Education Commons^™

Collaborative Games: Lessons Learned From Board Games, Jose Zagal, Rick Jochen, Hsi Idris

Jose P Zagal

Collaborative mechanisms are starting to become prominent in computer games, like massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs); however, by their nature, these games are difficult to investigate. Game play is often complex and the underlying mechanisms are frequently opaque. In contrast, board games are simple. Their game play is fairly constrained and their core mechanisms are transparent enough to analyze. In this article, the authors seek to understand collaborative games. Because of their simplicity, they focus on board games. The authors present an analysis of collaborative games. In particular, they focus on Reiner Knizia’s LORDOFTHERINGS, considered by many to be the …

Design Languages, Notation Systems, And Instructional Technology, Sandie Waters, Andrew Gibbons

Sandie H Waters

Notational systems, used in mature fields of study, are closely related to design languages. The future of a technological field depends on the ability to communicate ideas and changes with others in the field. Instructional technology is one field that can benefit from a notation system enabling designers to duplicate, execute, and communicate their ideas. In this paper, we look at several mature fields, including chemistry, musicology, and choreography, to discover elements where a mature design language and notation system have developed. We illustrate a number of dimensions that can help designers form their design languages and select the characteristics …

Enhanced Mathematics Learning: Does Technology Make A Difference?, Katherine Dix

Dr Katherine Dix