Defense of Hidgeon

The School of Information at the University of Michigan has released their report on the Storygame project, Engaging Undergraduates in Research Through a Storytelling and Gaming Strategy: Final Report to the Delmas Foundation. I've only skimmed the report but found their premises for further information literacy games useful...

1. Game play must contribute in a useful way to the coursework students are already doing.
2. Game play that gives players mastery over one key concept, task, or procedure is preferable to comprehensive game play.
3. Game play must count toward students’ grades in the course.
4. Game play must give students opportunities to see other researchers at work so they can connect what they do to what others do.
5. Students want positive and negative feedback from games to improve their performance.
6. Although students want to be in control during game play, they will collaborate with their peers when the collaboration furthers what they want to accomplish.
7. Students must have concrete evidence that leaving their computer to do research will have a payoff in terms of improving their research or affecting their grades.
8. Game play must foster opportunities for students to reflect on their own research habits and what they are learning.
   

More on Quarantined

One thing that is very obvious when you play Fletcher Library's "Quarantined" is that the developers put a lot of thought into the content and design. I think that this game is a success. It's a success because it's fun. It's not perfect, but there are a lot of great components to the game. One of the key ingredients for this game is the story. The story is intriguing and I think that it's compelling enough to motivate players to continue if at first they don't succeed. I'm including some screenshots to the game and also some contact information if you'd like to give the game a try. ASU is considering making the source code available for a "nominal fee". You can read more about the game and how to login here.