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[BRocknRolla]

Hate to be that guy...

But is Banner Saga worth it as $12.49?

I'm worried that the gameplay and story might be shallow. I'm a big fan of the art work, but that's not reason enough to play this kind of game. I'm definitely an RPG fan, but I don't want an RPG "lite." For those who've played it, what's your feeling? Also, are there any microtransactions in it, or was that just "Factions." Definitely worth the money? Play it at some later date? (I'm not exactly hurting for games right now.)

Thanks!

I just tried playing civ 5 and I have no idea what's going on. I quit. Oh well.

It's a very complex game, no doubt about that. Keep giving it a chance. Play on lower difficulties, experiment, dig through menus, and read the comments from your advisors. You'll learn, but it takes time. And once you've got it, if you're anything like me, you'll invest a disgusting number of hours into it. (Seriously, I'm not proud.)

 

[Ventara]

For a more philosophical approach, make them play a 3DS and a VITA. And so they learn the difference between success and failure.

Oh, you did not just go there! It's on! Meet me behind the school after class. Be there or be square.

 

[Dajanksta]

I just tried playing civ 5 and I have no idea what's going on. I quit. Oh well.

lol I did the same a while ago. Played for an hour and made no progress and had no idea what to do. Regretted it.

 

[Jiggaloboy]

I just tried playing civ 5 and I have no idea what's going on. I quit. Oh well.

Here you go.

 

[Speevy]

Suitable for middle school age Lanugage Arts Course:

Using Videogames to Learn About the Concept of Genres


Class begins by introducing and defining the concept of "genre." You then proceed to detail different types media that has genres film (comedy, horror, thrillers, etc), popular literature (fantasy, science fiction, murder mystery, romance etc.) and then introduce the concept of genres in videogames.

You then show videoclips of games from a particular genre (such as platformer) and then divide the class up into group and ask them to identify the things they notice these games have in common (showing the video again and letting them take notes or even create a looping video or a vine to let them watch over and over as they brainstorm for similarities). You then have them share the results with the rest of the class.

You repeat this process for two additional game genres (driving games, horror games, first person shooters, beat-em ups, shumps, etc). Each time you have the students in the groups come up with a list of the common features of that genre and then share their findings with the class. Write them on the board and discuss them as they mention them.

The next part of the project involves genre bending. Now that students have mastered the concept of game genres, they are tasked with creating a game that mixes elements of multiple genres. They will have to come up with a name for their game and a list of features that it borrow from two or more of the established genres. They will have time brainstorm on their ideas and present them to the class on the following day.

Yes! Keep it going guys!.

 

[corrosivefrost]

Why does Android Assault Cactus not have any discount?

 

[Ampersands]

Woooo so I posted like 20 minutes ago or so that I got my first booster pack.

Now I just got my first foil card. Weird coincidence.

I haven't got booster packs in so long that I forgot they existed. Good for you though.

 

[marrec]

I just tried playing civ 5 and I have no idea what's going on. I quit. Oh well.

I'm guessing you haven't played any Civ game before now?

 

[waby]

Well, caught up on the thread again, interesting quite a few pages there with the images and all the... Steam.




:O

Because Red team is on fire now

 

[legacyzero]

I'm a teacher, so I thought I would design a contest that mixes gaming and teaching in a fun way.

Free $25 game to the best entry to this contest. Contest ends in two hours.

Here's the scenario. You are a teacher and your students love video games. You want to teach them something that incorporates their interests into your instruction.

To make this appropriately challenging, let's stick with K-12. That's all the grades before college. If you're from a country aside from the US, just translate these grades into however your school system is structured.

This project must

1. -Have several elements of choice on the part of the student
2. -Give students the chance to interact socially in some way, either through groups or as a whole.
3. -Have at least three steps so it takes students more than one day to complete
4. -Integrate video games in some way, while still teaching the required content.
5. -Teach some concept in one or more of the following areas: English-Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies, Science, Physical Education, Art, and/or Music. Classes such as Biology, Algebra, Economics, etc. fall into these categories.
6. -Have a way to test to see if the students learned what you taught them This does not have to be a written exam. Just describe what they'll do.

