Fix 14

Massively Multiplayer Foresight

1. Describe your personal growth in the areas listed below as a result of playing Settlers.

1. Taking a long view – My personal growth with taking a long view in Settlers is the ability to be patient with tasks taking long that it seems it would.  Also having to many different tasks or quests at one time makes it feel like you have too much to do in one day.  It sees in my experience that you’re either doing a lot at once or waiting for things to get done. 
2. Ecosystems thinking – It does seem that in Settlers, you’re in your own world or ecosystem.  I’m my experience with playing the game; you play with the players that are in your guild. Talk among each other or about the game and our real lives.  Most of the conversations are about the game and things we need or questions we may have.  The game does get you focused on the quests that are needed to be accomplished. 
3. Pilot experimentation - In my experience with Settlers, I designed my settlement the Way I thought it should have been.  But as time went on, I noticed by looking at other settler’s settlements that I should have organized it a little better.  Also, some of my guild members mentioned that I needed to move something’s around to produce things faster.  I did take their suggestions and moved some ting around my settlement.  I also trial and error the best ways to produce more materials that I tend to use more of.  I had to decide whether upgrading was the best or building more of them.  The whole Settlers game was a piloted experience for me.  I don’t usually play these kinds of games.  I learned that I like them as times but then they frustrate me when I don’t have the right tools or materials in order to move on.  Also the time it takes at times frustrated me. 
4. McGonigal (2011) states together, we can tackle what may be the most worthwhile, most epic obstacle of all: a whole-planetary mission, to use games to raise global quality of life, to prepare ourselves for the future, and to sustain our earth for the next millennium and beyond (p. 344).
1. In what ways could these skills be beneficial to any individual? 
1. These skills are beneficial in order to understand the game, accomplish the quests and grow as an individual.  In order to understand the game, you have to look at the long view of the quests and the have piloted experiences.  To complete the quests, you need to experiments and think about the ecosystem to get things done efficiently.  Lastly, all these skills help you grow as an individual in the game. 
2. How could you take this kind of gaming experience and skill learning into an educational context and use it to empower learners?  Be creative in your answer!  This kind of gaming experience and skills learning can be used in education content and to empower learners by one being more patient.  I’m pretty patient, since I teach Kindergarten but this is a different kind of patient.  I would use this experience to empower learners are by teaching them the experiences I have learned.  I will take my experience of building the skills to complete the quests to my students by showing them that they have to build their skills to complete the things they want to accomplish.  For example, they have to know their letters sounds before being able to read word or sound out unfamiliar words.  Same goes with Math, they have to understand their numbers before they can think about completing addition and subtraction problems.  Also, I plan to take the games that I have found for my students to show them the things they can learn by playing games on the computer. 
3. Summarize the three most memorable concepts from McGonigal's book that you learned or could relate to while playing Settlers.

My three most memorable concepts from McGonigal would be failure, social connectivity and leveling up in life. 

McGonigal (2011) says that failure in the real world is not fun, but failure in the gaming world has no risks and a better chance for success (p. 68).   Which in the Settlers game, you learn that it is okay to fail at a quest and to seek help from others in the game.  It’s less intimidating to ask questions online versus asking for help in real life. 

McGonigal (2011) also states that games build stronger social bonds and leads to stronger social networks (p. 82).  In the Settlers game, you learn to build relationships with other member or join a guild.  Joining a guild requires you complete separate quests from the ones that games has for you to level up.  It has become useful in needing more materials or tools to get the things you need to do. 

Lastly, McGonigal (2011) says that compared with games, reality is pointless and unrewarding.  Games help us feel more rewarded for making our best effort (p. 148).  The settler’s game gives you the sense of accomplishment when a quest is complete and when all your quests are complete to level up. 

 

 

Fix 13

Ten Thousand Hours Collaborating

1. Describe the general collaborative practices of Settlers' gamers that show shared intentionality. Make sure you use some of the key terms mentioned in this week's reading.

In the game Settlers, collaboration is used within guilds, and other friends.  The collaboration is built on trusting your guild to help you get the resources you need to complete the quests or just to continue on for the day.  Being part of the guild also means you have to participate by helping others out as well.  The guild also builds a common ground where we all have the same goals and rules.  The members of the game also share concentration and synchronized engagement by helping others and making sure their members are completing the quests.  Members focus on what their members may need and how to help them continue to build on their settlement.  Respect and fostered mutual regard are shown in the game by the relationships that are built in the guild and game.  Players respect your ideas and requests.  With the concentration and respect, a commitment to the game is required.  Players are asked to be committed to the game and complete the tasks as well as helping guild members.  Even though you may not see a real life reward for your efforts in the game, you are rewarded for your hard work and dedication in the game and by guild members. McGonigal (2011) states that as the game industry continues to emphasis co-op, collective intelligence and collaborative production modes of play, collaboration superpowers will spread more widely throughout gamer culture.  And as more and more people start to think of themselves as gamers-perhaps in no small part because they want to develop their own collaboration superpowers-these extraordinary new skills and abilities will become ordinary- the norm rather than the exception. (p.294)

2. Discuss ways you personally have found success by collaborating with others in the game. You can weave this into your description or make it a new paragraph.

