Cobb County Library Project - CGDD 4303

For this project, we were to form teams and work with an outside of the university group. My group chose to work with the library. What they were asking for was a game to spark the target audience to read more. The target audience were adults with a reading disability (up to grade 5). The gameplay was focused on the player reading a scene in a book, which then teleports them into that scene. We came up with the idea of creating a similar library setting to that which was being built at the time. The books we came up with are in the list below. Created in Unity.

• Shiloh - Phyllis Reynolds Nalor 
• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis 
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J.K. Rowling 
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl 
• The Phantom Tollbooth - Norton Juster 
• A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle 
• Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Paterson 
• Charlotte's Web - E.B. White 
• James and the Giant Peach - Roald Dahl 
• Bunnicula - James Howe 
• A Cricket in Times Square - George Selden

Some of the books were not implemented fully into the game due to time constraints. Unfortunately, the game was not fully finished in time for the opening ceremony of the new library.

First video of the game

Second video of the game

Third video of the game

Final video of the game

Original documentation and notes for this project:

Rating: Everybody

Gameplay: 30 minutes

Platform: PC – Web browser

Description: Explore a library where you learn how to use the library system to find books on your list. When you find these books, opening them creates a mini game where you play out a part of that particular book. Once you're done, that book is now in your list for checkout.

DPE Framework:
Learning -
Design -
Content and Pedagogy -

• Cognitive
• Knowledge of what a library and books are. 
• Comprehension of what happens in a library. 
• Application of taking what happens in the game is very similar to the real world library.
• Psychomotor
• Perception of what happens in game can happen in real life at the library. 
• Sets the player on the right track for utilizing the library to find books. 
• Mechanism is when the player doesn't feel lost or confused when placed in the real library to find books. 
• Complex overt response will be accomplished when the player can easily navigate the library to locate a book. 
• Adaptation will be demonstrated when the player can go to the real library and find any book they want.
• Affective Learning
• Receiving the information of what motions are needed in the game are what happens in the real world library. 
• Responding to the actions in the game and in real life. 
• Valuing the concept that reading is fun and enjoyable. 
• Organizing thoughts of what to do to check out a book at the library. 
• Characterizing the concepts of reading books can release the imagination just by reading.

Play -
Teaching -

• Cognitive
• Knowledge of what steps are needed to locate a book at a library. 
• Knowledge of reading a passage in a book. 
• Comprehension of reading where the book is in the library via the database. 
• Comprehension of reading the small passage in the book so that the mini game can be played with little problem. 
• Application of the method used for finding a book to read in a library such as looking up the book in the database and then locating the book in the appropriate area. 
• Application of performing tasks in the mini game to progress toward the finishing point. There will be guidance during each mini game so that the player understands what to do in order to play. 
• Synthesis of repetitive actions needed to progress through the game in general. For example, go to computer to find a book on the list, find where the book is at in the library, locate actual book, play mini game to cross off the book on the list, and finally repeat all steps for the next book.
• Psychomotor
• Perception will not be applied with sound due to library health standards of headsets, but it will be applied with graphics such as cues and color hints/shapes. These will lessen gradually over time as the player progresses into the game. 
• Set will be applied via the repetitive motions of finding a book to checkout as well as playing the mini game. The player will be able to pick up where they had left off at in a previous game. 
• Guided response will be applied via cues and hints for the player to understand where to go or what needs to happen to progress. These will lessen as the game continues on due to the player remembering what needs to happen to progress. 
• Mechanism will be applied via creating a simulated version of the library and the learning center. This will help create an understanding and a more readily ability to use the actual library and learning center in a real life setting. 
• Origination will be applied via adapting new learned methods from the book search as well as the mini games.
• Affective Learning
• Receiving will occur by using repetitive actions to locate books and how to interact with objects. 
• Responding will occur by turning the player interaction into a desired or undesired outcome for the game progression. 
• Valuing will occur by creating the feeling of finding a book in a library is a small adventure which is then rewarded by a fun game. 
• Characterizing will occur with reading the small passage of the book and then playing out a related scene to that passage.

Experience -
Learning -

• Cognitive
• Application of the player being able to take what was learned in the game and apply it to the real life library with little to no problem. 
• Evaluation of the player's ability to locate a book in the real library (measuring the ease of use). 
• Psychomotor
• Perception will occur when the player can view the game as a simulation of the real library. 
• Adaptation will occur when the player finds a book of their own needs without help or very little help.
• Affective Learning 
• Receiving will be measured when the player does not need to ask for assistance often for locating a book. 
• Responding will be measured when the player learns from the game and applies it to the real library with little to no issue. 
• Valuing will be measured when the player applies what was in the game to the real library with very little problem. The player will value what was taught in the game as a preparatory game to the real life situation.

Storytelling -
Design -
Character/Setting/Narrative -

• Cognitive
• Knowledge will be gained from the passage that needs to be read before playing the mini game. What is read will be vital to the success of the mini game, therefore overall game progression. 
• Application will be demonstrated when the player applies what was said in the passage to the mini game in order to successfully complete the mini game.
• Psychomotor 
• Set will be demonstrated after the player reads the passage before the mini game, putting them in the book's world and scenario.
• Affective Learning
• Receiving will be demonstrated when the player feels like they are actually playing in the book (using their imagination). 
• Responding will be demonstrated when the player plays the mini games with little struggle.
• Valuing will be demonstrated when the player understands what has to happen in the mini game in order to finish it and to progress to the next book.

Play -
Storytelling -

• Cognitive 
• Knowledge of what is going on in the book at that particular instant. The player will know what is expected of them.
• Psychomotor
• Adaptation of what to expect each time a new book is played. 
• Origination of what will need to happen in each unique book.
• Affective Learning 
• Characterizing of what is going on in the story and deciding what needs to be done to progress.

