Alternate Reality Games In Enterprise

Using An Alternate Reality Game to Teach Enterprise Craig Harkness – E-learning Assistant Simon Brookes - Senior Lecturer PCE CDPT MashUP Event, February 2008

What is an ARG? An alternate reality game combines: What does ARG mean? Alternate Reality Game = Not a lot! http://www.deusexmachinatio.com/deus_ex_machinatio/2009/01/wtf-is-an-arg-2009-edition.html Challenges

“ The Beast” http://www.impawards.com/2001/ai_artificial_intelligence.html
Tied in with the movie A.I. Artificial Intelligence
“ Sentient Machine Therapist” credit for Jeanine Salla
Google Jeanine Salla
http://bangaloreworldu-in.co.cloudmakers.org/salla/default.html
Eventually discover through a number of websites we discover that a character named “Evan Chan” has been murdered
Over the next 12 weeks and across 30 or so websites players investigate the mysteries around Evans death using the websites, email addresses, phone messages and real world events set up by the game designers

Co + (Rb – B) + O + N + E + R + S + W + (Ce – C) + B + O + (Br – B) + (Hg – H) coronersweb.org http://familiasalla-es.cloudmakers.org/letter.html

The Cloudmakers
Yahoo group named after Evan Chan’s boat in the game
The group were at the forefront of the game
Worked collaboratively to explore the boundaries of the game and solve the challenges presented
Created an online database of characters, clues and puzzles to help each other and those coming to the game late

Other ARGs I Love Bees
Designed for the launch of Halo 2
Players given GPS coordinates corresponding to payphones
At given times phones would ring and after answering increasingly difficult questions a segment of audio would be played
Players organised themselves using databases of their locations, email addresses and phone numbers in order to be able to assist in getting necessary answers to players at the payphones who would then receive the next part of the audio
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ilb_phone_call.jpg The Dark Knight
Created to promote the film
Follows the events between the first and second film
Had players collect cakes with mobile phones inside them, decode messages on the film poster, and participate in rallies.
http://batman.wikibruce.com/Ibelieveinharveydenttoo.com

http://worldwithoutoil.org/metaabout.htm World Without Oil
Worlds first serious ARG
What if there were an oil shortage? Simulates the first 32 weeks
Players imagined how the shortage would impact their lives and then blogged, made videos, created images and audio files to support their views.
Players used their combined expertise to create a “collective intelligence” to build on each others works and create a credible picture of what might happen and what the solutions might be
http://www.routesgame.com/talk/ Routes
Run by Channel 4 Education in association with the Wellcome Trust
Aimed at teaching the basics of DNA & genetics
Using flash games, blogs, videos
Currently running

ARG features Relevant to L&T
Self directed play – influence on outcomes
Ownership / responsibility for learning
Enquiry based
Develops critical academic thinking
Problem solving at varying levels
Differentiation
Progress and rewards (leaderboard and prizes)
Incentive, motivation, competition
Narrative devices (characters/story)
Contextualised
Experiential – application of theory in a low-threat, “real” environment

ARG features Relevant to L&T
Regular delivery of new problems/events
Key to maintaining engagement/interest
Large, active communities
All the benefits of learning in groups (collaborative, self-supportive, peer feedback, vicarious learning)
Practice teamworking skills
Utilises simple, existing technologies/media intelligently
Removes barriers = Buy-in
Promotes engagement
Modified from Moseley (2008)

ARG based L&T
Ownership / responsibility for learning
Enquiry based
Develops critical academic thinking
Differentiation
Contextualised
Experiential – application of theory in a low-threat, “real” environment
All the benefits of learning in groups (collaborative, self-supportive, peer feedback, vicarious learning)
Practice teamworking skills
Removes barriers = Buy-in
Promotes engagement

ARG for Deep Learning?
Fostered by:
An environment that is challenging, supportive and low-threat
Active involvement in realistic tasks (learning by doing)
Opportunities to work with other people
A well structured and clearly organised curriculum
Choice of methods and content of studying
Feedback
Reflection
Gibbs (1992)

Deep Approach to Learning
“ Deep approaches are almost universally associated with a sense of involvement, challenge and achievement, together with feelings of personal fulfilment and pleasure” (Ramsden, 1992 p58)
Students who use deep approaches:
get better marks (Svensson, 1977)
are more likely to get firsts or upper seconds (Enwistle and Ramsden, 1983)
achieve high quality outcomes (Van Rossum and Schenk, 1984, Biggs, 1990)

So....
ARG L&T = Engagement + Deep Learning

Which Should Equal...

Isn’t an educational ARG just a simulation/role play/game?
Simulation A working representation of reality which allows participants to explore social or physical systems where the real things are too expensive, complex or dangerous.