***I don't want a lesson plan.*** You are most likely not a teacher. I want you to tell me how you would make video games relevant to what the students are learning.

Bear in mind that I have successfully taught game-related lessons in Math and Social Studies so I know such a project can be done.

Your entries will be judged on the basis of thoughtful response and creativity. If you are unfamiliar with state or Common Core standards, just consult a website. However, I'm more interested in how you design the project. I just want a description of what you'll do.

Being a teacher myself, I would love to teach a group about the Chernobyl incident. For some reason, I never learned about what happened to Pripyat when I was in school (I'm going on 32 years old now). Maybe they never taught it, or I perhaps missed that day..

It took games like Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare for me to understand on a basic level, what happened in Chernobyl, and it made my interest SKY ROCKET. I couldn't help but research the incident for months, which led to my interest in the Soviet era, which led to my interest in the Cold War era, etc.

So I would use video games based on that format to pique the interest of students to engage their need to learn more about it. Games like COD4, Stalker: Call of Pripyat, etc.

Then afterwards, we would dive in to official content. Documentaries, google, etc, to really try to live the experience. Have groups separarate and discuss various subjects, like what went wrong, long term effects, etc. A truly wondrous subject.

Don't let your Mama tell you video games can't teach you anything.

 

[Biochet]

Guys can i get some help here? Time is ticking down.

yes you can, make sure the game is gift-able though

 

[RunWhiteBoyRun]

Poop

Instructions for RunWhiteBoyRun:
Press the quote button to the left of this PM, select the quoted text, copy, and paste in the thread. You can remove these lines from the version you paste.

Instructions for participants:
I am giving away a Steam key. To enter this giveaway, send a PM to ModBot with any subject line. In the body, copy and paste the entire line below containing the key.

Rules for this Giveaway:
- If you are a lurker you are not eligible for this giveaway. You need five or more posts in either the current Steam thread or the previous one to be eligible
- This giveaway is a LIGHTNING raffle. The winners will be selected by random draw 15 minutes after the draw was created. Any games not claimed after that point will be given away first come first serve.
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- If the key is already taken you will not receive a reply. Replies may take a minute or two:


The Ship -- MB-075EEAEBCC7F61D6 - Taken by WinterDemons. 6 entrants total.

 

[tylerf]

I have hundreds of hours in CK2 and EU4 but I still have never learned how to properly play Civ 5. I always just end up doing whatever seems cool at the time.

 

[LuuKyK]

Oh, you did not just go there! It's on! Meet me behind the school after class. Be there or be square.

I edited to reflect the truth.

 

[Fracas]

Contest

Fracas's LittleBigPlanet Book Project

(this assumes multiple people in your class have access to a PS3 or a teacher could provide a couple)

Part 1:

-Put students into groups (or just let them pick their own)
-Assign all groups the same book; the differences among the groups are themes embedded in the work that each must focus on (for lower grade levels where it may be difficult to adequately delve into themes, you could just assign different kids' books to each group)
-Have the students read the book over a few days and provide a little explanation on what each theme means
-Each group must construct a LittleBigPlanet level based on these themes while also referencing plot points of the book. Give the students a day or two to plan everything out

Part 2:

-Either in class or at home, let the students make their levels. Ask them why they're doing what they're doing and how it demonstrates each theme. Encourage open discussion

Part 3:

-Each group presents their project, with every member explaining various aspects of the level and how it meets each theme. This part is graded

Part 4 (not necessary but would be fun nonetheless)

-Combine all the student's work into one giant level that should somewhat explain the book as a whole. Bonus points to students/groups with the fastest runs

LBP's all about expressing yourself, and I personally feel it would work especially well with literature or any media really.

