Kaitlyn Steffus EDCI 270 12:30 Case 3 Report Spent is an online game that demonstrates and explains how

lower income families attempt to survive from month to month and all the sacrifices they have to make. An individual will go thru each day making decisions on economic issues that could come arise each day. To start this game you will have one thousand dollars and must first chose an occupation and then how far their home will be from work. You will then go through different events like bills needing to be paid or you get in a car accident. The primary goal is to make it for all thirty days without running out of money. When you are going through each task you have to make the right decision to survive. When playing each player must be able to make these decisions that would be in their best interest or to keep enough money to survive. This game can possibly have an educational value for students in an 8th grade social studies class because of the fact that it can demonstrate a current concern in todays society. Not all students really know or understand this major issue that is going on in the United States and around the world. This game shows them how hard it is for someone with a minimum wage job to be able to support a family and the sacrifices they must make. The game also gives specific statistics on certain topics like healthcare, home environments, and food stamps. I have three ways that this game could be integrated into an advancement of learning. The first is discussing with the students what they know about people who try to survive with a minimum wage pay and then have them play the game. After they play the game have all of them write down things they learned and things they did not know about and share them with the class. The second way is by having them watch a video on the subject of families trying to survive with minimum wage paychecks and then have them play the game. After bring them all back together and have each student tell what they thought was the most shocking from both the video and the game. And finally the third, is having them read the book Nickel and Dimed and then having them play the game and talk about the similarities between the two. When researching some further evidence into how serious games can useful for learning I was able to find two other articles then what was given to me. The first called Serious Games: Serious Opportunities, is an overall review on games and the learning involved with it. In todays society all videogames and computer games are usually challenging, long, and very complex. This has made researchers believe that video games are like playing a learning project. Also it seems to them that games can provide a powerful and meaningful context for learning. On the subject of games with school, games can be designed for players specifically to have an interactive experience throughout their play. Unlike a classroom where teachers tell students what they need to know, games give students a learner-centered way of learning. Giving students this opportunity to learn how they want to learn than being told what they need to learn, it gives them a greater desire to learn. These games give students the opportunity to learn rather than taught. One of the most common issues when it comes to these games is the idea of learning

outcomes. Gaming creators and designers need to be aware that it is necessary to have an idea of what the client hopes to learn from the game. Another major issue is the implementation of the game. Serious game developers need to understand that their game is not the center of learning that idea but rather a tool in the learning process. The third issue is that the budgets to make serious games are not very large. And finally the last issue is technology. With the fact of a small budget to make these videos, creators will often times have to use other game engines instead of making them from scratch. The second article was called, Proof of Learning: Assessment in Serious Games which talks about the assessment of serious games. Games and technology in todays computer world can transform the way students are trained and educated at every level. In order for teachers to be comfortable in giving this to their students, serious games need to be able to show that learning has occurred. Also when people think about testing when it comes to computer they think of multiple choice questions. This makes multiple choice questions the first and easiest way of assessing what is learned from a game but it isnt necessarily the best option. The main difference between serious games and regular games is that serious games have a goal of education as the primary goal unlike regular games who focus on entertainment. Designers of serious games can build on methods that have been successful in mainstream video games. There are some challenges when it comes to serious games. First is that it is hard for designers to determine if an individual learned from the game. The second issue is cheating. Cheating can be really easy to do with games because there are cheat codes and videos that can get an individual around certain tasks in a game without actually learning that task. Finally the last issue is that how much fun can be put into a serious game. When it comes to the assessment of serious games there are three main types used in serious games, completion, in-process assessment, and teacher evaluation. Completion assessment can be identified as the simplest form of assessment. Because of its simplicity it can be the first indicator that a student understands the material that was given. The in-process assessment is when the game can determine itself how well the player is learning. Teacher evaluation also includes the observation of the student in action by the instructor. Essentially the future of serious games as a tool in education will depend on an improvement of support for all three types of assessments. The article that was given called, Harnessing the power of video games for learning. Modern video and computer games can offer a landscape of rich adventures and challenges that can be very appealing. People suggest that gaming could offer the right skills for individuals to acquire to survive working in the 21st century. Complex Video games can teach a variety of skills needed in todays society such as strategic thinking, interpretative analysis, problem solving, plan formulation and execution, and adaptation to rapid change. On October 5, 2005 in Washington D.C a National Summit on Educational Games was held to discuss ways to accelerate development, commercialization, and deployment of new generation games for learning. At the conclusion of this summit key needs were identified as well as challenges that need to be addressed. These seven needs or challenges are as follows, the first being that video games require the mastering of skills by players is currently in a demand by todays employers and companies. Next is the idea of differences between education and entertainment to games. The desired learning outcome must first be targeted then a game needs to be designed to achieve

the target. The third is that research and experimentation needs to enhance the development of educational games by the stimulation transfer of the art and technology to education and learning systems. Next is the issue that high development costs make developing high-production learning game or system to be too risky for a gaming or education materials industry. Also there are many barriers that will inhibit markets for educational games. The Sixth issue is that there is a need to transform organizational systems and practices to take a greater advantage of new technologies. And finally, the last issue is that outcome data from large evaluations of educational games are greatly needed to effectively demonstrate that these specific technologies are equal to or can offer a comparative advantage or conventional instruction methods. In conclusion, I believe that the game Spent is benefiting students learning. This game does not waste a students time or is unproductive but rather the opposite. This game can give students the realization of how life is like for individuals that sometimes cant economically survive from month to month.

References Chen, S., & Michael, D. (2005). Proof of learning: Assessment in serious games. Gamasutra. Retrieved Jan, 12, 2011. Stapleton, A. J. (2004). Serious games: Serious opportunities. In Australian Game Developers Conference, Academic Summit, Melbourne. Federation of American Scientists. (2004). Harnessing the power of video games for learning. In Summit on Educational Games 2006.