Scholar's Quest is designed by Dr Joey J. Lee fromTeachers College, Columbia University. It is a set of paper-based tools and processes that adds a gamification layer to a course to encourage motivation, engagement, individual choice and mastery through competitive and collaborative learning experiences.

1. Video Games and Education:
Theory and Practice of Game Design
MSTU 4039 Fall 2013
TEACHERS COLLEGE
Columbia University, in the City of New York
Dr. Joey Lee

2. Today’s Class
• Welcome and introductions
• Overview of course (goals, policies, etc.)
• Scholar’s Quest
• What are games?
• Game play analysis activity

4. Gamifying the classroom
This course will be taught like a game. We are
striving for a learning environment in which we:
•Promote meta-level thinking and reflection
•Value creativity, autonomy, self-directedness, collaboration and risk-
taking
•Learn through failure
•Promote mastery, not performance

5. Welcome to class.
Congratulations! Right now, you all have an F.

6. Welcome to class.
No, I’m not joking.

7. Welcome to
You are a Level 1 Scholar with 0 XP.

8. This class is about gaining
mastery is various skills –
leveling up by earning
experience points

9. many paths to mastery
• Designer
• Educator
• Researcher/Writer
Choose your track:

10. Earn 3 kinds of cards
• Creativity/risk-taking
• Research/writing
• Fun/engagement

12. • battling creatures/monsters (in-class challenges)
• Crafting (Play Analysis paper and other papers)
• completing quests (Lightning Design and Iterative
Game Design projects)

13. Missions
Battling creatures/monsters (in-class challenges)
More detail about these card-earning opportunities will be
given during class.

14. Quests:
• 5 minute optional presentation (done solo or in pairs;
pending instructor approval - limited slots, first come first
serve) = earn 1 green card
• Design Challenge 1 (done in groups) – worth up to 2 red, 2
green, 2 blue cards
• Lightning Design 1 (solo) = worth up to 2 red, 2 green, 2 blue
cards
• Get involved in Game Design Research projects (see the
Research/Real Project Involvement Missions section below) -
worth up to 4+ green cards
• Play Analyses (done in groups) – earn up to 2 red, 2 green
cards

15. Research/Real-Project Involvement Missions
– potential to earn Green cards.
Ask me how to get involved in these opportunities.
• Greenify/Arctic Saga/EcoChains - Games for Climate Change Education Project
• Scholar’s Quest/Science City Heroes - Gamification of Education Project
• Cross-Cultural Games/ESL/Test Prep for Asian High School Students

16. Boss Level:
• Final game design project (done in groups)
= worth 3 red, 3 green, 3 blue

17. Powerups
Achievement badges,
Action cards

18. Provide tools to understand, analyze, and design
games
• rules, interactivity, play, social interaction, balance and
flow, narrative, etc.
• view games through three theoretical perspectives:
cognitive, social, and persuasive
• create educational games and new kinds of games beyond
“drill and kill”;“how to do things with games”:
• games to inform, educate, persuade, promote positive values, motivate
positive behaviors, etc.
Goals of the course

19. Questions to explore
• What makes a game fun? What makes a game effective?
• How do people learn in games? how can games get people to
become active learners, critical thinkers, problem solvers?
• What are the strengths and limitations of games compared
to books, video, and other media? How do we take advantage
of the strengths?
• How can games address real-world problems?
Can games help people exercise? do painful/boring tasks?
• Are games positive tools for motivation -- or evil, addictive,
mind/behavior enslaving machines?

20. Questions to explore
• If we cheat (in games or life) is that the system’s fault, or a fault
of our character?
• Are games art?
• How can games leverage identities in powerful ways? How
can games change the way players see themselves?
• How can games make the world a better place / have
social impact? How can games get people to change their
behaviors for good?
• What is the role of games within classrooms / for learning
purposes?
• Your questions?

21. Let the game begin!