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From Fable to Game: Plan for an Engaging Gamification Project

By Kathy Strickland, Boise State MET Candidate

Learning Goal
At the end of this project, learners will be able to transform a story or fable into a simple
Scratch game.

Learning Objectives
There are seven key learning objectives related to the learning goal:
1. Given a story map template, identify the storys character(s), setting, problem,
and solution.
2. Working in pairs, recall story events.
3. Sequence story events in a logical order using a story board template.
4. Identify key character(s) and event(s) to be used in game design.
5. Design a working game in Scratch based on story map and story board created.
6. Given explanations and examples of game mechanics and aesthetics, apply these
principles to the design and development of an original game.
7. Compose detailed instructions and rationale for the game, including moral.
Matrix of Objectives and Assessment Plan

Learning
Objective


Blooms Taxonomy
Classification
Format of
Assessment
Description
of Test Form
Sample
Assessment
Items
1 Comprehension Interactive
Whiteboard;
Pencil-and-
Paper
Mapping Fill in sections of
story map with
details from
chosen story
2 Knowledge Performance Observation Brainstorm and
list all events
3 Synthesis Interactive
Whiteboard;
Pencil-and-
Paper
Sequencing Construct series
of events in
pictures and/or
words
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4 Comprehension Performance Observation Pinpoint key
characters and
events to use in
game
5 Synthesis Web-Based
Technology
Trial and
Evaluation
Design and
execute game
using Scratch
6 Application Web-Based
Technology
Trial and
Evaluation
Apply game
mechanics and
aesthetics to
game design
7 Evaluation Pencil-and-
Paper (typed)
Interpretation Write game
instructions and
rationale

These objectives and assessments work together to create a meaningful learning
experience and achieve the learning goal. Achieving these objectives requires game thinking,
which is perhaps the most important element of gamification (Kapp, 2012, p. 40), and will
enrich students understanding of storytelling.
Objectives #5 and #6 in particular involve problem solving in order to apply concepts
and characters to a game format, in which the story is essentially retold in an interactive,
player-controlled way with variable endings.
The real power of game-based thinking is in engagement, storytelling, visualization
of characters, and problem solving (Kapp, 2012, p. 41).

Target Audience
The target audience for this project is students who are 10 to 12 years old and enrolled
in a program of study in the Vedic sciences, including Sanskrit, art, and math-based astrology.
This project will be part of a unit where students study stories and fables from ancient Indian
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texts, including the Mahavakya, the Panchatantra, the Hitopadesha, the Mahabharata
(including the Bhagavad Gita), and various Vedic astrology texts.
Working in pairs, students will choose the topic of their game from among the stories
previously studied. Prerequisite knowledge and skills include:
Familiarity with story choices
Understanding of basic story elements (character, plot, conflict, setting, motive,
goal/resolution, moral/theme)
Proficiency searching the Internet (for background information and public
domain images as needed)
Ability to use a computer with keyboard
This course of study will not teach English Language Arts concepts, nor is it tied to any
established school or curriculum. But, according to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS)
for Reading: Literature, target students will be familiar with the terms and concepts used to
discuss and plot the game story board. For instance, by age 10, these students should have
mastered the following CCSS Grade 3 Key Ideas and Details:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.2
Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine
the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details
in the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.3
Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how
their actions contribute to the sequence of events

Students will be developing basic Sanskrit vocabulary at this point in the broader Vedic
sciences program, having taken a course in Sanskrit speech sounds in their first semester. They
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may be translating some passages from the stories and learning to read Devanagari script. This
knowledge could be incorporated into their game design but is not a project requirement.

