vesa.hiltunen@painotalocasper.fi

table of contents 1. Game Subject........................................................................................................ 2 1.1 Problems with Teaching Mathematics

2. Game Summary and Outline.............................................................................. 3 1.2 Story and Setting

2.2 Mathematics as a Gameplay Element

3. Target Audience.................................................................................................. 44. The Reasons Behind Why the Target Audience Will Play the Game.............. 45. Game Design........................................................................................................ 56. Game Explanation................................................................................................ 87. Notes..................................................................................................................... 87. Final Word............................................................................................................ 8

I n t r o d u c t i o n

There have been many attempts to gamify mathematics with no significant avail. This led me to tackle the question: “Can math games actually be educational and fun at the same time?” As it turns out, even though I mentioned that pesky word

“educational” in the same sentence as “fun”, educational or serious games can also be motivating and fun if you choose your game design ingredients carefully. Now pay attention, a good serious game recipe is as follows: appealing and accessible concept,

satisfying gameplay and plenty of positive feedback, flow and immersion.

Now to put that in perspective, I will present my game concept to you dear reader....

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P r o b l e m s w i t h t e a c h i n g m a t h e m a t i c s :

• Failure is uncomfortable -> Make failure into an experience with a positive outcome (Fun failure and better odds of success “Reality is broken by Jane McGonigal”)

• Confusing and “unpractical” -> Elucidate students about math and apply it into the real world

• Demotivating -> Game with a purpose, rich story and fun gameplay (Becoming a part of something bigger than ourselves “Reality is broken by Jane McGonigal”)

• Requires work and Difficult -> Give the player good feedback (More satisfying work “Reality is Broken by Jane McGonigal”)

1 . Game SubjectI as well as many others feel that mathematics is a difficult and demotivating subject,

so I have decided to represent the majority’s concern towards math.

Math requires concentration, patience and devotion. A lot of students are not gen-

erally motivated by the mathematical curriculum and thus do not want to work that

hard. Some have more aptitude for it than others, but for anyone it is hard work,

especially as you get into the higher forms of math. Students tend to hate math

because many math problems have just one correct answer, which makes students

feel uncomfortable about making mistakes and thus it is not fun to learn. A common

complaint among students is that they will not be using over half of what they learn

at school in their future. Students find math confusing and useless because they do

not see the connection between math and the real world. This is why I have decided

to make a game about this subject. My game addresses these issues by teaching the

player that the mathematical problems can be applied to the game world and the real

world. In my game, math is the magical key. Failure does not mean a bad grade for the

student, rather there is no real failure because the student is always practicing and

participating (or in MMO speak: grinding, getting experience points and leveling up) on

his own level and getting better all the time. This will lead to success because even

though the player may fail he or she is still motivated to try again to improve because

the player feels that he or she is a part of something bigger.

2. Game Summary and OutlineS t o r y a n d S e t t i n g

The protagonist has been summoned to the game world by its desperate citizens as a last

hope to save them from a devious and tyrannical evil that inflicts the world. The citizens

of this world have for some unknown reason lost the power to understand and manipu-

late numbers and thus cannot function properly or use magic to protect themselves. The

corrupt rulers of this world have made everyone oblivious about mathematics and this is

why you (the protagonist) have been summoned to restore peace and harmony to the world.

The protagonist is a beacon of hope for humanity because he is one of the few that has

the magical power to manipulate numbers and thus can use magic. The player will unravel

a devious mystery, encounter numerous unique characters, explore a variation of vibrant

locations and gain understanding of the unique power that he or she bestows.

M a t h e m a t i c s a s a g a m e p l a y e l e m e n t

In my game mathematics is learned and applied in a variation of ways. The player bestows

the power of understanding and manipulating numbers which enables him or her to solve

puzzles, execute spells and special moves. Each chapter of the game has its own mathe-

matical focus for example: logic, geometry and derivatives. The game starts with plus and

minus math to introduce the player to the game world and its various gameplay elements

like the UI. The game gets progressively challenging as the story advances. The different

skills that the player can perform require a mathematical problem to be solved for them

to be executed efficiently. In the beginning the player learns easy skills that require just

minus and plus math to execute but as the character grows he or she learns more powerful

spells and moves that require more advanced math to be executed. This encourages the

player to really learn the math so that he or she can perform these powerful spells and

special moves and overcome even the most ferocious enemies.

