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Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Pulleys, Ropes, and Rigging: Game Mechanics to Outfit any Journey



Thanks for tuning in for the next chapter in Explore Like a Pirate book study! Oh my goodness this chapter has so much good information so I will try to keep this post short and to the point. 

Matera listed 22 different "game mechanics" that you can use in your game. You don't need to include all of these, or everything at the same time - these are just types of mechanics you can use in your game! The mechanics I listed below are the ones that I'm planning to implement in my classroom sometime this year. 


I do a "different" classroom management system each quarter. Really it's the same thing, but the form changes to keep it interesting for the students. XP and Levels seem like an easy place to start, but I feel would be more beneficial towards the end of 2nd grade. I won't introduce these concepts until either 3rd or 4th quarter. I've got some ideas floating around for onboarding, which I'll post about after school starts. 




Similar to XP and Levels, I'm not planning to use the leaderboard or guilds until closer to the end of the school year. I think that would be more appropriate for 2nd graders at that part of the year. As far as achievement goes - I'm planning to use that from the start and throughout the year!



I love the idea of quests, but am not sure how I want that to play into my classroom yet. I think I'd like to try one a semester, or maybe once a quarter, to see how it plays out. I don't want to overwhelm myself with too much! I already use mini games in my classroom, and to read about a few of them click here and here



Have you heard of www.breakoutedu.com? I hadn't before this chapter, and I think that would be such a fun thing to do with your students! I have no idea how I'm going to use that yet, but I want to try it out. Maybe this could even tie into a special challenge.. I just love how these mechanics can play off each other! 



Here are things to think about/guiding questions as you put these game mechanics to work. 


Setting the Course:

  1. Think back to your story. How can you connect the game mechanic back to your story?
  2. What rules will help the game take shape? Think items and trading.
  3. Think about management. How will you manage all of these elements? When and where do you update XP? Is it tracked physically or digitally? When do special events happen, and are they surprises or something the kids look forward to?



Exploring: 

  1. Think about your story - What language can you use to create talk about the mechanic? How will you use the mechanic to drive the story?
  2. Think about your rules for the mechanic. What's the purpose or the mechanic in the game? How important is it? How will it affect the students -more challenging, help struggling students catch up, slow down the top students, or just to add excitement? How can you bend your own rules?
  3. Think about management. How can you build excitement? Who's in control of the mechanic - student, teacher, or game? What classroom activities do you already have in place that could use the mechanic? Which mechanics can play off each other?


This chapter covered A LOT. Only choose one thing at a time to focus on. I already had similar things in place in my classroom, so the thing I'm going to focus on the most this year is... Easter Eggs! I think that will bring a lot of excitement to see where I hide these things. I'm thinking on my classroom website, in newsletters, and in books that I want students to read! Any ideas for where else I could put Easter Eggs? Let me know in the comments!




Click the image to go back to the linky. Check back next Tuesday for Chapter 8 - Tools and Treasures: Stockpiling Items, and Earning Badges. A big shout out to Rachael at Sweet Sweet Primary for hosting the linky!


P.S. - You can still enter the giveaway! Help me celebrate my 1 year blogging anniversary by entering below. The winner will be announced on July 24th!

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