The Other AR - Force Field Analysis

I will shop for a different method of presentation, but here is my first version of a Force Field Analysis.

The Other AR - First Stab at a Force Field Analysis

Game Over - You Lost; In Reality You Won

In reflecting back on what the last 5+ weeks have taught me about Gaming;


I have a new respect for what video games can teach you about learning, yourself, and technology.  Two months ago I would have easily written off video games as a waste of time, or time spent playing would be better placed elsewhere.  While the latter may be true for me in most cases, the former can now be dismissed as an knowledgeable, ignorant perspective.  While I am not a 'gamer' I can now see the benefits they have to learning and possibly people's well being.

Through reading books dedicated to the learning attributes present in offering people a technology based "game", I have learned that there are a great many benefits.  Many games give an opportunity for learning that might not have been present through other media.  Many games can offer the player learning opportunities to grow in many areas, namely planning, decision making, prioritizing goals, and problem solving.  These areas force the player (often under the guise of entertainment) to actually THINK while playing.  Novel I know... but I have taken this for granted with my disapproval of game playing.  Now I have a larger, more enlightened perspective, a more educated perspective.

It's not that I thought I knew so much (prior to a few months ago,) but more that I thought I had a solid grasp on what I thought of gaming.  Instead I swallowed what I thought I knew and instead I learned.  I learned a great many benefits that 'gaming' has; most specifically, that the benefits outweigh my otherwise close-minded perspective before.

The Other AR - Ethics

Topic 2: Ethical Issues and Service, Purpose and Leadership at Pepperdine

Not Just Any Hunter Safety 101

Interestingly, Dino Hunter took 12 levels to get to some of the principles that they taught in level 1.  Initially, the game starts out in a learning mode where things are slow, and the game really teaches you the fundamentals of long-term game play.  This may seem obvious to us because we have read Gee’s book on learning, game theory, and the learning principles that he lays out.  However, from the view of a gamer who has not necessarily read similar diagrams of how a game teaches you to play, makes it interesting to look at the game a different way.

In the first level the game teaches a few basics, namely how to dial a scope up (larger magnification,) and where vital areas to hit are. 

I took the Hunter Safety Course that Colorado mandates for hunting licenses last March.  In this class, particular attention is paid to shot placement.  In fact, in order to qualify and pass one has to demonstrate that they can recognize what is a ‘good shoot’.  While hunters can take many varieties of shots, it is the lung shot that is the most humane.  This has obvious humane foundations.  The idea is foregoing undue discomfort to the animal.  Regardless of one’s stance on hunting, the goal is to be as humane as possible.

My point regarding the game is that it took 12 levels for the player to be penalized for anything that wasn’t the tasked shot.  The player is not penalized for making shots non-conforming to the target areas, until later levels which the game has specific target regions they want targeted.  While I realize it is a game, and definitely not a humane or safety course video I find it interesting that the game doesn’t place (an earlier,) higher demand on the player for precision of shot.  Having taken the course I mentioned, I found myself throughout various levels attempting only the shots I felt were ‘good shoots’ even though I was playing a GAME.  I know it’s a game, but somehow or another a strange humanistic connection between me, sending a projectile, and dispatching a target still makes me think of making a ‘good shot’ not just any shot.

Because It's Just Plain Fun To Break Stuff

About 5 days ago, I asked my 15 yr. old daughter if she would play a game on the kindle.  I had gotten a game that I hadn’t played, nor knew anything about for our class.  After she said yes, I told her that I knew nothing about it, and that I needed her to play it for at least 30 minutes.  In addition, I told her that I wanted her to take notes about what she thought about it and how it taught her to learn it.  Lastly, I told her that I wouldn’t look at her notes until after I had played it for at least 30 minutes.  In addition, I will write what I think before I read her notes.

The game is Smash Hit by Mediocre.  It is a first person game where the player goes through areas throwing balls (yes metallic balls,) at objects, namely pyramids and barriers all of which are breakable (presumably glass or at least that’s what they sound like when you break them).  You start out with 10 balls and you accrue additional balls as you hit specific targets and take out bonus targets, etc.  To make matters more interesting, you move at the game’s speed.  Awesome, because I love being out of control or at a computers mercy as to how fast to move.  My take;

Holy cow do I like breaking stuff!! But I have noted after having played for a bit that that if the player has an “itchy-trigger-finger” the game can be lot more difficult.  Specifically, at varying degrees throughout different levels the player learns to be a little more judicious with what targets they go after.  You only have a certain number of balls and accrue more as you hit targets, however if your count goes to zero you get to start the stage over. Fun.  Ok, well I don’t excel at being judicious when I feel like since my ball count is 45+ for example…. Let’em fly.  And fly I did, in volleys.  Well, that’s only cool if you’re hitting targets as you blast through level 3.  And holy by golly do I mean BLAST… ridiculous speed!  And unfortunately I don’t think there is a bonus allocated for ‘really no joke destroying a target’ kind of obliteration.  

 Nonetheless, here are my daughter’s notes (her notes transcribed word for word)… Beginner level 1: made it 600 feet before dying (running out of balls) Only instruction is tap to throw balls & hit crystals. First obstacle- didn’t know how to avoid it. Later discovered you must hit & break them. Various checkpoints, saves to continue after death.  With 9 minutes left (me; out of 30) Checkpoint 3, 3444 distance. @ 30 minutes died in same place 2x. At 50 mins- 3569=best. Screen starts to twist. Crystals=harder to find. 3844 @ 1 hr best distance.  Next Morning 4046 best distance.

I can’t help but to laugh at our similar distances and in what time (okay, she was quite a bit better).  Interesting.  My best distance in 30 was 3313.  Oh, in case anyone is wondering, I uninstalled the app after she played and reinstalled for my play.  My daughter is awesome!  But, I already knew that!  Wait till you see both my daughter's in action...

The Other AR - Rich Description of My Workplace

Rich Description of Workplace:

Observations: Who, What, Why, Where, How

The last several weeks have been real difficult around my workplace.  A couple of times a year timing, testing, training, and out-of-town trips for various personnel really throw a wrench into our normal work schedules and deadlines.  Two of the last three weeks we have had between 40%-70% of our personnel out of the office for various reasons.  So observations of the atmosphere have been sparse.

What I have observed – It is difficult to overcome the technology constraints that are upon us due to the nature of our work.  We have several persons tasked with various similar and over-lapping jobs tasked with doing various parts of testing and installing software in a variety of environments.  Difficulties can be seen in the varying degrees of experience when one person is tasked to perform a job that someone else normally does.  Specifically, some persons may be great in one area, yet lack knowledge in another and this creates great encumbrances when personnel are treated as interchangeable.  Additionally, this appears to cause a lot of time that isn’t being used well (for example when one tries to troubleshoot a problem and spends 3-7 hours doing, while another person with more knowledge may spend 2.5 and achieve the same outcome).

Training materials for those we train primarily consists of PowerPoint presentations containing step-by-step guides on how to operate a software system.  This is for the purpose of easy portability as we can send them electronically as needed.  These presentations though, need to be updated as software builds and changes occur to the mechanics or methods worked through in the slides.  This introduces confusion as software builds are evolving all the time.

While addressing the overall training level of everyone in the office is a complex issue (because it will change in the near-term), focus on training materials is equally important.