 

[Oldschoolgamer]

Why does Android Assault Cactus not have any discount?

Is it still in Early Access?

 

[Salsa]

Steam Summer Sales 2014 |OT3| School in the summer. Vacations over.

 

[outunderthestars]

Poop

Congrats WinterDemons!

 

[Red]

Actually, making judgments on works of art and literature is a great assignment for students.

Some offhand ideas:

1. Note instances in a game where story is told through gameplay in a way unique to the medium; ask whether or not this method is a good fit for the content, and if not why not
2. Intertextual comparison of gaming narrative against written narrative (what are the limitations of the game being played? does its gameplay constrain the story it is able to tell?)
3. With a game like SpaceChem, how well does gameplay adopt its subject matter? What does it accurately represent (ie circuitry, chemical bonds)? What does it not accurately represent? What can you learn from it?
4. For shooters: if your avatar was a real person, what might be running through his head? Do you think he is acting believably? What might he consider that he has not been shown to?

 

[Speevy]

]Okay, this will tie in with either Social Studies or History depending on whether or not your school has electives. The game: Starcraft 2

The lesson? The 'Red Scare' aswell as mutually assured destruction during the cold war, it's an altered version of a Starcraft gamemode called phantom mode but allows the communist to turn other players.

Depending on class sizes two games can be made (12 per game)

There are two sides, everybody except two is identified as capitalist. Their goal is to figure out who is the communist. One of the two unique players is the president or capitalist leader, the other is a communist.The capitalist win when all communists are destroyed. The communists goal is to turn all players by persuasion / destroy capitalism.
The first communist gets increased income, the income is lowered by 50% for each person that joins

The Capitalist leader get's the same increased income but it does not effect the rest of the 10 capitalists


The game plays similar to phantom mode in starcraft. The capitalist leader will likely claim his role immediately and take leadership of the players, A witch hunt will start as whoever is doing too well will be likely taking out, the communist must private message the 10 capitalist players and try to get them to turn while not becoming too much of a threat. As everyone builds up, armies become more and more potent as starcraft late game units are better vs early game units. The witch hunt becomes more dangerous now as the capitalists cannot risk taking out a potential innocent player as that player may switch to communism if attacked or they may lose so many troops in the attack (The player being singles out will likely fight back or switch to communism) that they may be vulnerable to a communist attack. A players role is only revealed after death, if the capitalists see too many innocents dying in the witch hunt they may switch, on the other hand if the communist reveals himself too early when there is no reason to switch he may be ratted out!

• 3 types of players, Capitalists, Capitalist Leader and Communist
• Only Capitalists can be turned, the Leader must be destroyed for the Communists to win
• Nobody is told the other players roles

Key Elements

1. Your students will be enganged with each other socially
2. They may stick by friends side and defend them against the 'angry mob' or they might let their friends be taken out of the game
3. Will so them the backstabbing and paranoria that occured during the Red Scare
4. Aimed for Grades 9-12
5. Students will be told that there is a bonus mark pool, it will be diveded up equally amongst the winners, this will provoke them into wanting to possibly switch to communism in order to gain a larger percent of the bonus pool

I really enjoyed this response too. Very creative.

 

[BinaryPork2737]

Steam Summer Sales 2014 |OT3| School in the summer. Vacations over.

Sounds like a tagline to an action movie.

 

[HerbertFish]

I'm guessing you haven't played any Civ game before now?

Nope. I thought it was an RTS something in between Age of Empires and SimCity. I was sorely mistaken lol.

 

[legacyzero]

Steam Summer Sales 2014 |OT3| School in the summer. Tough luck suckers!

Hey, I liked Summer school! Half days, easy lessons, and spending the summer with my then love interest. What a rebel she was.

 

[Island]

Can't quote Speedy cuz I'm on my phone, but this would be my idea.

Topic: Pre-destination, or do we have true choice?