I have found success in collaborating with my guild members and friends that I have met in the game.  I find it easier to understand what to do and to get the resources needed.  I feel knowing that you have others to turn to when you’re not sure what to do or the best way to accomplish it makes it easier to complete quests and get things.  With the guild, even though one person may not be able to help you there are others with in the guild that is capable and willing.  It makes the game more entertaining and bearable when you have others to talk to and help. 

 

Fix 11-12

Sustainable Engagement Economy

While this week was about a larger scale of sustainable engagement economy (crowdsourcing), in what ways do the following Settlers elements sustain this smaller scale of sustainable engagement economy within the game?

1. Good game world: Settlers has a good game world by continuously having to build your environment or land, while continuing to keep the production of the others building going, and defeat enemies to gain more land. 
2. Good game mechanics: Settlers had good game mechanics because each player has defines guidelines and results for actions taken or not taken.  It also tells which enemies to defeat but it doesn’t tell you the best ones to start with. 
3. Good game community: Settlers has a good game community by having guilds and helpful people to assist players with needs and questions. By being part of guild, it makes you do tasks to help out other members and others members help you. 

McGonigal says "also crucial to good community is the sense of meaning created by belonging and contributing to such an epic project.(p. 230)

More Epic Wins

1. Has this game made you curious about what more you can do? If so, in what way?  The game settlers have made me wonder what else I could possibly have to do on my settlement.  I feel that I just get where I have everything under control and then they throw more tasks my way to complete.  It also keeps me on my toes as well as being patient to getting things done.
2. How does this game harness the social participation of the masses?  The game has you participating socially with either your guild or help chat to get the tools or supplies you need in order to build the things you need.  It also draws you in to want to have conversations with the players on the game as you are waiting to complete your tasks or fighting and army. 

"Epic wins abound in gamers circles for two reasons. First, in the face of ridiculous challenges, long odds, or great uncertainty, gamers cultivates extreme optimism.  They have perfect confidence that even if success isn't probable, its at least possible.  So gamers' effort to achieve an epic win never feel pointless or hopeless.  second, gamers aren't afraid to fail.  failing in a good game is at the very least fun and interesting; it can also be instructive and even empowering. (McGonigal, 2011)(p. 248-9)

Crowdsourcing

Describe the crowdsourcing project you found and how it makes use of a sustainable engagement economy to achieve its goals.

The project I found on crowdsourcing was crowdfunding nutrition: using kickstarter to make kids healthier.  The project was put together by a person that wanted to change the way children eat and teach them about food.  She would come in on her days off to teach children about food and how to cook the food.  She wanted to raise money to fund a “food lab” in the school kitchen.  She would do her best to teach the children things with very little resources. She kick started the Kickstarter page to ask others for donations to get the program the supplied and equipment they need for the program in the school.  She realized that getting the word out with friends and family, it wasn’t enough so she turned to trying to get bigger sponsors or donations from larger companies.  She was only able to get one eighth of the funding she needed but she continues to look for further funding for the project and educated children on healthy food. 

It’s not easy to raise money for schools.  Many people have a hard time donating much money to school especially when they feel they already pay taxes towards their community schools.  Engaging the economy on building new ideas and programs n the school with help get the funding needed to support the ideas or programs.  It takes more than just a few people to make things happen.  Usually, it is beneficial to get the word out to larger corporations or businesses help with the funding.  Even though the lady that wanted to start this program didn’t get her full amount needed for the program, she still continues it just on a smaller scale and continues to look for other options to fund the programs. 

McGonigal(2011) states: Not all crowdsourcing projects are successful. working together on extreme scales is easier said than done.  you cant crowdsource without a crowd and it turns out that actively engaged crowds can be hard to come by. (p. 224)

fix 9-10

More Fun with Strangers

1. In what ways have you experienced a sense of community in the game?

In the game settlers, I have experienced a sense of community in a couple ways.  First way is by belonging to a guild.  They will chat with you about anything.  You can also ask them for supplies that are needed.  They are very kind at answering and questions as well.  It becomes very helpful to someone that has not played this game before.  Second way, is by making friend on the game.  He has become my resource or confidant when needing help or ideas as to how to complete quests.  The guild can get overwhelming. 

McGonigal (2011) states that communitas, what anthropologists call communities, is a powerful sense of thoughtfulness, solidarity and social connection.  It protects against loneliness and alienation. (p.172)

2. How has the game provided the opportunity and means to interact with each other around common interests?

The only common interest I have found thus far in the game is the game.  I have interacted with many of my guild members and new friends.  I have found that it’s easier to focus on the game than other things.  Once I met the new friend and discussed things beyond the game, it had it benefits and strangeness.  Meaning, we don’t live very far from each other but yet quite and age difference. 

 

Happiness Hacks

1. In what ways have you experienced happiness hacks in the game?

         Life hacking positions itself in direct contrast to self-help; its meant to be a more collectable way of working out solutions and testing them out together (McGonigal, 2011) (p.188).  It is my understanding that hacking happiness isn’t actually hacking the system but building confidence in the game and has a sense of belonging.  I have experiences the happiness by feeling of being part of the group.  It is helpful when you know you can complete a quest with a little help from other players.  It also makes me happy when I complete the quests needed to level up.  I begin to think I have this game figured out.