Aug. 3, 2016 - This presentation was featured during the Colorado Teaching and Learning with Technology Conference (COLTT 2016). The presentation showcased my method of designing an entire college course curriculum using the role-playing design approach. A case study and examples are offered.

1. “Perspective-
Based Learning
Through
Role-Playing
Curriculum Design”
COLTT 2016
http://bit.ly/roleplaydesign

2. HELLO!
I am Sherry Jones.
Game Studies + Game Design Subject Matter Expert
at Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design.
You can find me at:
@autnes · sherryjones.edtech@gmail.com

3. 1. What is Role-Playing?

4. “Role-playing is an activity in
which a participant assumes the
role of a real or fictional person
to engage in certain situations,
ultimately, to gain a different
perspective.”

5. Roles are defined by . . .
› Cultural, social, political contexts/
narratives.
› Responsibilities for problem solving.
› Rules for engagement.
› Functions for completing tasks.
Ergo, to role-play is . . .

6. “Role-playing is an activity in
which a participant assumes the
role of a real or fictional person
to engage in certain situations,
ultimately, to gain a different
perspective.”

7. Educational Value of Role-Playing.
Achieve Greater
Understanding.
Learn to examine an
issue from multiple
perspectives to
achieve greater
understanding of the
issue at hand.
Develop Empathy.
Develop empathy
for, or respect to
others who play
different roles.
Cultivate Strategic
Thinking.
Design strategies for
solving real problems
while considering
the needs of other
role-players.

8. Role-
Playing Design?
Begin by constructing a narrative!
The narrative controls the roles!

9. The Role-Playing Design Process.
Design a
Realistic
Narrative
Design
Realistic
Roles
Design
Realistic
Problems
Use research to inform design.

10. 2. Case Study of a
Narrative:
Game Design
Industry Roles.

11. Some Game Industry Roles . . .
Art.
› Creative Director.
› Concept Artist.
› Environment Artist.
› FX Artist.
› Character Artist.
› Object Artist.
› Animator.
Programming.
› Gameplay Prog.
› AI Prog.
› Network Prog.
› Release Engineer.
› Core Engine Prog.
› Tools Prog.
Design.
› Narrative Des.
› Sound Des.
› Combat Des.
› Systems Des.
› Monetization Des.
› Lighter.
› Composer.
Level Des.
QA.
› QA Tester.
› UX Researcher.
› Community Mng.
› Gameplay Testers.
› Legal.
› Accessibility Tester.
Marketing.
› Community Mng.
› Localization.
› PR.
› Producer.
› Publisher.
› Customer Support.
For More Roles, See:
› “The Door Problem”
by Liz England.

12. 3. Let’s Role Play!

13. Click link to play roles:
http://bit.ly/gameroles

14. Roleplay to Identify Concerns!
Art Director. Gameplay Programmer. UX Researcher.
Accessibility Tester. Localization Researcher. PR.

15. 4. Apps I Used in
Curriculum Design.

16. SLACK.
› Is a project management
and team communications
mobile app.
› Can be used to create
private, team-based
conversations.
› Was used in my class:
Students created teams,
as well as communicated
and managed their game
design process
throughout the semester.
Place your screenshot here

17. WECHAT.
› Is a messaging and calling
mobile app released by
China’s social media
company, Tencent.
› Is one of the few apps not
censored by China.
› Can be used to converse
with people in China.
› Was used In my class:
Students role-played and
learned about cultural
expectations of Chinese
gamers that could affect
game design practices.
Place your screenshot here

18. MIITOMO.
› Is a game-based messaging
app released by Nintendo.
› Offers user the ability to
create and use a Mii to chat.
› Documents extensive group
chat histories.
› Shows all conversations on
public setting.
› Was used In my class: Some
students feel that
conversing as Miis helps
them assume the fictional
role they play.
Place your screenshot here

19. TWITCH.
› Is a live webcast sharing
and messaging mobile app.
› Can be used to record and
broadcast let’s plays of
gameplays.
› Used by some users as a
tutorial sharing site.
› Was used in my class:
Students role-played as UX
Researchers, and recorded
and shared their gameplay
via Twitch to get honest
feedback.
Place your screenshot here

20. Place your screenshot here
TWINE.
› Is an interactive fiction
desktop app for creating
interactive stories.
› Can be used in the
narrative design process.
› Can be used to design the
prototype of a game
before development.
› Can be used to create
game design business
plans.

21. 5. Insights and
Conclusions.

22. Student Should be the “Center” of
Role-Playing Curriculum Design.
Students Posed
Questions and
Answered
Design
Challenges as
Their Roles
Warrant.
Students
Researched and
Played a Game
Design Role.
Students
Switched
Between Roles
to Understand
the Game
Design Business
as a Whole.

23. Role-Playing Across the Globe.
Our Class
Shanghai

24. Game Development is a
Team Effort, Not an
Individual One.
By researching and playing a
game design role, students
learn, intimately, what a
game design job entails. They
realize that team
collaboration is key.
What Did the Students Learn by
Role-Playing?
Understanding the Audience
is Crucial to a Game’s Success.
To make a successful game,
game designers must research
and understand their target
audience. Professionals
recognize that no game will be
popular with every market or
culture.

25. Last Note on Pedagogy . . .
› Role-playing design can be applied to any course. Any
issue warrants examination through multiple perspectives
to achieve greater understanding.
› Encourage self-directed learning by asking students to
conduct research on a role, rather than provide them with
all the role parameters.
› Keep role-playing safe and cordial by instituting rules of
engagement with others. Ex. Lose one letter grade for
showing verbal or physical aggression toward any player.
› Good role design will limit bad behaviors. People really do
follow the rules according to the role they play.

26. THANKS!
Any questions?
You can find me at:
@autnes · sherryjones.edtech@gmail.com
are at: http://bit.ly/roleplaydesign

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28. Credits
Special thanks to all the people who made
and released these awesome resources for
free:
› Presentation template by SlidesCarnival
› Photographs by Startupstockphotos