Petri Lankoski & Mirjam P Eladhari Presentation at TGPA Workshop (at DiGRA 2019 conference)

1. Constructive Alignment in
Teaching Game Research
in Game Development
Bachelors Programme
Petri Lankoski &
Mirjam P Eladhari
TEACHING GAMES:
PEDAGOGICAL APPROACHES
- DIGRA 2019 PRE-
CONFERENCE WORKSHOP
(TGPA:DIGRA2019) AUGUST 6
2019, KYOTO, JAPAN.

2. ● Bachelor’s programme in game development
● Project-based learning used to teach game
development
● Research skills taught along with game development
● Issues in planning research and applying methods in
Batchelors thesis project
● Methods appeared rather abstract to many of our
students
● Methods seemed as a black box
Teaching research methods: Background

3. ● Ten weeks on full time (15 ECTS) research course
● Old course
● Seminars based on research papers and a book
● Methods as a part of seminar discussion
● A small study
● A method was taught during supervision
● Redesign of 3rd year methods course using constructive alignment
approach
● Constructive Alignment
● the learning task, teaching tasks, and evaluation are aligned
● Biggs & Tang, 2011. Teaching for Quality Learning at University
Case Study

4. Part 1 Workshops based on a structured research task
Students are given a pre-formulated research question:
"How does design influence the horror experience?"

5. Part 1 Workshops based on a structured research task
Game Prototype a horror game
containing three cases
a level without a monster
a level with a monster
a level with a monster
and forewarning about the monster.
Students are given a pre-formulated research question:
"How does design influence the horror experience?"

6. Data gathering
● Students record play sessions in our game lab. The
lab is equipped with Elgato Game Capture
hardware which allows for simultaneous recording
of the game screen while two cameras record play
● In forms of materials, students are given:
● a game prototype (in the first course instance,
we used three AAA games instead of the
prototype)
● a script for a data gathering session along with
a message that can be used to recruit
participants
● ready-made questionnaire
● a semi-structured interview guide.
● Focus questions:
How is the player experience influenced depending on whether a 1st
person or a 3rd person point of view is used in the intro cut-scene?
How is use of forewarning influencing playing experience?

7. Part 1 Workshops based on a structured research task
Scripted data gathering and analysis
Data gathering methods
● Observations
● Interviews
● Questionnaire

8. Part 1 Workshops based on a structured research task
Scripted data gathering and analysis
Data gathering methods
● Observations
● Interviews
● Questionnaire
Data analysis methods
● Coding of observational data
● Thematic analysis
● Quantitative methods (t-test,
ANOVA, correlation)

9. Part 1 Workshops based on a structured research task
Scripted data gathering and analysis
Data gathering methods
● Observations
● Interviews
● Questionnaire
Data analysis methods
● Coding of observational data
● Thematic analysis
● Quantitative methods (t-test,
ANOVA, correlation)
Research designs, research
ethics and students read studies
using the said methods

10. ● Students are expected to follow the
approach in one preselected research
paper
● Changing research question to
something analogous is encouraged
● If quant is chosen, mixing measurement
instrument and a study is encouraged
● Supervision
Part 2

11. Part 2
Quantitative studies
Instruments
Study examples
Qualitative studies
Stimulated recall
Interview, thematic analysis
Observations
Show list TVTM2 HT18
Assignment
Description.pdf

12. ● Students are expected to follow the
approach in one preselected research
paper
● Changing research question to
something analogous is encouraged
● If quant is chosen, mixing measurement
instrument and a study is encouraged
● Supervision
Part 2

13. ● Insights from bachelors thesis supervision
● Focus on observed changed
● In supervision, there is less need to discuss on general aspects of data
gathering and supervision is focusing more on specific issues of research
design
● During supervision of data analysis, students talk about specific steps and
details of data analysis using relevant concepts
● Students enter with more considered and detailed research designs than
earlier
● Part of this is due to structure of thesis course
● The data analyses we see in supervision are more systematic than earlier
Reflections

14. Thank you for listening!
Petri Lankoski &
Mirjam P Eladhari