Materials and Media
The instructor will use the following materials and media when implementing the Fable-
to-Game project:
1. Story map template: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-
plan/collateral_resources/pdf/l/lessonplans_graphicorg_pdfs_storymap.pdf
2. Story board template:
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/sites/default/files/asset/file/story-board-
reading-comprehension-graphic-organizer.pdf
3. Interactive whiteboard or projector
4. Example of fable-turned-game: http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/21404567/
5. Scratch game-design program: http://www.scratch.mit.edu/

Story Map Template: This will be used to help students identify the key characters and
props (any objects essential to the problem/solution) to use in their games. These characters
and props are called Sprites in the Scratch program. The story map template will also help
students identify the setting for their games (the Stage and Backdrops in Scratch).
Story Board Template: This will be used to help students identify the actions that will
take place in their games. Based on the problem and solution identified in the story map,
students will break down what happened in the story into a logical sequence of events, which
they will draw or write on the story board template. They will then consider cause and effect
when isolating the key event in the problem and the key event in the solution. These will
become the actions in the game and how the player wins or loses. The game mechanics can be
created with a variety of Scratch functions, including Motion, Events, Control, Sensing, Data,
and Operators. See Gamified Content and Mechanics below for how this will be taught.
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Interactive Whiteboard or Projector: An interactive whiteboard or projector will be
used to model the story map and story board tasks with the whole class.
Example of Fable-Turned-Game: The Thirsty Crow game I created in EdTech 597 will
be used as an example of how to (1) identify and create the key character(s) and prop(s), (2)
identify and execute the key events that will make the game function, (3) explain game
concepts such as winning/losing, earning rewards, advancing levels (not required for this
project), and (4) explain game aesthetics, including Costumes, Sounds, and Looks. See Gamified
Content and Mechanics below for how this will be taught.
Scratch Game-Design Program: Scratch is an open-source program developed by MIT.
For this project, students will use the most current online version rather than downloading the
software. Students will be able to access and edit their game from any computer with Internet
access, which is necessary because class meets just once a week. In addition to the online
tutorials and help forum within Scratch, the instructor will offer support outside of class.

Gamified Content and Mechanics
This project incorporates a variety of gamified content and mechanics, including those
involved in game development itself. The learning goal of this project is for students to
transform a story or fable into a simple Scratch game. Students will gain experience with basic
programming, and the logical, creative game thinking involved in this process will prove
useful in any school content area and in the working world of the 21
st
century.
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As Marc Prensky points out in the Educational Leadership article titled Listen to the
Natives, programming is perhaps the key skill necessary for 21
st
century literacy (Prensky,
2005/2006).
This gamification project can be broken into two parts: (1) the story and (2) the game.
Part 1: The Story
The first part of the Fable-to-Game project focuses on the story on which students will
base their game. Working in pairs, students will choose a story or fable from the course
readings, which include selections from the Mahavakya, the Panchatantra, the Hitopadesha,
the Mahabharata (including the Bhagavad Gita), and various Vedic astrology texts.
Part 1 instruction and practice will achieve the first four objectives identified in
Learning Objectives on page 1 of this document:
1. Given a story map template, identify the storys character(s), setting, problem,
and solution.
2. Working in pairs, recall story events.
3. Sequence story events in a logical order using a story board template.
4. Identify key character(s) and event(s) to be used in game design.
After students choose their story, they will read and discuss it with their partner. They
may consider at this point what they think the moral of the story could be, as this may help
them determine the goal of their game and a reward for achieving it in Part 2.
The first task for each pair of students is story mapping. The instructor will read or re-
read the story of The Thirsty Crow. Using an interactive whiteboard or projector, the
instructor will then model the story mapping activity (Objective #1), asking students to help fill
in the character(s), setting, problem, and solution. Students will then complete their own story
map with their partner.
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The second task in this project deals with the events of the story. Using an interactive
whiteboard or projector, the instructor will model how to recall the story events (Objective #2)
and fill out the story board (Objective #3). The whole class will participate in calling out all the
events that happened in the story, referring to the problem and solution identified on the story
map, and then sequencing them in a logical order. The instructor may ask for student
volunteers to draw or write on the story board template. Students will then complete their own
story board with their partner.
The final task in Part 1 is identifying the key character(s) and event(s) to be used in game
design (Objective #4). Student pairs will examine the sequence of events laid out on their story
board and determine if there is a key event that leads to resolution of the problem. For
example, in the fable The Tortoise and the Hare, the rabbits decision to take a nap resulted
in his losing the race. In The Thirsty Crow, it was when the crow dropped a stone into the
pitcher that the water level began to rise, thus sparking the solution to the crows problem.
This is when students will begin to apply game thinking. As game designer and
gamification expert Amy Jo Kim suggests in her Google TechTalks speech titled Smart
Gamification: Designing the Player Journey (Kim, 2011), the instructor may begin to replace
the term character with player, shifting the focus from story to game and the control from
the author (what has been written) to the students (what will be created).
When isolating the key event in the problem and the key event in the solution, students
will examine cause and effect and what will become in the game mechanics if/then scenarios.
Students will also determine the action that will solve the problem they identified in their story
map and ultimately result in the player winning the game.
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Part 2: The Game
The second part of the Fable-to-Game project focuses on designing a game in Scratch
based on the chosen story. This is where students really develop their strategic game thinking
and are introduced to game mechanics and aesthetics. Apart from the literal meanings of these
terms, students will be introduced to the definitions Amy Jo Kim gives in Smart Gamification:
Designing the Player Journey (Kim, 2011):
Game mechanics: the systems and features that make progress visible
Game aesthetics: the overall experience that yields emotional engagement.

