Kapp Notes

FEBRUARY 14, 2013

A recent article in Wired presented an interesting research finding. Flying around a virtual world as a superhero made subjects nicer in the physical world. The study conducted by Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab conducted a study where they took 30 male and 30 female participants and immersed them in a virtual world and assigned them either to play a superhero character who could fly or to become a passenger in a helicopter.

Behavior 257

Behavior Games Change Virtual World 257

Kapp Notes

FEBRUARY 12, 2013

Here is an interesting infographic. In the span of 2 years an independent developer earned nearly $700,000 in profit from educational apps. Here’s a look at how he did it and what we can learn from his experience. I thought you and your readership might be interested in the infographic. Please take a look and feel free to reuse it on Kapp Notes or elsewhere.

Education 205

Education Creative Commons License Free 205

Kapp Notes

FEBRUARY 11, 2013

In a learning game, the user interface needs to do three things for learning games. First it needs to establish the context/environment in which the game takes place. Is it an office? A warehouse, a far away planet? The interface should provide the feeling of immersion of the learner into the environment of the game. This is, of course, done with the artwork but should also be a consideration in button and menu design as well.

Games 194

Games Player Press Learning 194

Kapp Notes

FEBRUARY 13, 2013

Here are a few ideas about creating a game to teach problem solving and creating a game to actually solve a problem like FoldIt. To teach problem solving, design a game where the learner : Assumes a role. Partakes in meaningful in-game dialogue. Navigates a complex storyline. Feels challenged. Immediately is immersed in the environment. Manipulates variables within the game.

Problem 169

Problem Games Ideas Teach 169