Blog Week 9

Unfortunately, I have not gotten a chance to play my game at all this week. But, because we have been playing these games for the entire semester, I am confident in my abilities to write a productive blog with a new principle of the week. Here it goes.

Principle of the week: 26) Bottom-up Basic Skills Principle.
Basic skills are not learned in isolation or out of context; rather, what counts as a basic skill is discovered bottom up by engaging in more and more of the game/domain or games/domains like it. Basic skills are genre elements of a given type of game/domain.

I think this principle pretty much speaks for itself. It says that basic skills are discovered from the beginning and you can amplify those skills by engaging more and more in the game. This applies perfectly to NHL 10, and any sports game really. At the beginning of the game, you only really know how to pass and shoot. But as you continue to play, you begin to learn new moves, diving checks, slap shots, directed shots, skip passes, etc... So by continuing to play the game, in its own domain, you obviously learn the basic skills early in the game, but then you continue to learn more advanced skills as you play. (bottom-up)

Blog Week 8

So this week, I have continued to play online. I figured that I would stay away from my franchise for a bit so that when I came back to it, I would not be so bored while playing it. Online is a lot different than playing the franchise. Playing against real people adds a new element that the computer AI did not have. It is not always the same thing when playing online because each person has their own strategy and style of play. When I play online, the thing that I try to do is figure out that strategy so that I can stop it as soon as possible.

The main thing that I wanted to blog about this week was the fighting in NHL 10. I am not quite sure why I haven't blogged about it before, because it really adds something fun to the game. While in a game, you can provoke a player from the opposite team into a fight. If they accept, you both drop gloves and swing your fists at each other.

Fighting in NHL 10 brings about a great principle for the week:

6) "Psychosocial Moratorium" Principle.
Learners can take risks in a space where real-world consequences are lowered

This applies perfectly to the fighting in NHL 10. For most of us, we do not want to get into fights with random people on the street - it just wouldn't be smart. But in the game, on the other hand, gamers are more than willing to start a fight with a random opponent. Gamers do not have to worry about feeling the pain or facing any real life consequences for the fight. No bruises and no punishments from the law.

Until next week....

Blog Week 7

So I have continued to play my franchise with the capitals in NHL 10, but throughout the week, I started to get bored of the same thing over and over - I guess that's what you get when you continue to play your sports franchise and nothing else. So, I thought a little bit deeper in to why I was getting bored, and I came up with the blatant answer - I was tired of playing with the same people over and over and continuing to play against the computer over and over. So, I decided to play online. This worked a lot better for me. It gave me a chance to play with a new team (I chose the Flyers) and I got the opportunity to play against real people instead of the steady play of the computer. This got me thinking, one reason that NHL 10, and other sports games are so attractive is because they have so many options. Not only can you play your franchise, but you can also play online against a random person across the globe - that is pretty interesting, to me at least.

Because of this, I thought of a good principle of the week:
Insider Principle.
The learner is an "insider," "teacher," and "producer" (not just a consumer) able to customize the learning experience and the domain/game from the beginning and throughout the experience.

In NHL 10, the learner (gamer) is able to decide which form of the game he/she wants to play (customizing the learning experience) from the beginning, and he/she also has the opportunity to try different parts of the game whenever he/she wants. It makes the player feel good that he/she is the learner, but also the teacher. It gives us a sense of power and allows us to play on our own time instead of following someone's agenda other than our own.

Blog Week 6

Gaming this week has been a little slow. I went home on wednesday for spring break so I did not get a chance to play a lot this week. I was only able to play one game in my franchise and I lost, so I am now 11-5. Still a good record, but I want to get back towards winning when I get back from spring break.

Principle of the week: 12) Practice Principle.
Learners get lots and lots of practice in a context where the practice is not boring (i.e. in a virtual world that is compelling to learners on their own terms and where the learners experience ongoing success). They spend lots of time on task.

In this game, players spend lots of time doing certain things over and over. Essentially, every game is somewhat the same, because the object is to score more goals than the opposing team. You learn to pass over and over, shoot over and over, and defend over and over. As you continue to play, you learn strategies that work the best against certain defenses, and then you use those strategies over and over. Basically, you get A LOT of practice doing things in this game, and it is a virtual world that excites the gamer and, as a result, the gamer spends a lot of time on the task.

Look for more gaming after spring break

Blog Week 5

11-4: my record so far with the capitals. I am happy with the way I am playing, and with the stuff that I am learning. Not only am I having fun with my game, but believe it or not, I am actually able to apply a lot of Gee's principles, and what we are learning in class, to the game and its style of play.

In "fun terms", unsurprisingly, Ovechkin is my leading scorer and my go-to-guy whenever I need a score. I seem to have learned how my team works and the best ways to win the games. My biggest rival right now is probably the Penguins, for they only have 2 losses. Ill have to continue to play well in order to keep up with them and possibly defeat them later in the season.

Principle of the week: 11) Achievement Principle.
For learners of all levels of skill there are intrinsic rewards from the beginning, customized to each learner's level, effort, and growing mastery and signaling the learner's ongoing achievements

This principle definitely applies to NHL 10. There are so many different achievements for everyone at different levels at the game. Winning a game can be an achievement, or anything as small as scoring a goal or landing a huge hit. So many things can be classified as achievements which is one of the reasons that I think this game is so rewarding and fun to play. I suppose in this game, the ultimate achievement would be to win the Stanley Cup, but also, as the principle says, I guess it depends on the level of the gamer and what his/her personal goals truly are.

Keep on gaming...

Blog Week 4:

Gaming this week was not very productive. I was only able to play my game once this week because I had a lot of work in other classes. But, I tried to make the best use out of the time that I had to play. I continued to play my franchise with the capitals and I started to play at a higher level. The new level is a little bit hard but it is not too bad. I can pretty much get by with the same strategies that I used in the previous level, it just does not work all the time. I am still getting used to the harder gameplay but I am not too worried about it. I seem to be pretty good at this game so I guess we will see how I fare in my next games.

Principle of the week: Committed Learning Principle. 

Learners participate in an extended engagement (lots of effort and practice) as an extension of their real-world identities in relation to a virtual identity to which they feel some commitment and a virtual world that they find compelling. 

In NHL 10, I am able to participate in my franchise for an extended period of time; it is not just one game and done, it involves much more than that. I find this "virtual world" compelling because I get to learn about hockey (a sport that I do not know much about) while I am enjoying myself playing the game.

Stay tuned for more principles next week

Blog Week 3: Franchise

So I've started my franchise/dynasty this week. I decided to be the washington capitals because I've been using them when I play against my roommate and I've gotten use to their players, style of play, etc... Right now, I am playing on an easy level to get a hang of how the computer plays, and how it reacts to how good the gamer is. It seems to be relatively easy so far. I am 2-0 and the games haven't been much of a challenge yet. I figure I will probable play 5 or so games on this level and then decide if I have to step it up a notch.

I've noticed some things about the game so far. It seems that the computers that play for my team are much less intelligent than those who are on the opposing team. Half the time, a player on my team will skate away from the puck when I pass it to him - I guess I'll have to work on that. As for the computers on the opposite team, they seem to have game strategies and seem to be able to execute them pretty well, considering it is a beginners level. I guess I'll really have to step my game up when I go to the higher levels. But, I also know that I will gain a lot of experience as I go so hopefully I'll learn some new tricks and moves that can help me out against the harder levels and harder teams.

Until next week, keep gaming.