THE PERSPECTIVE GAME:
AN EPISTEMIC GAME FOR
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

Hello!
I AM SHERRY JONES
Game Design and Psychology Subject Matter
Expert at Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design |
Philosophy, Rhetoric, and Game Studies Instructor.
Find me on Twitter @autnes
See Slides http://bit.ly/epistemicgame

WHAT DO WE KNOW FROM GAME
RESEARCH?
1

“
Modern video games instantiate and
demonstrate many key principles that
psychologists, educators, and neuroscientists
believe enhance learning and brain plasticity.
This, in turn, has led some scientists to
consider the possibility that video game play
may produce not just improvements in the
ability to play the games but may, in fact,
result in more fundamental changes in the way
players see the world and process information.
(Eichenbaum et. al., 2014, American Journal of Play)
GAMING AND COGNITION

“
Based on a study of 53 children (31 were girls),
ages 3-6, Dr. Barnett suggests that the
“children have higher object control skills
because they are playing interactive games
that may help to develop these types of skills
(for example, the under hand roll through
playing the bowling game on the Wii). Playing
interactive electronic games may also help
eye-hand coordination.”
(O’Garretty, 2012, Deakin Univ. and Univ. of Wollongong)
GAMING AND MOTOR SKILLS

“
Frequent gamers “are better able to overcome
interference in perceptual learning. This
resistance to interference suggests that video
game playing not only enhances the amplitude
and speed of perceptual learning but also
leads to faster and/or more robust
stabilization of perceptual learning.”
(Berard et. al., 2015, PLOS One)
GAMING AND LEARNING

BIG CONCEPT
Games can be good for both the body
and the mind!

“
The U.S. Department of Education
recognizes the proven power of digital
games for learning and is committed to
fostering the broader adoption of high
quality games in schools and informal
learning settings.
(Office of Ed. Tech., 2015)

WHAT IS AN EPISTEMIC GAME?2

EPISTEMIC GAMES: A DEFINITION
Epistemic Games, Applied Games, and
Serious Games all refer to games designed
for learning specific concepts, principles, or
theories.
Whereas the word “serious” makes games
appear work like, and “applied” renders
games as conceptual proofs, “epistemic”
emphasizes the ways games can “frame”
our way of knowing.

GOOD
EPISTEMIC
GAME DESIGN

“
Richard Culatta, Director of the Office of
Ed. Tech., emphasizes: "If you're building
and designing games for learning you
have to connect and work with teachers
and with school leaders to make sure you
are building games that are meeting the
needs."
(Crecente, 2015, Polygon)

KEYS TO EPISTEMIC GAME DESIGN (EGD) BY SHERRY
JONES
An Epistemic
Game is not a
textbook.
EGD presents a
series of
visualized
problems, with a
cohesive
narrative, that
entice the
learner to solve
them.
EGD challenges
the learner to
think in different
or new ways to
solve the game.
EGD enables the
learner to arrive
at understanding
based on own
thoughts/actions.
EGD
incorporates
both
pedagogical
goals and game
design principles.
EGD creates
games that are
“challengingly
fun,” and serve
as learning
scaffolds.

MORE KEYS TO EPISTEMIC GAME DESIGN (EGD) BY
SHERRY JONES
EGD reenacts the
logical reasoning
of a concept, a
principle, or an
entire theory in
level design.
Ex. Mario as
Sisyphus
completes a level
and enters the
castle, only to
find the same
level on repeat.
EGD uses
narrative design
to create
storyworlds that
simulate fantasy
based analogical
situations.
EGD enables
player
acceptance,
immersion, and
flow state.
EGD considers
age, accessibility,
user experience,
and psychology
of the intended
learner.
Ex. Aesthetics
(colors,
typography,
skeuomorphism;
Technology
(web, mobile,
console)...

AN EPISTEMIC GAME:
THE PERSPECTIVE GAME BY
GETTHEISSUES (GTI)
3

GOOD
EPISTEMIC
GAME DESIGN

I’m Maxim,
your guide!

The Perspective Game (TPG) is an epistemic,
massively multiplayer online role-playing card
game (MMORPCG) that engages players in civic
conversations about real world events.

The Perspective Game (TPG) Gameplay is Simple!
Second - The Guild evaluates and picks
the best card cluster.
Last - The Guild enters the best card
cluster in the guild tournaments.
First - The Guild builds card clusters that
present arguments about a real issue.

Let’s take a
tour of TPG!

Maxim
Welcome, Player! You have entered the incubation space, a mysterious place located in
the fourth dimension that only you and your guild members can access.

