The Metagame! Teaching Argument and Debate

I'll be presenting the Metagame as a tool to teach argument and debate in the English/Language Arts classroom at the Ohio Educational Technology Conference on Tuesday.  Below is a little bit about the game and how I've used it in my classroom.  

The Metagame is a card game where students can create arguments around specific questions in connection to specific video games.  In my classroom, I posted our daily Metagame video game cards and question card in a Moodle forum and students created their arguments.  Additionally, students were required to respond to a classmate's post.  For our in-class sessions, students went head-to-head and presented their arguments in front of the class.  This was an excellent teaching tool to focus on creating clear arguments and responding to other perspectives.

Watch the video below to get a good idea of what the game looks like and how to play the Metagame! 

The Metagame was designed by @localno12 and is available on Amazon.com.  Expansion deck #1 is also available now! 

Teaching With Games - Resource Page

Attached is the resource page I will be providing at the upcoming Ohio Educational Technology Conference in Columbus, Ohio.  I hope it is useful for those educators who are just getting started using games in the classroom and want some place to begin their research and planning.   

ESRB Ratings:

To learn more about the Entertainment Software Ratings Board and the ratings they give to popular video games, go to www.esrb.org.  There you will find detailed information on how games are rated, what each rating means, and lists of popular PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, and PC games and their ratings. 

Online Resources:

The websites below offer excellent information about games, the gaming industry, and current gaming trends.  Each of the sites below also provides great weekly podcasts discussing current information about gaming. 

www.gameinformer.com

www.ign.com

www.gamespot.com

www.joystiq.com

Print Resources:

Most of the books below can be found on Amazon.com for less than ten dollars!  It is worth the time to consider a few of these titles if you plan to use video games as a teaching tool in your classroom.

Bissell, Tom. Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter.  New York: Pantheon Books, 2010. 

*Chatfield, Tom.  Fun Inc.: Why Gaming Will Dominate the 21^st Century. New York: Pegasus Books, 2010.

*Gee, J.P. What Video Games Have To Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. New York: Palgrave

                Macmillan, 2003.

*Hutchison, David. Playing to Learn. Connecticut: Teacher Ideas Press, 2007. 

Kent, Steven L. The Ultimate History of Video Games. New York: The Rivers Press, 2001.

Krawczyk and Novak. Game Development Essentials: Game Story and Character Development.

McGonigal, Jane.  Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change The

               

                World. New York: The Penguin Press, 2012.

Melissinos, Chris. The Art of Video Games: From Pac-Man to Mass Effect. New York:

               

                Welcome Books, 2012. 

Poole, Steven.  Trigger Happy: The Inner Life of Video Games. London: Fourth Estate, 2000.

*Prensky, Marc. Don’t Bother Me Mom—I’m Learning! Minnesota: Paragon House, 2006

*Sheldon, Lee. Character Development and Storytelling for Games. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2004

Simpson, Elizabeth S.  “Evolution in the Classroom: What Teachers Need to Know About the Video

                Game Generation.”  Tech Trends: Vol. 49, Number 5. (2005).

Squire, Kurt. “Changing the Game: What Happens When Video Games Enter the Classroom?” Journal of

                Online Education: Vol. 1, Issue 6.  Aug/Sept 2005.

Games:

Below is a list of some of the games that I used in the Great Literature/Great Games course.  Be sure to check the ESRB ratings before using any games in your classroom. 

Bioshock (Xbox 360/PS3)

Skyrim (Xbox 360/PS3)

Call of Duty: World at War (Xbox 360/PS3)

Mass Effect 2 (Xbox 360/PS3)

Heavy Rain (PS3)

Red Dead Redemption (Xbox 360/PS3)

Fallout 3 (Xbox 360/PS3)

I am Alive (PS3/Xbox 360)

Lost in Shadows (Wii)

Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon (Wii)

Journey (PS3)

Flower (PS3)

The Unfinished Swan (PS3/Xbox 360)

Metagame: The Game Debate Game (Card game available on Amazon.com through Local No. 12)

Journey (PS3) - Lesson Ideas

In preparation for the upcoming eTech Conference in Columbus, Ohio, I will be posting lesson ideas and information for various games that will be discussed at the conference.  Enjoy! 

Journey (PS3)

“An exotic adventure with a more serious tone, Journey presents a unique vision of an online adventure experience. Awakening in an unknown world, the player walks, glides, and flies through a vast and awe-inspiring landscape, while discovering the history of an ancient, mysterious civilization along the way. Journey's innovative approach to online play encourages players to explore this environment with strangers who cross their path from time to time. By traveling together, they can re-shape the experience -- creating authentic moments they will remember and discuss with others”(www.ign.com).

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Argumentative/Persuasive Writing

Common Core Standard: (W.11-12.1) Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

Lesson: In March 2012, the Smithsonian opened an exhibit called “The Art of Video Games.”  Journey, a game featured in this exhibit, is as beautiful as it is engaging. To focus on persuasive/argumentative writing, students can, after playing the game, debate whether or not Journey should be considered art.  Students may need work through a definition of art before considering this topic, but should be able to pull evidence from the game to support their arguments. 

Citing the game’s visuals, game play, immersion, etc., students can write/create/present their arguments answering the question: Is this game art? 

Teacher Resources: The Art of Video Games: From Pac-Man to Mass Effect by Chris Melissinos and Patrick O’Rourke

Narrative Writing

Common Core Standard: (W.11-12.3) Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

Lesson: Unlike literature and most games, dialogue in Journey is limited to short sounds emitted by the player character and the occasional symbol found in the game world.  From the point of view of your character, write a narrative that tells your character’s story in one level of the game.  Provide a voice to your character by providing dialogue between your character and another character in the story.  (You could even break your class into small groups to create stories for each level of the game then combine the story for a collaborative writing assignment.) 

Teacher Resource: Character Development and Storytelling for Games by Lee Sheldon

Informative Writing:

Common Core Standard: (W.11-12.2) Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

Lesson: After playing Journey, students should play through the game again with a critical eye to create (written or digital) a strategy or walkthrough guide for other players who are seeking to make the most of their experience playing this game.  While walkthroughs are very prevalent on Youtube and other gaming sites, students can create their own guides that reflect their experiences.   Previewing some of these guides before writing is a useful strategy to help students frame their own writing. 

Teacher Resources: Playing to Learn: Video Games in the Classroom by David Hutchison