This document discusses location-based mobile learning games. It describes a summer school program that teaches students how to create and play these games. Students learn principles of collaborative learning and learning by doing. The games use the urban environment as inspiration and context. Students make games using a platform that allows creating narratives, gameplay, and placing tasks and media on a map. Students then play the games on location, interacting with places on a map. Gameplay is archived for later reflection. The program aims to integrate these games into classrooms across subjects.

1. GamesAtelier @
Surf’s
Summerschool ‘09

2. Waag Society
Creative technology for social innovation

3. Creative Learning Lab & Locative Media Atelier
Creating new learning experiences on location

4. Places - more than geography
have histories, invoke behavior, are personal, physical & virtual

5. How can we see & shape this new mobile space?
We need new tools!

6. Frequency 1550

7. Mobile Learning Game Kit
A full set of production tools

8. Games Atelier
Learn by creating and playing
location-based games

9. Learning principles
Focus on student
learn by actively producing, part of everyday life, collaborative learning
Teacher as inspiration, coach and expert
Authentic and original material
Situation-based learning, experienced-based learning
Reflective learning
focus on the process, reflect on learning material and behavior
Donation
Share with others, present to others, create for others
Learning principles
Collaborative learning, learning by doing and making

10. Urban gaming principles
Urban environment as inspiration, context and trigger
Historical / Social / Cultural / Current / Personal perspectives
Storyline
meta narrative vs micro narratives and blackbox structures
Gameplay
game mechanics, social interaction, collaboration
Problem solving
just in time & on-demand info, skills as strategies, real world situations
Theatrics
dark-players, use actors & props, create settings (non-places)
Urban gaming principles
Where gaming and performance art meet

11. 7scenes
Mobile and online platform for GPS games and tours

12. Make!
Prepare with Game boards
Game templates: Secret Trail, Adventure, Collect & Trade
Create narrative & define gameplay
Put ‘places’ - (complex) tasks, media, rewards - on a map
Publish - setup teams and release game rounds
Make! - set up your game
Create new games and publish

13. Make! - set up your game
Create new games and publish

14. Play!
Navigating ‘places’ on a map
Location-based interaction
view media/content, perform tasks, send in media, pick up rewards
Multi-user gameplay
location-based confrontations & trading, message with players
Collaborate with web player
Live game broadcast on the web
Play! - on the streets
Navigate, solve problems, be strategic and win!

15. Play! - on the streets
Navigate, solve problems, be strategic and win!

16. Play! - on the streets
Navigate, solve problems, be strategic and win!

17. Reflect!
All interaction archived
traces, opened ‘places’, uploaded media, gameplay actions
Replay and pause for reflection
Personal view and overall view for teachers
Share game experience with others
Reflect!
Replay games for discussion in classrooms

18. Reflect!
Replay games for discussion in classrooms

19. Classroom situation
Games & experiences shared in school community
use for different curricula
History, social studies, geography, math, biology, ...
Large scale competitions
Support
‘teach the teacher’ workshops
Hardware kits with gps phones
Classroom situation
Integrating into the school system

20. Games Atelier launch: march 14th ‘08
Mayor of Amsterdam plays citizenship game

21. Mobile Game Quest

22. An educational location-based trading game played in A’dam &
New A’dam at the same time about our shared history
Players are traders creating a wealthy New Amsterdam colony
1. negotiate & trade goods with traders in the other city
2. finalize the deal & buy the goods
3. sell them on the local market for a higher price
Based on real market history and mechanisms
All players receive historical events together with the changing
market exchange rates and keep track to get the best deal
The Island

23. The Island

24. Connecting Brazilian and Dutch students
Combining Brazilian Gincana with GPS games
Sharing culture by donating games
Global Gincana
Share visions and experiences of living in big multi-ethnic cities

25. Global Gincana
Share visions and experiences of living in big multi-ethnic cities

26. Global Gincana
Share visions and experiences of living in big multi-ethnic cities

27. Next?
GamesAtelier is
coming to a school
near you!

28. Thanks! Questions?
ronald@7scenes.com
ronald@waag.org