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4. The Reasons Behind Why the Target Audience Will Play the GameAt school, students may feel that they are doing the mathematical exercises for their

teacher. When playing “Forgotten Numbers”, the player is not doing all this work for some-

one else, rather the player is developing their own strengths and weaknesses as they play.

“Forgotten Numbers” gives an insight of how much better the player is getting by giving

positive feedback for the player, such as leveling up.

The “fun failure” study that was conducted by M.I.N.D Lab in Helsinki found that people

actually enjoy failing in videogames. It makes people happy in a very particular way: excit-

ed, interested and most of all optimistic. When we fail in real life, we are typically disap-

pointed, not energized. We experience diminished interest and motivation. And if we fail

again and again, we get more stressed. But in my game failure is more emotionally reward-

ing. It evokes a strong sensation of agency that makes the player eager to try again. By

making the player a key part of an epic story they will get a sense of purpose that ultimate-

ly gives meaning to their actions. The belief that the players actions matter beyond their

individual lives is what gives meaning into games. This is what most of us are looking for in

life: ways to make a difference in the big picture, more chances to leave a lasting mark on

the world, more moments of awe-inspiring and wonder. The single best way to add meaning

is to connect the player’s actions to something bigger than themselves – and the bigger,

the better. To experience real meaning, we do not have to contribute something of real

value. We just have to be given the opportunity to contribute at all. Compared with games,

math in reality can feel pointless and unrewarding. My game helps the player feel more re-

warded for making their best effort by giving the player satisfying feedback. Math in reality

is trivial for many students. In the game it makes the player feel a part of something bigger

and gives meaning to their actions. To participate wholeheartedly in mathematics means

to be self-motivated and self-directed, intensely interested and genuinely enthusiastic.

When students are forced to learn math, or if the student does it halfheartedly, they do not

really participate. In the same sense, if they do not care about math then the student is not

participating and not learning. This is where my game comes in to play. The emotional and

social rewards that the student get requires active, enthusiastic, self-motivated

participation.

3. Target AudienceThe target audience for my game is teenagers and students who find the mathematical curriculum demotivating, difficult, uncomfortable and confusing. The age group could be

anywhere beyond seven years old, when the student is in elementary school but for the purpose of this exercise I have chosen to target students in junior high school, ages 13-16

years old because studies, such as the research conducted in 2012 in Portugal “Attitudes towards Mathematics: Effects of Individual, Motivational, and Social Support Factors” (De

Lourdes Mata, Maria; Monteiro, Vera and Peixoto, Francisco 2012) show that students start to underperform in mathematics at this age. The target audience enjoys playing games

and find themselves gaming more than doing schoolwork. My game is a motivational tool for learning math.

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C h a l l e n g e

Challenge is the core of almost all games, and this is why

I have designed my game to give just the right amount of

challenge at just the right time. Not too hard so that it will

put off new players nor too easy so that the more expe-

rienced players will dismiss it. The challenges will start

easy to introduce the player into the game but as the story

progresses the challenges that are given to the player will

gradually increase in difficulty. This will make the player

feel a strong sensation of personal progress.

S k i l l

“Forgotten Numbers” will always demand the right level of

skill, giving the player appropriate problems to solve. The

player would never be pushed too hard and likewise the

challenges would never get too easy, it would be fine-tuned

so that the player would be hooked to reach that next goal.

The skill required would gradually increase depending on

the player’s outset and progress. At the beginning of the

game the player could decide the difficulty from easy,

medium and hard which would alternate some gameplay

mechanics such as if the player would play the game on the

“hard setting” they would be more vulnerable to enemies,

mathematical problems would be more difficult and the

timers in the game would be shorter. Playing on the “easy

setting” would be vice versa.

R e w a r d

The game will focus on giving out the right rewards in the

right amounts at the right time. Solving problems rewards

the player with experience points, equipment and items that

adds to the overall visible progress by making the player

feel more powerful which in itself is rewarding. Executing

the mathematical problems quickly, flawlessly and in a row

would result in bigger yields of items, gold and experience

points which would motivate the player to do their best to

get the best rewards.

