Health Hero: A Design Project 

Health Hero: Health Hero:

Design Project Design Project ETEC 643ETEC 643

University of Hawaii ManoaUniversity of Hawaii Manoa

Lyn AckermanLyn AckermanBilly MeinkeBilly Meinke

Susan St. JohnSusan St. John

Health HeroHealth Hero

Can you evade the life sappers?Can you evade the life sappers?

Instructional Instructional GoalsGoalsPlayers learn about Players learn about good health and the good health and the importance of importance of nutrition, exercise, nutrition, exercise, and sleep.and sleep.

Performance ObjectivesPerformance ObjectivesGiven a role playing game on healthy living [C],Given a role playing game on healthy living [C],children in grades 4-5 [B], will go through a children in grades 4-5 [B], will go through a weekend day by [D] accumulating a minimum of 90 weekend day by [D] accumulating a minimum of 90 game points, which demonstrate healthy choices game points, which demonstrate healthy choices in eating, exercising, and sleeping.in eating, exercising, and sleeping.

Target Target PopulationPopulationChildren in grades 4-5: Children in grades 4-5: roughly 9-11 years of roughly 9-11 years of ageage

Story OverviewStory Overview Hometown captured by the Hometown captured by the League of Life SappersLeague of Life Sappers

Player’s Mission: avoid the Player’s Mission: avoid the Life Sappers, find healthy Life Sappers, find healthy food and exercise, get food and exercise, get enough sleepenough sleep

Goals: keep energy meter in Goals: keep energy meter in the green zone, and the green zone, and vanquish Life Sappersvanquish Life Sappers

Game ElementsGame Elements1. Examples of 1. Examples of Characters:Characters:*Perpetual Snack *Perpetual Snack BowlBowl*Giant Spam Musubi*Giant Spam Musubi*Soda Swamp*Soda Swamp*Fried Frank E. Furter*Fried Frank E. Furter*Cola Kid*Cola Kid*Sloth Bump in the *Sloth Bump in the Road Road

Game Game ElementsElements2. Examples of Items:2. Examples of Items:*Essence of Carrot *Essence of Carrot ElixirElixir*Celery Sword*Celery Sword*Citrus Bomb*Citrus Bomb*Hover Board*Hover Board

Game Game ElementsElements3. Examples of Objects 3. Examples of Objects and Mechanisms:and Mechanisms:*energy meter*energy meter*healthy stars*healthy stars

Instructional StrategyInstructional Strategy

Gaining Attention:Gaining Attention: Aggressive Life Aggressive Life Sappers engage Sappers engage learner’s sensory learner’s sensory receptorsreceptors

Instructional StrategyInstructional StrategyInforming Learner of Informing Learner of Objectives: Rules of Objectives: Rules of the Gamethe Game

Avoid the Life SappersAvoid the Life Sappers Earn healthy stars by Earn healthy stars by eating well, getting eating well, getting exercise and sleepexercise and sleep

Complete challenges Complete challenges and finish the game and finish the game with player’s energy with player’s energy meter in the greenmeter in the green

Instructional StrategyInstructional StrategyStimulating Recall: Stimulating Recall: gameplay integrates gameplay integrates prior knowledgeprior knowledge

Utilize the USDA’s food Utilize the USDA’s food pyramid and healthy pyramid and healthy standards for exercise standards for exercise and sleep that children and sleep that children would have learned in would have learned in P.E. and Health P.E. and Health classesclasses

Instructional StrategyInstructional Strategy

Presenting the StimulusPresenting the Stimulus Choices are presented Choices are presented to the playerto the player

Instructional StrategyInstructional Strategy

Provide Learner Provide Learner GuidanceGuidance

Levels of game play Levels of game play helps student grow in helps student grow in understandingunderstanding

Instructional StrategyInstructional Strategy

Eliciting PerformanceEliciting Performance Role-playing allows Role-playing allows students to apply students to apply theory to actiontheory to action

Instructional StrategyInstructional Strategy

Providing FeedbackProviding Feedback Healthy choices earn Healthy choices earn energy starsenergy stars

Poor choices or Poor choices or overeating diminishes overeating diminishes energy starsenergy stars

Instructional StrategyInstructional Strategy

Assessing PerformanceAssessing Performance High score indicates High score indicates learner has achieved learner has achieved the objectives of the the objectives of the gamegame

Instructional StrategyInstructional Strategy Enhancing Retention Enhancing Retention and Transferand Transfer

Gameplay can be Gameplay can be repeatedrepeated

Encourage learners to Encourage learners to imagine the story in imagine the story in their real lives: they their real lives: they can customize their can customize their avatar and situationavatar and situation

““Are the life sappers Are the life sappers lurking in _________?”lurking in _________?”