 

1.       Steps:

a.       Play the first level of Super Mario Bros

b.      Play a round of Minesweeper

c.       Play Bioshock 1 to the Would you Kindly Moment

2.       Students (grade 12) can choose to play Bioshock 1 to its conclusion, or join together in groups of up to 3 to complete the game.

a.       If a parent objects to the content or does not want to participate they can watch a video on youtube of Would you kindly moment.

3.       After the class has participated or watched all 3 steps (a few days, maybe a week) hold a discussion about player agency and whether the player actually has a choice to save the princess, clear the minefield, or push forward in Bioshock.

a.       Have the class revist each step from the mindset of what would happen if you didn’t move forward in Mario (death by Goomba), click a tile in Minesweeper (nothing), or go in a different direction in Bioshock (invisible wall).

4.       The final test could be along the lines of a 3 answer essay style question of whether A) how is the concept of destiny applied in video games and B) do they offer any “real” choice? C) What would a video game that had true choice look like and is it possible to create?

 

[zkylon]

so with thread ending can we just let loose of all our depravities?

 

[Speevy]

Fracas's LittleBigPlanet Book Project

(this assumes multiple people in your class have access to a PS3 or a teacher could provide a couple)

Part 1:

-Put students into groups (or just let them pick their own)
-Assign all groups the same book; the differences among the groups are themes embedded in the work that each must focus on (for lower grade levels where it may be difficult to adequately delve into themes, you could just assign different kids' books to each group)
-Have the students read the book over a few days and provide a little explanation on what each theme means
-Each group must construct a LittleBigPlanet level based on these themes while also referencing plot points of the book. Give the students a day or two to plan everything out

Part 2:

-Either in class or at home, let the students make their levels. Ask them why they're doing what they're doing and how it demonstrates each them. Encourage open discussion

Part 3:

-Each group presents their project, with every member explaining various aspects of the level and how it meets each theme. This part is graded

Part 4 (not necessary but would be fun nonetheless)

-Combine all the student's work into one giant level that should somewhat explain the book as a whole. Bonus points to students/groups with the fastest runs

LBP's all about expressing yourself, and I personally feel it would work especially well with literature or any media really.

Aww damn you're after my heart, I do love LBP.

 

[GuardianE]

so with thread ending can we just let loose of all our depravities?

You first.

 

[rtcn63]

I'm a teacher, so I thought I would design a contest that mixes gaming and teaching in a fun way.

Free $25 game to the best entry to this contest. Contest ends in two hours.

Here's the scenario. You are a teacher and your students love video games. You want to teach them something that incorporates their interests into your instruction.

To make this appropriately challenging, let's stick with K-12. That's all the grades before college. If you're from a country aside from the US, just translate these grades into however your school system is structured.

This project must

1. -Have several elements of choice on the part of the student
2. -Give students the chance to interact socially in some way, either through groups or as a whole.
3. -Have at least three steps so it takes students more than one day to complete
4. -Integrate video games in some way, while still teaching the required content.
5. -Teach some concept in one or more of the following areas: English-Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies, Science, Physical Education, Art, and/or Music. Classes such as Biology, Algebra, Economics, etc. fall into these categories.
6. -Have a way to test to see if the students learned what you taught them This does not have to be a written exam. Just describe what they'll do.

***I don't want a lesson plan.*** You are most likely not a teacher. I want you to tell me how you would make video games relevant to what the students are learning.

Bear in mind that I have successfully taught game-related lessons in Math and Social Studies so I know such a project can be done.

Your entries will be judged on the basis of thoughtful response and creativity. If you are unfamiliar with state or Common Core standards, just consult a website. However, I'm more interested in how you design the project. I just want a description of what you'll do.