Role play Involves imagining that you are either yourself or someone else in a particular situation then ACTING how you think that person would behave.

Game Players cooperate or compete towards a given end within a regime of explicit rules.
Players control a graphical representation of themselves (an avatar) and interact with other players in a 3D, graphical world.

Isn’t an educational ARG just a simulation/role play/game? Simulation Role play Game

No Ordinary Simulation!
Simulation on acid!
Enhanced simulation
Strong and very detailed narrative
Realistic characters who communicate in real time with “players”
Set in a virtual but tangible environment
Augmented using:
Technology - Websites / blogs / Email / Skype calls / video / photography
Traditional means – snail mail / printed materials / face-to-face meetings / telephone calls

A Hyperreal Simulation or Hyperreality
Virtual reality provides virtual worlds that seem more “convincing” to those who experience it. However, hyperreality, provides “HyperWorlds” that blurs the line between what is “real” and what is “virtual” and make it appear “natural.”
Tiffin & Terashima (2001)

“ the process of getting yourself hooked on intellectual crack cocaine. You look at your score online and start to dream of glory. Because the game isn’t just about solving puzzles, it is much more than that”
“ I would describe myself as addicted to perplex city. I like to consider myself a citizen in fact!”
Perplex City players (Mosely, 2008)

So...
Students, participating in an ARG based taught unit need to be immersed in the alt reality to such an extent that the boundaries between what is real and what is unreal become blurred or,
as a minimum, they are able to suspend their disbelief

NO PRESSURE THEN!!!!!

Enterprise in Context
Existing 10 Credit unit
Simple simulation
Students given printed brief
Work in small groups
Role-play managers of failing company
Task is to revive a poorly performing company

Disbelief Suspended? “ the process of getting yourself hooked on intellectual crack cocaine. ...”

Enterprise in Context ARG
On successful completion of this unit, students should be able, at threshold level, to:
collect, interpret and apply information of a business nature;
define key business concepts;
work as a member of a group in the researching, preparation and presentation of an oral presentation;
work as a member of a group in the researching, preparation and presentation of a written report;
identify and express the skills required to work effectively as part of a team

Students are new graduate recruits
Turnaround specialists
Has history, employees (MD, marketing specialist, finance specialist, HR specialist), website, previous clients (case studies)
The Scenario: Phoenix UK Ltd

Students receive welcome pack through post pre- week one
Letter of congratulations, questionnaire, name badge and instructions for first day “at work”
Contains URL Phoenix UK Ltd website
The Scenario: Introduction

Week One – setting the scene
Important that we get this right – set the tone
Badges
Smart dress
Unit handbooks (Phoenix prospectus)
Whole group welcome from MD (me)
Company background (photos) – what we do
What our expectations are
Their goals / mission for the next 12 weeks
Live Skype conference call
Students into teams
The Scenario: Introduction

Students receive email (via MD)
MD of Salter & Sons (the client):
Clothes retailer based in Porthampton
Serious problems = failing company
Rabbit hole
Porthampton City
Council (geographic location)
Newspaper (Porthampton Bugle)
Citizens (bloggers)
Football team
The Story Develops

Salter and Sons
Direct, two-way communication with staff (emails, conference calls)
Website
Porthampton web sites
Demographics (inc. Feedback from bloggers / letter writers)
Clues from news articles
Opportunities (e.g. New shopping development)
Competitors
Phoenix
Case studies
Students begin research (immersion)

Self directed – responsive – research based
Weekly team meetings - “seminars”
Master classes
Delivery

Email questions from Salter & Sons (10%)
Teamwork contribution (10%)
Presentation (retail best practice – 20%)
Report (60%)
Assessment

Leaderboard

Leaderboard COMMENTS COMMENTS COMMENTS 300 WORD REFLECTION ON YOUR TEAMWORK CONTRIBUTION

The Future
More ARG based units set in the city of Porthampton
Art galleries
Community projects
Journalism opportunities

References
Mosely, A. (2008). An Alternative Reality for Higher Education? Lessons to be learned from online reality games. Retrieved January 28, 2009, from http://moerg.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/moseley2008a.pdf
Gibbs, G. (1992) Improving the Quality of Student Learning . Technical and Educational Services Limited, Bristol
Tiffin, J. & Terashima, N., (eds.) Hyperreality: Paradigm For The Third Millennium , New York, Routledge, 2001, p. 30.

References

http://uoparg.wordpress.com	16
http://santasong.tistory.com	7
http://www.slideshare.net	6
http://charkness.webs.com	4
http://attractions.co.kr	2

Alternate Reality Games In Enterprise

by Craig Harkness on Feb 05, 2009

Accessibility

Categories

Upload Details

Usage Rights

5 Embeds 35

Statistics

Alternate Reality Games In Enterprise Presentation Transcript