Why Health Hero?Why Health Hero?Why create a game?Why create a game?

Interactive and engagingInteractive and engaging

What makes this game unique?What makes this game unique?

What makes this game good?What makes this game good?

Why focus on good health?Why focus on good health?

Why does this game appeal to target Why does this game appeal to target audience?audience? Students are more independentStudents are more independent Engage students in good healthEngage students in good health Teach nutrition early in their school Teach nutrition early in their school careercareer

Benefit of Games to LearningBenefit of Games to Learning

Students:Students:Develop a passion for the curriculumDevelop a passion for the curriculumVisualize themselves mastering the contentVisualize themselves mastering the contentExperience increased engagementExperience increased engagementExperience increased motivationExperience increased motivation

Health Hero PrototypeHealth Hero Prototype

James Paul GeeJames Paul GeeLearning in Good GamesLearning in Good Games

A. Empowered LearnersA. Empowered Learners

B. Problem SolvingB. Problem Solving

C. UnderstandingC. Understanding

A. Empowered LearnersA. Empowered Learners

1. Co-design1. Co-design Producers not Producers not

just consumersjust consumers

2. Customize2. Customize Make decisions aboutMake decisions about

how to learnhow to learn

A. Empowered LearnersA. Empowered Learners

3. Identity3. Identity Invest in and value new identityInvest in and value new identity

4. Manipulation and Distributed Knowledge4. Manipulation and Distributed Knowledge Manipulate powerful toolsManipulate powerful tools Extend effectivenessExtend effectiveness

B. Problem SolvingB. Problem Solving

1. Well-ordered problems1. Well-ordered problems Players led in well-designed problem spacePlayers led in well-designed problem space

  

2. Pleasantly frustrating 2. Pleasantly frustrating Challenges are hard but doableChallenges are hard but doable

  

B. Problem SolvingB. Problem Solving3. Cycles of Expertise3. Cycles of Expertise

extended practice, test of extended practice, test of

mastery, new challenge, mastery, new challenge,

extended practice extended practice

4. Information "on demand" & 4. Information "on demand" &

"just in time""just in time" information when it applies information when it applies

to action & practiceto action & practice

B. Problem SolvingB. Problem Solving

5. Fish Tanks 5. Fish Tanks Simplified system for Simplified system for

newcomers to newcomers to

understand game  understand game  

6. Sandbox6. Sandbox Safe haven for learning Safe haven for learning

B. Problem SolvingB. Problem Solving

7. Skills as strategies7. Skills as strategies Accomplishing a goalAccomplishing a goal Discrete skillsDiscrete skills

C.  Understanding C.  Understanding 1. System thinking1. System thinking

How elements fit into overall How elements fit into overall

systemsystem

2. Meaning as action image 2. Meaning as action image  Concepts made clear through Concepts made clear through

experienceexperience

ReferencesReferences

Gee, J.P. (2009). Games, learning, & 21st centuryGee, J.P. (2009). Games, learning, & 21st century    survival skills.     survival skills. Journal of Virtual WorldsJournal of Virtual Worlds    Research    Research, 2 (1), 2 (1)

Gee, J.P. (2005). Learning by design. Gee, J.P. (2005). Learning by design. E-LearningE-Learning, 2 (1), 2 (1)

Rouse, R. (2005). Rouse, R. (2005). Game design: theory and practiceGame design: theory and practice.  (2nd .  (2nd edition). Plano, Texas: Wordware edition). Plano, Texas: Wordware Publishing, Inc.  ISBN: Publishing, Inc.  ISBN: 15562291271556229127

St. John, Sam (2011). Original artwork for Health Hero.St. John, Sam (2011). Original artwork for Health Hero.