F e e d b a c k

The player’s feedback from the game comes from many

things: judgment, reward, instructions, encouragement and

challenge. The game’s feedback loop will create the experi-

ence by ramping up the difficulty gradually, introducing new

environments and giving the player visible feedback when

they are doing well. As in the “reward” part I mentioned,

if the player executed the problems well they would be

rewarded for it, for example when the player solves five

mathematical problems flawlessly in battle they would do a

combo which would result in a spectacular attack animation

and higher damage to the enemy. If the player did some-

thing wrong and did not progress at the game, they would

be provided with more hints.

5. Game design

G o a l s

To ensure the goals of my game are appropriate and

well-balanced I have decided to divide the ultimate goal into

smaller goals which will keep the player motivated due to

the progressive improvement. This also takes to considera-

tion the player’s abilities. We feel better in games compared

to reality because games are designed to be motivating and

rewarding through achieving goals. “Forgotten Numbers”

trusts the player with tasks that are always of an equal

level with the player’s skill. Thus, it never gives too difficult

challenges to achieve and this will motivate the player to

achieve the goals set by the game. There is always some-

thing to do for the player.

I have used Jesse Schell’s (2008) book, The art of game

design: A book of lenses, to reflect my game design. As the

author puts it: “Good game design happens when you view

your game from many different perspectives”. The book

describes many of these perspectives and sets of insightful

questions to ask myself that will help make my game better.

A v a t a r

To ensure that the protagonist brings out as much of the

player’s identity as possible, I have decided to include some

customization options. The player would be able to decide

the gender, name and class. The player would also get to

decide what kind of gear they will equip, for example the

player can choose to focus on one of three classes: warri-

or, mage or assassin or a combination of these to best suit

the players wants.

V i s i b l e p r o g r e s s

The player will see that they are making progress when

solving the mathematical problems. They will be rewarded

with experience points which will make them level up and

thus get new and more powerful skills and magic spells. As

the game progresses the player will get better and fanci-

er equipment. Making progress in the game will make the

player feel more powerful since they can take on even the

most ferocious enemies.

F l o w

The game will hold the player’s focus by having a clear set

of goals, by providing the player a steady stream of grad-

ually increasing challenges and visible progress. The game

world is also made to be as immersive as possible by having

a rich story, appealing graphics and smooth gameplay.

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E l e m e n t a l t e t r a d

The game’s aesthetics, technology, mechanics and story are

in harmony, reinforcing each other and working together

toward a common theme.

A c c e s s i b i l i t y

When presenting a puzzle to the player, they will be able

to clearly visualize what they have to do. The game would

start with a tutorial stage which would teach the player the

various functions of the game.

P h y s i c a l I n t e r f a c e

The physical interface, the way the player interacts with the

game is designed so that the game will be easy and intuitive

to pick up and play both by new and experienced gamers. I

have decided to use tablet computers as the platform for

my game. The game would be played with touch controls and

the interface of the game would be set up so that it could be

played comfortably for even during longer game sessions.

The tablet platform will ensure this and is well suited for

my game, because it is always with the player. The tablet’s

gyroscope would also enable for exhilarating physical input

by the player for example if the player gets stunned or

dazed by an enemy they would have to shake the tablet in

their hands to wake up their avatar.

V i s u a l i n t e r f a c e

I have tried to enhance the player’s experience as much as

possible by making the visual interface as appealing and

clutter-free as possible. The player will get all the infor-

mation they need in a way that will not interfere with the

player’s interactions with the game world.

R i s k m i t i g a t i o n

I have also considered the things that could go wrong

with my game. Not everyone likes RPG games which could

possibly put off some potential players. The fantasy set-up

is also not for everyone.

6. Game ExplanationI have illustrated the battle mechanic of my game in

“Figure 1” to make it easier to understand the flow of the

game.

1: Game settings. When this button is pressed it will pause

the game and bring up the access to the game setting,

player attributes and the main menu.

2: Player status. This bar shows the players health.

Tapping on this bar will bring up comprehensive player

stats such as player level, progression, attributes and

items worn.

3: Task window. This window pops up after the player

activates a skill, for example: In this task the player has to

quickly solve how many percentages is missing by add-

ing up the other percentages and by looking at the whole

percentage figure. The right answer this time is 26 %. The

player types the correct answer in the calculator window

and executes the move by tapping the “action button”, the

button with the sword.