Experience -

Story -

• Cognitive
  • Comprehension of what the scene is about and what happens in part of the book.
• Affective Learning
  • Valuing of how good reading a book can be.
  • Characterizing to the point that the player wants to read a book to imagine the story as they deem fit.

Gameplay -

Design -

Mechanics -

• Cognitive
  • Comprehension will be measured by having the player not needing help or tips of what needs to happen when the action has been performed numerous times before this said point.
• Psychomotor
  • Set will be measured due to the player needing little to no assistance as the game progresses.
  • Mechanism will be measured when the player needs no assistance to play the game.
• Affective Learning
  • Receiving will be demonstrated at the start of the game in which the player will develop a basic understanding of what is expected of them.
  • Responding will be demonstrated when the player does needed actions to progress.

Play -

Dynamics -

• Cognitive
  • Application of the required actions to progress the game. The player will understand that in order to get from point A to point B, clicking box A will get them half way there. If the player clicks box B, it will get them all the way to point B from point A.
• Psychomotor
  • Complex overt response will be demonstrated when the player understands how to play the game by interacting with objects that were mentioned in the book's passage and what is being asked for in the mini game itself.
• Affective Learning
  • Receiving and Responding will occur during the gameplay when the player understands that in order to get to the next level, they need to do said actions listed in the game.

Experience -

Affect -

• Cognitive
  • Evaluation by wanting to read books and understanding that reading is an engaging activity.
• Psychomotor
  • Perception by understanding that books can be fun and engaging for the imagination.
• Affective Learning
  • Characterizing by wanting to go to the library to read books.

User Expereience -

Design -

User Interface -

• Cognitive
  • Synthesis by performing the same actions in the game so that there is little frustration when the player comes back to playing the game.
  • Knowledge of how to operate the library search and finding the book.
• Psychomotor
  • Adaptation by taking what was learned from the game and applying it to the real life library.
• Affective Learning
  • Responding by wanting to keep playing the game.
  • Characterizing by understanding that books are a place for the player's imagination to take off.

Play -

Interactivity -

• Cognitive
  • Knowledge of what is needed to play the game such as clicking buttons to do an action.
• Psychomotor
  • Perception by wanting a desired action so clicking a specific button will give the desired result.
• Affective Learning
  • Responding by clicking a button to choose or select a wanted action.

Experience -

Engagement -

• Cognitive
  • Application of what is being learned in the game will help with interacting with the actual library.
  • Evaluation of easy use for the actual library.
• Affective Learning
  • Responding to playing the game will keep the learning environment engaging.

MDA Format:

Mechanics -

• A list of books that are needed to be checked out by the player in game.
• A simulated and closely related projection of both the Cobb County Therapeutic Wellness Center as well as one of the libraries nearby.
• A book contains a passage for reading as well as a mini game.
• Each mini game will be unique.
• Keyboard and mouse useage for movement and clicking.
• Interactive environments (these will be limited to to staying on track of the story).

Dynamics -

• Clicking on books will present a passage to read.
• Clicking on exiting the book will take the player into a mini game.
• Clicking on items in the mini game will progress the game towards completion so that the next book can be found.
• Clicking on the simulated computer will create understanding of where the book is at in the library.
• Keyboard movement will move the player so that the player can navigate in the library and in the mini games.
• Save buttons will offer the player to save their game progress so they can come back to it at another time.

Aesthetics -

• The player will want to read more books (sensation and submission).
• The player will be able to read basic entry books which will progress to more advanced books for comprehension (challenge).
• The player will be able to comprehend and understand bigger words as the books become more advanced in reading levels (challenge).
• The player will want to keep playing due to the hide and seek feeling for the books (discovery).
• The player will want to keep playing for the mini games (sensation, expression, and submission with a borderline fantasy).

Gagne Points:

Gain Attention (Reception)

• The overall gameplay will contain an interactive, 3D environment which will be a simulated version of the Cobb County Therapeutic Wellness Center and one of the libraries close by.

Inform Learner of Objectives (Expectancy)

• To educate the target audience of how to use a library system as well as locating books. There will be a progressive literary reading comprehension in which the player will be able to play. These will be books at higher grades and bigger words.

Stimulate Recall of Prior Learning (Retrieval)

• There will be required actions that shall be repetative as to create a competency of library useage such as using the computers to find a book's location in the library.

Present Stimulus Material (Selective Perception)

• Each mini game found within a book will require the player to complete the mini game in order to progress in the overall game.
• The methods presented to the player, in order to find the book on the list, will be presented in a standard library search method.

Provide Learner Guidance (Semantic Encoding)

• There will be help at the beginning of the overall game in which the player will have guidance as to what they need to do and where they need to go.
• As the game progresses, these help tips will start to become less provided as the player has gained knowledge of what is expected of them.
• Each mini game will have basic help tips as to not fail the player. At the higher reading levels, these tips will be lesser used due to prior exposure to the gameplay.

Elicit Performance (Responding)

• The player will want to play the game more.
• The player will want to check out books at the library.
• The player will want to increase their reading comprehension, thus creating a likeness to reading books.

Access Feedback (Retrieval)

• The player will be able to play the game without much help from the game in order to progress further.
• As the player completes the initial book selection, they can choose to progress to a more challenging level of reading and test their skills.

Enhance Retention and Transfer (Generalization)

• The player will be able to go to the library and apply the skills learned in the game.
• The player will be able to read the entry level books and gain an appreciation for them, creating a want or desire to read more.
• This in turn will increase their reading comprehension levels.