Introduction to Game Design Class - The Multiplayer Classroom: Designing Coursework as a Game - page 127

In this educational environment where the teacher has turned into a Game Master and the students
hide behind avatars as they defeat mobs, complete quests, and craft games, the overarching
shadow of academe looms forcefully. This remains a “ real � course, with “ real � learning outcomes,

and “ real � assessments. It is a critical component of Rensselaer ' s “ Games and Simulation Arts and

Sciences � program and as such is held at the same high academic standards as all other classes.

From my observer s perch, I am watching a familiar world. I may not know the lingua franca, get

confused by the landscape, puzzle over the characters, but I recognize the driving forces behind it
all. Piaget, Vygotsky, and Bruner walk side-by-side with Miyamoto, Wright, Bartle, Romero, Meir,
and Schell.

'

Piaget is omnipresent in the environment Lee has created. Lee intuitively understands the critical
role that experiences play in his students

learning. He is aware that they construct their own
knowledge in response to these experiences. Given an opportunity, students will learn many things
on their own without the intervention of peers or instructors. They are intrinsically motivated to
learn and do not need a grade, or a

'

from the instructor to motivate their learning. The
true act of learning is, after all, a selfish, self-centric experience. The levels in the game, while
measuring the specific accomplishment of predefined educational tasks, keep the control of
reaching that level with the students. As the Game Master, Lee

“ reward �

' s role is to facilitate and orchestrate

the learning, not to control it.

Though Lee might be hard-pressed to discuss the concept of the key sources needed

to establish this Piagetian concept are present. For example, the reading presentations allow his
students to

“ continuity, �

into a form they and their peers can understand
(assimilation). When they select their avatar and become part of a guild, the students adapt their
current knowledge structures in response to new experience (accommodation). And their raid
strategies allow them to balance assimilation and accommodation to create stable understanding
of game design (equilibration).

“ translate incoming information �

Vygotsky provides the framework that structures the interactions between Lee and his students. For
most of the semester, as the Game Master, Lee is the He has

designed his learning activities to enable his students to solve problems and perform tasks that
would otherwise be hard or impossible for them to carry out. But he also shares that role of a more
knowledgeable other with his students and his peers. This Vygotskian framework for learning is
driven by the notion of the zone of proximal development or ZPD. ZPD characterizes the area
between what the students can accomplish on their own and what they can accomplish, and
ultimately master, with the help of a more knowledgeable other. The four critical learning stages of
ZPD are omnipresent in Lee

“ more knowledgeable other. �

' s class:

Stage 1 : Assistance provided by more knowledgeable others. n

In Lee s class, the students are never left alone to struggle with a concept, a task, or an assign-

ment. At any time, they can turn to their guild, to the other guilds, and to the Game Master.
And even as they reach their final

'

as they present their game concept, they receive
guidance and feedback from external experts in the field: Jesse Schell and Chris Foster. A

“ level, �