Part 2 will begin with a whole-class discussion about what games students like to play
and what makes them engaging. This will not only put students (aka players) in a gaming
mind-set, but will also potentially bring up terms and concepts (including achievements and
rewards) that apply to the game students will create. Part 2 instruction and practice will achieve
the last three objectives identified in Learning Objectives on page 1 of this document:
5. Design a working game in Scratch based on story map and story board created.
6. Given explanations and examples of game mechanics and aesthetics, apply these
principles to the design and development of an original game.
7. Compose detailed instructions and rationale for the game, including moral.
After brainstorming what makes their favorite games engaging, students will be
introduced to terms and concepts related to game functions and features. Referencing the
work students did in Part 1 of the project and looking inside The Thirsty Crow for parallels in
the Scratch program, the instructor will demonstrate how games include the same elements as
stories: characters and props (Sprites), setting (Stage and Backdrops), actions (Scripts involving
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Motion, Events, Control, Sensing, Data, and Operators), problem (what the player must
do/overcome in the game), and solution (how the player wins the game).
Students first task in meeting Objectives #5 and #6 will be working in pairs to create the
Sprite(s) to be used in their game. They can choose from Sprites in the Scratch library, paint
their own, or upload an image (original work or public domain only). The instructor will model
how to create Sprites before the students do it themselves.
For their second task in Part 2 of the project, students will consider the context in which
the key story events they identified in Part 1 occur. They will set the Stage for action by creating
one or more Backdrops in Scratch. The instructor will again model the task before partners
begin working together.
The third task, developing Scripts, is perhaps the most complex and will likely require
multiple class periods as well as work outside of class. Students will determine which functions
in Scratch (Motion, Events, Control, Sensing, Data, and Operators), can be used to create a
Script that allows the player to solve the problem and win the game. This involves determining
how the player will control the Sprite(s) from the computer keyboard. For instance, if the player
wishes to move left, he/she will push the left arrow key. This task also involves designing into
the game a distinct event that indicates to the player when he/she has won or lost. The
instructor will use the scripts from The Thirsty Crow game to explain the logic behind the
game mechanics. The instructor will spend the rest of the class time helping students as they
work in pairs.
Once the game is functioning, students can incorporate aesthetics, including Costumes,
controlled from the Looks functions, and Sounds (not required).
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The final task in the project (Objective #7) is one that allows students to reflect on and
evaluate the work they have done. Students will summarize their game and write detailed
instructions to be included on the Project Page in Scratch. Each pair of students will also
compose a rationale for the work they did, which will include what they consider to be the
moral of the game.

Being able to look at a storywhether something that happened in the news, in your
own life, or in a work of literatureand think strategically about how and why the events
unfolded is an invaluable skill for school, career, and life in general. It is hoped that this project
will help students develop this type of game thinking while empowering them with basic
programming skills that are necessary for 21
st
century literacy.


References
Kapp, K. M. (2012). The gamification of learning and instruction: Game-based methods
and strategies for training and education. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.

Kim, A. J. (2011, February 16). Smart gamification: Designing the player journey
[Google TechTalks]. Retrieved from http://youtu.be/B0H3ASbnZmc

Prensky, M. (2005, December/2006, January). Listen to the natives. Educational
Leadership, 63(4), 8-13.