Develop for the Serious Play Conference

1. Gaming Square Pegs
into
Dinosaur-shaped Holes:
Adventures in Game Design
at the
American Museum
of Natural History
Barry
@MMMooshme
Mooshme.org
#SPMuseum

2. The GLS Museum of Natural History
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3. Welcome to the
Grand Opening of the
Serious Play Museum
of Natural History
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Play.Amnh.org/GLS

4. American Museum of Natural History
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photobyJeffreyMilstein

5. American Museum of Natural History
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6. American Museum of Natural History
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7. American Museum of Natural History
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8. American Museum of Natural History
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9. American Museum of Natural History
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10. American Museum of Natural History
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11. History of Innovations in Public Engagement & Education
Lantern
Slides
Dioramas
Audio
Tours
Laser
Show
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12. Games For the Public
CD-ROM
Space Cruiser
Accomplice Mead Arcade
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13. Games For Education
Cretaceous Seas
What Happened to the Neanderthals?
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14. Games For Public, Through Education Programs
Card
Pterosaurs
Killer Snails
Flora
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15. Games For Public, Through Education Programs
Mobile
MicroRangers
Playing With Dinos
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16. Games For Public, Through Education Programs
laptop
Minecraft at the Museum
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17. Games For Public, Through Education Programs
role-playing
Crime Scene Neanderthal
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18. Minecraft at the Museum
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19. Pterosaurs: The Card Game
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20. MicroRangers
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21. MicroRangers
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22. Educational Objectives of the Game:
People who play the game will be able to:
• Gain a familiarity with a diversity of microorganisms
• Describe that microorganisms are part of a complex ecosystem
across scales
• Describe how humans are part of that complex ecosystem
• Appreciate the overall importance of a healthy ecosystem
• Identify the microscale within the museum’s macroscale
MicroRangers
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23. MicroRangers
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25. MicroRangers
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26. MicroRangers
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27. MicroRangers
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28. MicroRangers
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29. MicroRangers
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30. Coral
Bioluminescence
Seal
Beaver
Bison
Raccoon
Spruce-Fir Forest
Forest Floor
Chestnut Tree
Home
Base

31. Coral BioluminescenceSeal
Identify:
Solve:
collect
(zooxanthellae)
calibrate
(temp & pH)
investigate
(photobacteria)
clean-up
pollution
develop
vaccine
protein
structure
MicroRangers
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33. Playing with Dinos
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34. Playing with Dinos
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35. Playing with Dinos
Tiny Games
•Easy to learn and play (minimal instructions)
•Short duration (5-10 minutes)
•Need limited props (or none)
•Accessible via personal mobile device
•Can be played anywhere, with anyone
#SPMuseum

36. Playing with Dinos
Tiny Games
•Easy to learn and play (minimal instructions)
•Short duration (5-10 minutes)
•Need limited props (or none)
•Accessible via personal mobile device
•Playable onsite at the museum
•Focused on museum content
•Appropriate for all ages
•Can be played without staff facilitation
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37. Playing with Dinos
Youth Workshop
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38. Playing with Dinos
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39. Playing with Dinos
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40. Playing with Dinos
Why Tiny Games?
• Easy to create (relatively)
• Flexible use
• Low barrier to entry
• Adapts to audience needs
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41. Playing with Dinos
Why Tiny Games?
• Easy to create (relatively)
• Flexible use
• Low barrier to entry
• Adapts to audience needs
• Content!
#SPMuseum

42. Gaming Square Pegs
into
Dinosaur-shaped Holes:
Adventures in Game Design
at the
American Museum
of Natural History
Barry
@MMMooshme
Mooshme.org
#SPMuseum

43. Barry Joseph
@MMMooshme
Mooshme.org
ObjectOriented.info
#SPMuseum