NOT include their concept checks (quizzes) in xp, how can I show their importance – other than grades. Maybe that is where they earn badges?… If I eliminate stars as the sole “xp” and introduce real xp, what can I use for a currency to buy more cards? I don’t want them to use their xp.
Maybe stars can be used like gold and that is the currency they can use to buy cards? Would that overpower the students who have higher grades? I don’t want that to happen, but I want to show the value of retaking the assessments. Thoughts?
I also started thinking…I think a group and class leader board could be beneficial. They ARE in training to become legit superheroes, so I wouldn’t be a stretch to say that only the best can actually form a new superhero group. Students would be able to earn more xp on side missions and main missions than on the concept checks. Do you think that difference, and the fact that there would be no individual leader board, would make it okay to include the assessments? Would achievers’ motivation be dampened with no individual leader board? Maybe make it optional? I don’t know…
Brain Dump
Below is a list of all the ideas I randomly thought of (usually while trying to fall asleep) and wrote in my Google Keep. Feel free to steal any ideas you like…
Breaking the 4th Wall – Project a frame with Deadpool on it every time I break the 4th wall and talk about the game, game mechanics, etc with students. Deadpool, because of his character traits, should probably not be in the game otherwise. idk…maybe he can be on a sabotage card…(secret side quest).
Find more real looking (proportional heads) Bitmoji substitute and use it to make characters.
When a new character is introduced and their power is found out – a side quest is released where students design their own version of the characters. First character is the Denominators.
At the beginning of each unit (on test day from previous unit?), the antagonist leaves a riddle in some way (altered voice, unaltered voice, video, paper slid underfoot mysteriously). The riddle includes clues about what the subject of the next puzzle is going to be. Students who can figure out the topic the riddle is alluding to get additional xp. If students come to class the next day and no one solves the clue, then the “experts at SHIELD” solved it. This makes it where students can start working right away without wasting class time.
Side quests (and secret side quests) are presented to students by different supers. (For The Incredibles secret side quest, password is CRONOS. Hint is given that student has to “be incredible” to solve the side quest). The side quests all somehow incorporate something valued or important to that super along with math content. For example, the black panther can be about reducing the spread of disease in Africa, Ironman can be about how mathematics can be used in the tech industry, Captain America can be about misrepresenting data in media…
Completing a super’s quest earns the player that super’s card. More powerful supers have stronger cards. Secret missions are the strongest cards. Some cards are 1 use only and some are luck (dice-roll) based and can break. Better cards require more work to earn. Low quality work may need to be improved before card can be earned.
Students receive stars for showing proficiency at standards. Students can use their stars to buy items (cards) in the shop.
If everyone worked very hard and there is a bit of time left over – auction off a mystery card. Students use the stars (in game currency) to bid. Mystery cards are in envelopes. They vary in rarity and power.
Have an antagonist tell the players “do you think this is a game?” “This isn’t a game!!!” “What game are playing at?…” to create more realism and paranoia.
Trio powers. A player from every guild must use to attack.
Have meeting once a week or more as bellwork. Students come in and have a few minutes to jot notes about how they feel about how class is going. What they need. How the game is going. Use tech, if possible, for most participation from introverts. Discuss. “I see here that some of you are feeling/struggling with ___. Can someone give me more information?
Twitters for the trio
Newspaper mock ups of Reading Newspaper. It never gives the trainees credit because no one knows about them. It’s a secret.
Item to allow student to wear one of my two capes for the day.
Leaderboard with superhero identities? Identities are given at random based on student’s power?
Item – password hack so students can bypass a lock on a secret mission they haven’t figured out how to solve (buy in shop – expensive)
Item – Mission Extension 24 or 48: This card granted players a 24 or 48-hour extension for completing any mission.
Put training school brand on every piece of paper, video, etc that students will see.
“I ended the first session with a few quick rounds of a mini-game called Admissions Interview. I shuffled a standard deck of cards (each bearing a player’s name), drew a card and read the name aloud. The selected player could accept or decline to be interviewed. If they accepted, they were asked three content questions about the novel taken from their assigned reading. If the player responded to two out of three questions correctly, they received a sealed envelope with a bonus inside – more will be explained about bonus envelopes in a later post. This type of mini-game puts the novel’s content at play, and creates an atmosphere of game show excitement when recalling details from the reading.” from ludiclearning.org
Students occasionally receive side missions from shield. This could be a way of allowing student choice. Students could choose to continue with the main mission or do the new mission instead. Missions from SHEILD are encrypted, so they have to use a cipher to decode. Maybe some of these are temptations so students in the low half of the leader board can catch up (Mario Cart – give more to the players in the back). Maybe make some of these for groups who are bottom half.
Secret Side mission – mission comes in large Manila envelope, but trainees are not allowed to work on it. It is for Agent Evans’ eyes only (envelope is labeled as such). Trainees must sneak the envelope, figure out how to read it without opening it, and solve. Trainees are instructed to do so if they gain access to a secret side mission. Envelope must be prominently displayed for ease of theft. Rules: can not be caught, can not tamper with envelope, must be returned without being caught, must write solution in secret side mission portal (google form). This can create some distrust of Agent Evans for more game depth. She is not who she seems to be. Keeping secrets. Etc.
Side missions are awarded up to 4 stars, but can get bonus stars for excellent work. In the program they will be denoted by “⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+2” etc. This will make up for the relative scarcity of side missions. Secret side missions will be awarded in the same fashion. Possibly denote ahead of time how many additional stars are possible on mission instructions? Include minimum requirements, but state that additional elements or outstanding work can earn additional stars.
Side missions – make a flipgrid, real life math problem, who invented this and write a paragraph, job that uses this and write a paragraph (or tape interview), make a board game, invent item for game.
Create soundboard (with buttons) of different phrases that antagonist could say. “How dare you block my turn” “ I’ve got you now” “do you think this is a game?” “You can’t see me” etc.
Color code missions
– main missions (SBG) = red
– Side missions = blue
– Secret side missions = purple
figure out how to keep secret side mission titles from being listed unless completed. hmmm…maybe the achievers and explorers would benefit if they were listed..
Have percentage of game completed listed on student home screens.
Side mission – find a video game where a knowledge of mathematics gives the player an edge. More stars earned for higher mathematics needed.
After a few skirmishes, start including different kinds of Denominators with different looks and weaknesses.
Each class is trying to join a different superhero team upon graduation from the training program. Justice League, Teen Titans, Avengers, …?
disillusionedbuteager 