Okay, speevs. How about... storytelling? I know jack about storytelling but... I'd separate them into say, three groups. Assign the same three books to each that tells a story in a different way- one in a linear first-person fashion, another that's from the POVs of various people sharing a similar situation, and a third that's told totally from a single observer, describing events happening to others. (Is this even storytelling? I almost failed high school literature)

They'd read the books, take notes, and then each group will describe/reiterate all three stories (collectively or take turns as individuals, and just the main bits) from one particular perspective. Group 1 will attempt to describe/reiterate all the stories as if it were told in first-person, Group 2 as if it were from various people telling the same tale, etc. If that's even possible, I don't know. Try anyways, and if they just can't, say why.

Then I'd have them play narrative-focused games, preferably ones whose stories unravel like the books they read. Maybe Bioshock, with it's audio recordings or Far Cry 3 with it's interaction and dialogue wholly from Jason's view.

And I'd test them by... having them write their own brief stories. Pick any perspective, go to town. See what they picked up, if they grasped the elements of the perspectives they chose.

 

[DrEvil]

I'm a teacher, so I thought I would design a contest that mixes gaming and teaching in a fun way.

Free $25 game to the best entry to this contest. Contest ends in two hours.

Here's the scenario. You are a teacher and your students love video games. You want to teach them something that incorporates their interests into your instruction.

To make this appropriately challenging, let's stick with K-12. That's all the grades before college. If you're from a country aside from the US, just translate these grades into however your school system is structured.

This project must

1. -Have several elements of choice on the part of the student
2. -Give students the chance to interact socially in some way, either through groups or as a whole.
3. -Have at least three steps so it takes students more than one day to complete
4. -Integrate video games in some way, while still teaching the required content.
5. -Teach some concept in one or more of the following areas: English-Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies, Science, Physical Education, Art, and/or Music. Classes such as Biology, Algebra, Economics, etc. fall into these categories.
6. -Have a way to test to see if the students learned what you taught them This does not have to be a written exam. Just describe what they'll do.

***I don't want a lesson plan.*** You are most likely not a teacher. I want you to tell me how you would make video games relevant to what the students are learning.

Bear in mind that I have successfully taught game-related lessons in Math and Social Studies so I know such a project can be done.

Your entries will be judged on the basis of thoughtful response and creativity. If you are unfamiliar with state or Common Core standards, just consult a website. However, I'm more interested in how you design the project. I just want a description of what you'll do.

My entry:

Do a two-three day "Game & Creativity Bootcamp".

Prep: each table gets a deck of playing cards, some dice, blank speech cards, and a bag of multicolored tokens.

Day 1: Have the students divide into tables of 4 or 5 kids, ideally you'd have 4 or 5 groups dependant on your class size. Each student selects their all-time favourite video game. They must then individually deconstruct what they think makes their favourite game 'fun'. What elements of the game, the experience, etc. cause them to call it their favourite.

Once this is completed, the students at each individual table should share their findings with each other. Comparing notes and the elements they came up with. They make a chart with all the core elements that are common between all their favourite games. Ideally, each kid at the table would have a different type/genre of game that was their favourite.

Then, the group at each table needs to come up with a "game" using the items provided from prep, incorporating all of those common elements from their favourite games. Essentially making them bring the best of each table's favourite games into one entirely new game. The story, the characters, all created by the students at each group table.

They spend the afternoon refining and developing their card game, because the next morning they need to present their game and show others how to play it.

Day 2:
Each group presents their card game, presenting the narrative behind it and how the rules of the game work. Once presentations are done, each group gets to play the other groups' games, allowing everyone to experience the new worlds and stories that their classmates invented.

Day 2 or Day 3 depending on how long it all takes to get through it:

The class as a group votes on the best game that they played previously. Then once a victor is chosen, the entire class gets to collaboratively make suggestions on how to make it better, refine it further, and work together to try and make it into something they can all play together.

The whole exercise will encourage teamwork as well as iteration, creative thinking and writing, and likely a bit of math depending on what kind of health/hitpoint/experience system they come up with in their individual games.

 

[Speevy]

Oh shit the thread is ending. It can't end! I WILL SAVE YOU FROM DYING

 

[Jive Turkey]

I will force each student to reenact the Oregon Trail.

