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Ora - Save the Forest! Designing a Social Impact Game
Hazel Bradshaw
1
, E. Penelope Holland
2
, and Mark Billinghurst
1
1
The Human Interface Technology Laboratory, Christchurch, New Zealand
Hazel.Bradshaw@canterbury.ac.nz,
mark.billinghurst@hitlabnz.org
2
Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand
HollandP@landcareresearch.co.nz
Abstract.
Computer models for designing educational games need to have
practical applications as well as underlying theoretical principles. In this paper,
we present the Structural Playability Process (SPP), a new approach for design-
ing and implementing serious games. Using the SPP designed game
Ora - Save
the Forest!
as a case study, we describe the four SPP spaces: education, transla-
tion, design and engine. Ora is a forest-pest-management game based on scien-
tific models and intended to inform players about the complexities of ecosystem
management. Preliminary user study results show that SPP is an effective me-
thod of producing motivating and successful learning environments.
Keywords:
Serious/Educational games, Game-design, Structural Playability
(SPP), Flow, Motivation, Game-play.
1
Introduction
Computer games stimulate motivation, skill development and affect learning and
knowledge acquisition [1,2]. There is a need for more empirical evidence supporting
the effectiveness of games as learning environments [3], but game design is key in
finding a balance between education and games [4]. Game design models bring struc-
ture to the design of educational games by applying motivation theories, among which
Csikszentmihalyi's [5] Flow theory is prominent. Design models utilising Flow for
educational game design [6,7,8] provide insight into how to align theory with game
design, but rarely cover the practical implementation of a game.
This paper describes the design approach for “Ora - Save the Forest!
1
” A social
impact game designed using the novel Structural Playability Process (SPP) to meet
the need for a practical methodology for educational game design. The SPP draws on
several theories in psychology: skilled performance theory [9]; motivational theories
[10,11] and optimal experience or 'Flow' [5]. Flow is an eight stage state of optimal
experience, where the 'experiencer' is intrinsically motivated to continue engaging
with the task at hand.
1
http://www.playora.net/
