GlassLab, a project of the Institute Of Play, continues to be a leader in game based learning. By connecting experienced commercial game designers/developers with learning/assessment experts they are re-imagining the next generation of not only educational and learning games, but also learning platforms in general.
The newest tablet game from GlassLab is Mars Generation One: Argubot Academy (iOS and Android). Developed in collaboration with NASA, it features a futuristic adventure story that takes place the year 2054.
The first human settlement on Mars has a lot of decisions to make. There’s a lot to figure out when it comes to planning for a 21st Century civilization. “What kind of food should the citizens cultivate? What form of entertainment makes the most sense for the population of the city? Which pets are best suited to the environment on Mars?” Everyone wants to make proposals. But good proposals need well constructed arguments.
The game works kind of like Pokemon. Players construct arguments; then they equip their “robot assistants with claims and evidence for battles of the wits.” The robots duke it out, and the one with the stronger argument wins.
Argubot Academy is significant because it addresses a part of school curriculum that few games have tried to tackle: argumentation, logic, and reasoned thinking. While these skills have always been a critical part of the learning experience, they remain hard to assess using quantitative methods. In fact, it is often hard for teachers to isolate the components of argumentation. One way to think about them is to understand the way they have been codified in the Common Core Standards:
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Write arguments focused on specific content.
Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.
Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.
Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
Imagine trying to create a game that addresses these standards. This was the task that GlassLab undertook. And despite my misgivings about the way in which the Common Core codifies these skills, I admire the way Argubot Academy addresses them.
GlassLab is touting the game’s ability to “promote interest in STEM content while developing collaboration and critical thinking skills” and the “individualized feedback” and data that the game’s dashboard provides. In addition, they are excited to be bringing games “into the ELA classroom to support Common Core Reading and Writing.”
It is true. I’m constantly asked about good ELA (English Language Arts) games and I rarely have an answer. STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, math) dominate the game based learning landscape. I’m not sure why. Perhaps it is simply because many of the game developers are people with a preference for STEM subjects. Perhaps it is because the foundational components of STEM subjects are more easily communicated and simulated using algorithmic based approaches.
Either way, one of the impressive things about Argubot Academy is that it takes a multidisciplinary approach. It grounds ELA proficiencies in a STEM based narrative setting. “GlassLab and NASA believe that creating a realistic vision of Mars will pique interest in panetary science and in STEM subjects, while at the same time teaching kids the leadership and critical thinking skills necessary for the achievement in any 21st Century career.”
“Our story emphasis will be on problem solving and social decision making in a small community,” says GlassLab’s Jessica Lindi, “We hope to inspire the astronauts of the future by showing that skills like collaboration, critical thinking, and problem solving are going to be the 21st century skills at work in space as well as on Earth.”
I like Argubot Academy. In particular I like that it blends disciplines. I like the focus on ethical decision making. And I love that the emphasis in the game is on using skills to help people live together in better ways. So often we forget that the purpose of education is not only to make workers who contribute to the economy, but also, to make citizens that contribute to making a better civilization.
Of course, the notion that argumentation and persuasion are always reasoned is crazy. Facticity is always subjective. And there are parts of life where metaphor trumps reason. For example, our political rhetoric always uses poetic narrative. Additionally, if arguments for love and romance could be made rationally, internet dating services would be perfect, and chemists would be infallible pheromone matchmakers. Certainly this is not the case. But this is a criticism of the Common Core, not Argubots Academy.
Jordan Shapiro is author of FREEPLAY: A Video Game Guide to Maximum Euphoric Bliss, a book about how playing video games can transform psychological attitudes. For information on Jordan's upcoming books and events click here.