Each student, let's assume I've got 30 in my class, must get into groups of five, of their own choosing. Afterwords, I'll teach a few lessons on the Oregon Trail, including the history of the route, the hardships those traveling it faced, and famous people associated with it, including Narcissa Whitman, and famous landmarks, including Independence Rock. Each group will then play one round of the classic Oregon Trail video game each. All of them will record what happens during the round until they are no longer able to proceed, whether all of their characters died or survived to the end. They'll have to do a report on some aspect of the Oregon Trail, including diseases suffered by the travelers, literature and films regarding the Trail, the economic practices of the Trail's participants, the culture of wagon train life, plant life of the trail, etc. This would cover topics including social studies, science, mathematics, and English, among others.

After this, I will announce that I volunteered my class for a school play, forcing them to socially work together to come up with period authentic costumes of the mid 1800s as well as write a script for the play. Each of their roles will be based on what happened to their characters during the game, while forcing all of them to cover aspects from their reports. I expect no less than five references to dysentery and fording the river.

Following the success of the play, I will then give a written examination accompanied by multiple choice questions to each student based on their reports as well as the lessons covered by my own teachings. I expect only 10% of the class to get below a C.

Actually back in the day there was a pen and paper version of Oregon Trail. It's what all the cool kids played while we waited for the computer game to be made. The game actually played a lot like what you described. The class was divided up into groups of four or five and that was our wagon train. Each student had a character sheet detailing what they and their family had in their wagon. Each wagon train had to make various decisions together (what to bring, which route to take, cross swift water or look for a safer crossing) and everybody's survival depended on luck and teamwork.

 

[bucknuticus]

How To Survive,

yea or nay?

 

[BinaryPork2737]

The last thread made it to 406/203 pages guys, chill. We've still got some posts left in this one.

Actually back in the day there was a pen and paper version of Oregon Trail. It's what all the cool kids played while we waited for the computer game to be made. The game actually played a lot like what you described. The class was divided up into groups of four or five and that was our wagon train. Each student had a character sheet detailing what they and their family had in their wagon. Each wagon train had to make various decisions together (what to bring, which route to take, cross swift water or look for a safer crossing) and everybody's survival depended on luck and teamwork.

Pen and paper sounds way better than what we did. We had one day to play the 5th edition of the game and then did nothing with it after that. I mean it was great since I'm lazy, but no one even made it to the end of the Trail since that class was only 60 or 90 minutes long. Still have the cd version of that game laying around here somewhere. Shame it's not on GOG or Steam. Fuck the garbage mobile version of the Oregon Trail, it's terrible.

 

[Speevy]

My entry:

Do a two-three day "Game & Creativity Bootcamp".

Prep: each table gets a deck of playing cards, some dice, blank speech cards, and a bag of multicolored tokens.

Day 1: Have the students divide into tables of 4 or 5 kids, ideally you'd have 4 or 5 groups dependant on your class size. Each student selects their all-time favourite video game. They must then individually deconstruct what they think makes their favourite game 'fun'. What elements of the game, the experience, etc. cause them to call it their favourite.

Once this is completed, the students at each individual table should share their findings with each other. Comparing notes and the elements they came up with. They make a chart with all the core elements that are common between all their favourite games. Ideally, each kid at the table would have a different type/genre of game that was their favourite.

Then, the group at each table needs to come up with a "game" using the items provided from prep, incorporating all of those common elements from their favourite games. Essentially making them bring the best of each table's favourite games into one entirely new game. The story, the characters, all created by the students at each group table.

They spend the afternoon refining and developing their card game, because the next morning they need to present their game and show others how to play it.

Day 2:
Each group presents their card game, presenting the narrative behind it and how the rules of the game work. Once presentations are done, each group gets to play the other groups' games, allowing everyone to experience the new worlds and stories that their classmates invented.