4: Inventory. This is the players “backpack” which contains

all the consumable items the player have found/looted from

previously battles or solved tasks. The player can choose to

use these consumables to aid them in battle, for example:

When being low on health the player can consume a “health

potion” to regain some health and keep fighting.

Figure 1: Forgotten Numbers, Battlescreen. Illustration by Ville Valkeisenmäki

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5: Protagonist. This is the player; opposite to the player is

the enemy. The protagonists appearance will vary depending

on the gender, class and gear they choose to wear.

6: Skill bar. This bar houses all the player’s skills that they

have learned. Skills are used to defeat enemies. Tapping a

skill brings up the “task window”. The task is randomized

and determined by the level of the skill, for example “Fire

Bolt” is a skill acquired at level 5, to effectively cast this

spell the player has to solve a percentage task as quickly

as possible. When levelling up the player gets new and

improved skills which require more difficult math to be

executed. In the case that the player does not solve the

task they will still hit the enemy with an “auto-attack” which

deals significantly less damage, and thus spamming

auto-attack will not grant victory. Solving the task slowly

will also reduce the damage dealt.

7: The calculator. This is a special item the player car-

ries, it will pop up when the player has chosen a skill and

therefore a task has been given. The player uses this for

giving the right answer, and by pressing the sword icon

they execute a skill. For example, the player taps in “26”

and then hits the execute button to cast the spell. If the

answer is correct and quickly executed the damage dealt

will be greater and will give a flashier attack animation. As

the game progresses the player will unlock new calcula-

tor functions that will be added to the calculator, such as

decimal, pi and exponent to solve harder tasks.

G a m e f l o w

The combat is turn-based. If the player is defeated in battle, they will be resurrected in the nearest town. Upon death

they will lose a small amount of gold but it can be reclaimed by defeating the enemy that defeated the player.

1) If the player’s level is higher than the enemy’s, the player will attack first.

2) To attack an enemy the player first selects a skill from the “skill bar”. Next the “task window” will appear with a

random mathematical task to solve. Depending on how well the task is solved (right answer/time) will determine the

damage dealt to the enemy.

3) When the player’s turn is over, the enemy will perform an attack. The enemies’ attacks and patterns will vary depend-

ing on what enemy it is.

4) When the player has preformed enough attacks so that the enemy’s health bar is completely depleted, the enemy will

be defeated. After defeating the enemy the player will receive a short battle report on how well they did and acquire

experience points, gold and items.

F i n a l d w o r d

I have briefly explained the purpose and mechanics of my math RPG. I think that the combination of mathematics and

RPG would be fun and motivating. Furthermore, a math-RPG concept has never been utilized to its fullest potential in the

past and that is why there is room for development in the field.

7 . Notes• McGonigal. Jane: Reality is broken (Great Britain: Jonathan Cape 2011) 19-344.• McGonigal. Jane: Gaming can make a better world (2010). Retrieved from: http://ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world [20.3.2014]• McGonigal. Jane: The game that can give you 10 extra years of life (2012). Retrieved from: http://ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_the_game_that_can_give_you_10_extra_years_of_life [20.3.2014]• Brathwaite. Brenda: Gaming for understanding (2011). Retrieved from: http://ted.com/talks/brenda_brathwaite_gaming_for_understanding [20.3.2014]• Priebatsch. Seth: The game layer on top of the world (2010). Retrieved from: http://ted.com/talks/seth_priebatsch_the_game_layer_on_top_of_the_world [20.3.2014]• Schell. Jesse: The art of game design: A book of lenses (2008). Retrieved from: http://artofgamedesign.com [20.3.2014]• De Lourdes Mata, Maria; Monteiro, Vera and Peixoto, Francisco. Attitudes towards Mathematics: Effects of Individual, Motivational, and Social Support Factors: Child Development Research Volume 2012 (Lisboa, Portugal: Instituto Universitário, UIPCDE, Rua Jardim do Tabaco (2012). Retrieved from: http://www.hindawi.com/journals/cdr/2012/876028/. [20.3.2014]

Arcada förhandsuppgift 2014 | Ville Valkeisenmäki