Designing Selene: Theory-based Game Design and Data Mining

Speakers: Dr. Debbie Denise Reese

Track: SGS: Game Design

Format: Lecture

Experience Level: Beginner

Description: The moon is the only extraterrestrial world people can study from the back porch. But how many people study or even pay attention to our lunar companion? NASA's premier educational research center, the NASA-sponsored Classroom of the Future, has collaborated with Ian Bogost (Georgia Institute of Technology) and James Oliverio (University of Florida) to build a game that introduces youth to lunar science. This case study describes process and procedures for combining videogame design, cognitive science, and instructional design theories to produce compelling gameplay and measure learning through embedded data mining technologies.

Idea Takeaway: This case study shows attendees how to:
1. Design gameplay to prepare students for learning complex science concepts
2. Apply cognitive theory to game design and assessment
3. Operationalize "fun" as flow
4. Assess learning and flow by data mining critical

Intended Audience: This session targets developers, designers, publishers, producers, researchers, and educators who want to base educational game design and embedded assessment on sound cognitive science and data mining technologies. It is an introduction with no prerequisites.