Day 2 or Day 3 depending on how long it all takes to get through it:

The class as a group votes on the best game that they played previously. Then once a victor is chosen, the entire class gets to collaboratively make suggestions on how to make it better, refine it further, and work together to try and make it into something they can all play together.

The whole exercise will encourage teamwork as well as iteration, creative thinking and writing, and likely a bit of math depending on what kind of health/hitpoint/experience system they come up with in their individual games.

Very thoughtful structure, I like this one.

 

[GuardianE]

How To Survive,

yea or nay?

Some people weren't too positive about it earlier.

 

[Red]

There are always straightforward methods of teaching through games like what you'd find here:
http://www.nobelprize.org/educational/

 

[Backlogger]

please take:

Instructions for participants:
I am giving away 2 Steam keys. To enter this giveaway, send a PM to ModBot with any subject line. In the body, copy and paste the entire line below that corresponds to the key you want (if you include more than one game, you will be blocked from entering).



Rules for this Giveaway:
- Do not trade keys you win off-site to enrich yourself. Don't try to claim games you have no interest in collecting or playing. Don't claim games to give them to friends off-site.
- If the key is already taken you will not receive a reply. Replies may take a minute or two:


Iron Grip: Warlord -- MB-EFA1D4B37D9236CC - Taken by Mr.Awesome
Shattered Haven -- MB-7503151683C7FB5D - Taken by mug

 

[Speevy]

Okay, speevs. How about... storytelling? I know jack about storytelling but... I'd separate them into say, three groups. Assign the same three books to each that tells a story in a different way- one in a linear first-person fashion, another that's from the POVs of various people sharing a similar situation, and a third that's told totally from a single observer, describing events happening to others. (Is this even storytelling? I almost failed high school literature)

They'd read the books, take notes, and then each group will describe/reiterate all three stories (collectively or take turns as individuals, and just he main bits) from one particular perspective. Group 1 will attempt to describe/reiterate all the stories as if it were told in first-person, Group 2 as if it were from various people telling the same tale, etc. If that's even possible, I don't.

Then I'd have them play narrative-focused games, preferably ones whose stories unravel like the books they read do. Maybe Bioshock, with it's audio recordings, or Amnesia, with it's first-person and solitude.

And I'd test them by... having them write their own brief stories. Pick any perspective, go to town. See what they picked up, if they grasped the elements of the perspectives they chose.

Narrative writing is a big part of elementary English Language Arts education.

 

[bobnowhere]

I'm a teacher, so I thought I would design a contest that mixes gaming and teaching in a fun way.

Free $25 game to the best entry to this contest. Contest ends in two hours.

Here's the scenario. You are a teacher and your students love video games. You want to teach them something that incorporates their interests into your instruction.

To make this appropriately challenging, let's stick with K-12. That's all the grades before college. If you're from a country aside from the US, just translate these grades into however your school system is structured.

This project must

1. -Have several elements of choice on the part of the student
2. -Give students the chance to interact socially in some way, either through groups or as a whole.
3. -Have at least three steps so it takes students more than one day to complete
4. -Integrate video games in some way, while still teaching the required content.
5. -Teach some concept in one or more of the following areas: English-Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies, Science, Physical Education, Art, and/or Music. Classes such as Biology, Algebra, Economics, etc. fall into these categories.
6. -Have a way to test to see if the students learned what you taught them This does not have to be a written exam. Just describe what they'll do.

***I don't want a lesson plan.*** You are most likely not a teacher. I want you to tell me how you would make video games relevant to what the students are learning.

Bear in mind that I have successfully taught game-related lessons in Math and Social Studies so I know such a project can be done.

Your entries will be judged on the basis of thoughtful response and creativity. If you are unfamiliar with state or Common Core standards, just consult a website. However, I'm more interested in how you design the project. I just want a description of what you'll do.

