Fix 7-8

The longer I play at “settling,” the more my interest is waning. The need to log in every day has become a chore. I have other things to do in the real world, and I believe that is a good thing. After all, I am not into gaming that much, even though I derive pleasure from playing. Suffice to say that the games newness has worn off and those intrinsic rewards are not as rewarding or meaningful. I, of course, will continue to play and perhaps my feelings will change.

However, speaking of chores, I really liked the idea of “Chore Wars” and I immediately began thinking of ways to adapt it to a classroom environment. Finding ways to motivate my students is never far from my mind. I enjoyed reading about ARGs and was surprised at the authors discussion of ‘SuperBetter” (pg.133) because this was something I tried to get my 80yr. old mother to do a few months ago without much success. I may have to revisit that effort after learning more about it. McGonigal also reviews for us the progress of Quest to Learn, a project that I find intriguing. That is something I could get excited about, to be a part of groundbreaking change in our educational system. Reading about ARGs put me in search of more and I found this website http://www.argn.com/, which exposed me to a variety of other ARGs that I found quite fascinating. For now, these types of games can motivate me.

Fix 5-6

My interview of another player of Settlers online was with a male high school student named Jeremy 917, who had been playing the game for about a month. (On a personal note, I know Jeremy and asked him to play the game.) He was at level 23. One of the reasons he cited for playing the game was that it kept him busy during this winter’s cold weather. He stated that he played on average, 2-3 hours a day and liked that the moves he made were his choice, that it was a “sandbox game”, where it was a wide open world. With the exception of the help chat, he didn't seem that interested in pursuing any social aspect with any of the people he had befriended other than to help him increase his levels. He told me that he has never interacted with anyone on a personal level when online. Jeremy didn't like the waiting, or patience required to level up. He said that he was best at producing the pinewood and wheat. Jeremy has been a gamer for many years. When asked how often he said “All the time”. I asked if he played Halo, he stated that he didn't like it, it was clumsy. This surprised me considering what McGonigal had to say about it until he clarified that it was Halo 1. He had never tried the newer versions based on his experience with the first one. I suggested he look at the video of the Halo 3 museum and check out the website and he said he would. When asked why he continued to play Settlers, he told me that he was really enjoying it and was glad that I showed it to him. Jeremy has gotten some of his friends at school to try it out, too.

Settlers Online is an enjoyable game for me to play. That being said, I am not a person that would seek any social contact with anyone in a virtual world except as necessary to play the game. Belonging to a guild helps with this, mine is its 5 o'clock somewhere. I have not engaged in any communication with them outside of guild quests. I prefer face to face interactions, I don’t even like to talk on the phone and email has become a necessary evil. I am clearly an introvert when it comes to the virtual worlds, not so much in the real world. I can see however, that for many people (read younger than me) the ubiquitous use of social media has given rise to a freedom to interact in a way that I am not comfortable doing. McGonigal refers to a stronger social connectivity when games are played and interaction during play builds our social networks that increase “pro-social emotions (pg.82)”. From the games of my youth I know this to be true. The author also speaks to “happy embarrassment” (pg83), something I refer to as trash talking. I too have engaged in this behavior, but only when an established friendship is present. I think a fine line exists between happy embarrassment and bullying in the real world and some may push the boundaries in a gamer’s world due to the absence of personal familiarity. I like McGonigal’s idea of Ambient Sociability or playing alone together (pg,89). This allows me to be a part of something that my friends and I can relate to in a real world context. McGonigal uses words like “epic” and awe to describe the experience of gamers when they have collectively accomplished some feat. Even though I am not a gamer, I understand these feelings as being the same or similar to those I get when I read a good book or watch a movie that inspires me. Finally, I can appreciate what these gamers are accomplishing for themselves, absent real world experiences, but I can’t make comparisons of the feeling of awe from a game to that of seeing the Grand Canyon, Yosemite Valley or man’s walk on the moon for the first time.

Fix 3-4

What does Settlers Online do that motivates us to continue playing the game? For one, it gives us goals to accomplish. Not big goals that could discourage us, but manageable ones. Each time we succeed in the endeavor, rewards appear. This is leveling up. The rewards are both intrinsic and extrinsic. Our sense of worth is increased and tangible objects for the game appear for us to use to reach the next goal. These goals are guided by processes, or actionable steps we must take in order to succeed. My next goal is to defeat a bandit camp with 50 or more cavalry. This is a clear goal with specific, actionable steps.

I may not succeed the first time I try this task but if I don’t, that won’t stop me from trying again. I have been defeated before in this game.  No, let me rephrase that. I have encountered setbacks in this game, my general lost more than once, among others. Yet I tried again because I knew I could do it, and I did! That was satisfying work because it was achievable and it was completed.

How did I know I would be successful? This game was difficult from the start. It is difficult today, both for different reasons. The fact that I was playing this game for a class was quickly lost as I progressed.  I chose to take risks, exploring the boundaries of success and failure. Playing on the edge of failure became exciting. The difficulties at the beginning were frustrating. Today they are welcome challenges that are eagerly anticipated, no matter the outcome. Each level reached in the game is an indication of mastery of certain skills acquired at that level. Each new level brings new challenges to meet and the confidence I have to accomplish that is magnified by the previous successes. Early on, I was not a gamer and I may not be much of one now, but my horizons have been expanded and I can’t unlearn what I have learned about myself and for that I am grateful.

Fix 1-2

Settlers Online has been an eye-opener for me as I have never played a MMO before now. I was always leery about them as I didn’t want to embarrass myself or be associated with” crazies”. I can now say I am pleasantly surprised and look back on my wariness as without merit.

The goal of the Settlers is to build a city and defend it against bandits by having a strong military, seek and experience adventures while sharing and supporting other players. Strategy and time play important roles in expanding the city from one community building to a thriving productive city. Strategies can be limiting as well as productive, make the wrong choice and your military is defeated. Make the right choice and your production chains continue to expand. Time is an ever present limiter in that all processes take time to be built. Time is also integrated to the feedback or reward system. Rewards and punishments are immediate. As soon as you defeat a bandit, you can collect the loot. When you have completed a task, you are informed of the result. Each time you level up or defeat a bandit, that sense of pride or fiero as McGonigal noted (p.33) is felt. This also fuels the state of flow, you want to stay there (p24) (McGonigal, 2011). What makes this a pleasurable and safe experience for all players to enjoy are many. The anonymity of the game through fictional gamer tags prevents any personal knowledge of other players or of you. Public chats are monitored and inappropriate comments can be flagged.

I want to see what is next. Where can I go? While the tutorial is helpful, it doesn’t lead to any outcomes, it is just a guide. Your decisions get you where you are.  I discover new personal skill levels every time I play and that, to makes me want to play more. This is the flow that McGonigal points to (p.41) when she states” It was this fast, reliable fix of flow and fiero that kept Sudnow and all the earliest gamers coming back for more” (McGonigal, 2011).

This game has triggered a wide range of emotions in me. From the first days, anxiety and anxiousness were the norm because I wanted to do well in the class. This soon turned to joy and happiness as I progressed. Those initial feelings were linked to external forces and it wasn't pleasant. I see now though that when those feelings return, I embrace them because these feelings are my reward.