Portal 2

Portal 2Educational Game Design, EDTC-689-700Game Implementation Project / Game Plan

Using Portal 2 to Enhance Student Intrinsic Motivation

Group Project (Lorraine Kasmala, Yanliang Ding, and Gayle Fisher)Dr. Susan Pedersen, Professor

Texas A&M University

1Kasmala, Ding & Fisher

Portal 2: Session 1 This game is cool, right? So many

choices, so much going on, so many consequences for those choices, right?

Does that sound like your life?


Motivation Do you know why you make choices? Or why you do things? Anybody know what Motivation means? How about Intrinsic Motivation?


Warning! Next Session Each day, we are going to have a SHORT

talk about decisions, motivation, and consequences.

Each day, some of you will get to answer a question about yourself.

We call this a Learner Self-Assessment. You could also call it a Test, if you were

Chell.

Kasmala, Ding & Fisher 4

Portal 2: Session 2 How can playing Portal 2 with your

peers help to enhance your intrinsic motivation?

What is Intrinsic Motivation?

What is a peer group? Who are your peers? Is it more fun being with other people

or being all by yourself?


P 2, S 2 When you play, are you alone? Or on a team? Could you say you are in a family?


P 2, S 3 How could jumping through a portal be

like making an important decision? A moral decision? When no one else is watching you?


P 2, S 3 Portal 2 “features a portal-creating device

as a central game mechanic which is used to solve puzzles and reach otherwise-inaccessible destinations” (Wikipedia)

So, in other words, the portals help you go places you couldn’t go by yourself, right?

Without motivation, how would you get anywhere in life?

Wouldn’t the motivation that no one can take from you be the best kind there is? 8Kasmala, Ding & Fisher

New Test Coming You must create an intrinsic motivation

decision artifact to leave for those who follow you.

Do you remember what intrinsic motivation is?

Begin to prepare. Test next session. Not sorry.


P 2, S 4 “Portals are often used in science fiction to

move protagonists into new territory.” (Wikipedia)

As you play this game with your team (either multi-player or with your peers), are you inspired to “move into new territory”?

What is a protagonist? Do you think of yourself as the protagonist (or the hero) of this game?

Do you like the idea that you survived nuclear disaster?


Aha! Did you forget the Test?

What is your intrinsic motivation decision artifact for those you lead?

You stay here until you pass this Test.

Say it, make it, tell it. You choose.

Kasmala, Ding & Fisher 11

P 2, S 5 “Portal 2 challenges you to use wits over

weaponry in a funhouse of diabolical science.” (ThinkWithPortals.com)

What does that mean, to use “wits over weaponry”?

As you play Portal 2, do you see where some decisions are better than others?

Why?


P 2, S 6 “Break the laws of spatial physics in ways

you never thought possible, with a wider variety of portal puzzles and an expansive story that spans a single player and co-operative game mode.” (ThinkWithPortals.com)

When you play Portal 2, and you make good decisions, are you having fun? Does time flow by? Do you enjoy taking good care of your team? Does it make you feel proud?


S 7: P 2 Proud? When else do you feel proud of decisions

you make? Everybody has to Test this one. Sorry.

Not Really.


S 8 : Did you realize that Portal 2

is an action game, but “you never shoot or fight anyone“? (official Portal 2 website)

is the “co-operative mode” ?(same place) What does that mean, “co-operative”?

(spoiler hint: co-operative means that you work together with your team, make good decisions to help your team)

Who do you think of when I say “team”?


Pop Test! Time for another artifact, please. Others who follow need evidence that

intrinsic motivation decisions are important.

What will you leave for them?


P 2, S 9 (long TEST here) “will now require two portal guns to solve.“ (Portal

2 official website quote) So, how many hands do you have? What if you

need to hang on to something else? Do you think this might be an analogy to team work?

What about those fancy boots? What do they represent?

That we do best when we work together? Why would you be motivated to help others? Would you only help the people who would help

you back?


P 2, S 10 What is your favorite Test so far? Why? What kind of motivation did you use?


P 2, S 11 So, say that you are in a multi-player

game, playing on a team with your peers, and you start thinking about how to make things better?

Why? Test here. Not sorry. Do it.


P 2, S 12 So far, which scenes stimulated your

motivation best? Please list 3 scenes, and explain why.

So far, did you change your definition of learning intrinsic motivation? How?


P 2, S 13 So far, has your learning instinct

motivation been stimulated?

Do you think you can study consciously in future learning without any educational game?





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Portal 2