Ok, stick with me here:

1. Economics - Buy each kid a copy of Marlow Briggs and demonstrate how at $1 the shear quality of the product blows the supply/demand curve out of the window forever damaging the "science" of microeconomics.
2. Biology - Show that with the liberal application of a giant mothafucking scythe to the brain even the most viscous arachnid can be made docile and controllable.
3. Art - All that blood and viscera; Modern Art!
4. Music - A deep discussion into whether it is appropriate to play "Rise of the Valkyries" at 150dB while swatting helicopters out of the sky. What are the alternatives? War Pigs, The Four Horsemen, Eye of the Tiger, Barbie Girl?
5. Calculus - Integrate the curve that Marlow's scythe follows to estimate the raw power of the strike. Hint: It's immeasurable.
6. History - Is Marlow Briggs the badest dude in history and was his coming fortold by Nostrodamas.
   Earthshaking fire from the center of the Earth (He Dies)
   Will cause tremors around the New City. (He Rises)
   Two great rocks will war for a long time, (Marlow's biceps obviously)
   Then Arethusa will redden a new river. (Nostrodamas is quite vague here)
   
7. Film Studies - Jean Claude Van Damme, pissweak in comparison? Yep.
8. Physical Eduction - The culmination. Lock all the students in the gym with a collection of gardening tools. Last student standing graduates top and has his/her pick of a Sandstone/Ivy League university.

 

[waby]

After those get laid picture, now its TeacherGAF. What happen?

 

[Speevy]

Ok, stick with me here:

1. Economics - Buy each kid a copy of Marlow Briggs and demonstrate how at $1 the shear quality of the product blows the supply/demand curve out of the window forever damaging the "science" of microeconomics.
2. Biology - Show that with the liberal application of a giant mothafucking scythe to the brain even the most viscous arachnid can be made docile and controllable.
3. Art - All that blood and viscera; Modern Art!
4. Music - A deep discussion into whether it is appropriate to play "Rise of the Valkyries" at 150dB while swatting helicopters out of the sky. What are the alternatives? War Pigs, The Four Horsemen, Eye of the Tiger, Barbie Girl?
5. Calculus - Integrate the curve that Marlow's scythe follows to estimate the raw power of the strike. Hint: It's immeasurable.
6. History - Is Marlow Briggs the badest dude in history and was his coming fortold by Nostrodamas.
   Earthshaking fire from the center of the Earth (He Dies)
   Will cause tremors around the New City. (He Rises)
   Two great rocks will war for a long time, (Marlow's biceps obviously)
   Then Arethusa will redden a new river. (Nostrodamas is quite vague here)
   
7. Film Studies - Jean Claude Van Damme, pissweak in comparison? Yep.
8. Physical Eduction - The culmination. Lock all the students in the gym with a collection of gardening tools. Last student standing graduates top and has his/her pick of a Sandstone/Ivy League university.

Lots of good ideas, would you be willing to expand on your favorite one?

 

[iosefe]

After those get laid picture, now its TeacherGAF. What happen?

stat padding to hit the level cap of the thread

 

[rtcn63]

After those get laid picture, now its TeacherGAF. What happen?

SteamGAF was naughty and now we're in detention. Going to bed on a desk, god it's hot.

 

[DaBoss]

You guys are too funny.

 

[crazyrabbits]

We're going to be on OT3 by morning at this rate.

 

[Chezzymann]

We're going to be on OT3 by morning at this rate.

What is morning

 

[HerbertFish]

please take:

Hey man thanks for Iron Grip. I had never heard of it until you posted it to be honest but the concept seems really cool so I decided to try and grab it. I'm very interested to try it, downloading now.

 

[Speevy]

What is morning

A good topic for a project

 

[Turfster]

What is morning

Judging by the birds and the lightness outside, now =p

 

[Juke Joint Jezebel]

So is Splinter Cell Blacklist better than Conviction? That game was horrid, but if the multiplayer is still supported and the single player is good I may as well pick it up for a fiver!