Maxim
For many moons, I have visited this magical place, conjuring, deliberating, and
evaluating some of the world’s most complex ideas with my fellow GTI peers.

Maxim
In the Incubation Space, you and your guild will be able to build a perspective that
answers the call of the quest.

Aporia
Hmmm, this sure is a strange place, Maxim and Player. We seem to be floating in the
middle of the universe. How is this possible? Strange indeed.

Player
Hello, Maxim and Aporia . . . (scanning the perimeter) . . . . . . (analyzing) . . . Upon first
scan, I locate a game board in the center of this Incubation Space. Interesting . . .

Aporia
Whoa, Player. You’re right! A massive game board IS in this space. I also see a Quest
Card hovering in mid air. Do you guys see it? It seems to contain some writing. What
does it say, now? What is this place? What does this all mean???

Maxim
Sheesh, calm down, Aporia! Stop making the Player feel nervous. The Quest Card states
an issue that the Guild wants to explore in the magical Incubation Space. The issue
can be biohacking, surveillance, or the paleo diet. Any issue can become a quest!

DESIGN
◦ Rigorous rhetoric
theories inform design.
◦ Unique player roles as
rhetorical figures.
◦ Intriguing game
characters.
◦ Any issue can initiate a
quest.
◦ Fun 2-D graphics with
3-D environments.
◦ Guilds and guild rules
are set by players.
◦ Guild vs. Guild
gameplay”.
◦ Instant-saved
gameplay history for
reputation building.
FEATURES OF THE PERSPECTIVE GAME
TOOLS
◦ Stream playthrough to
Youtube and Twitch.
◦ Internal wiki system.
◦ Live backchannel.
◦ Internal email system.
◦ Personal Library for in-
game research.
◦ Virtual guild rooms for
strategizing.
◦ Article discovery
assistant.
◦ Claim/Counterclaim
discovery assistant.
◦ Moderation to
minimize abuse.
◦ Access to experts in
given fields.

EDUCATIONAL THEORIES IN THE
PERSPECTIVE GAME
4

RHETORIC
THEORIES
◦ Aristotelian, Toulmin,
and Rogerian Rhetoric
Theories inform TPG
design.
◦ Each TPG card
essentially represents
a single component of
the poetics/grammar
of argumentation.
◦ By playing cards, the
players learn empathic
listening skills and the
logic of argumentation.
FEATURES OF THE PERSPECTIVE GAME
CIVIC
ENGAGEMENT
◦ TPG offers a platform
for learning about real
world issues.
◦ Guilds choose an
interested issue as the
focus and motivator
for civic engagement.
◦ Example issues:
▫ STEM vs. STEAM
education.
▫ The Ethics of
Biohacking.
▫ Epigenetics and
body politics.

THE PERSPECTIVE GAME DESIGN:
AN IN-DEPTH LOOK
5

Design of The Perspective Game (TPG)
Game Board and 13 Cards

Design of The Perspective Game
Game Board Interface

CARD DESIGN
◦ The Main Claim Card Is
wielded by the player
role, The Initiator.
◦ The card states a claim
of value, fact, policy, or
causality about a real
world issue (stated in
the Quest Card).
◦ The card states a
reason for supporting
that claim.
THE INITIATOR & THE MAIN CLAIM CARD

CARD DESIGN
◦ The Concession Card
Is wielded by the
player role, The
Conceder.
◦ The card offers a
concession to an
assumption or claim
stated in
“counterclaim” card.
◦ The card addresses
the perspective of the
Counter (who wields
the counterclaim card).
THE CONCEDER & THE CONCESSION CARD

CARD DESIGN
◦ The Rebuttal Card Is
wielded by the player
role, The Refuter.
◦ The card opposes the
“counterclaim” card.
◦ The card refutes an
assumption or claim in
the opponent’s card.
◦ The card offers
support for the
rebuttal with evidence.
THE REFUTER & THE REBUTTAL CARD

Design of a Single Card Cluster in Play in
The Perspective Game

Design of Multiple Card Clusters in Play in
The Perspective Game

Design of the GTI Software Architecture by
Jeff Segor

DESIGN OF WEB AND SOFTWARE SECURITY
our office
◦ TPG users are required to confirm their ID using two factor
authentication method (using web and mobile devices).
◦ Two factor authentication, one of the highest forms of
security, prevents hackers from accessing user’s info.

PRICING
SUBSCRIPTION
SERVICE (MONTH
VS. YEAR)
FREE TO PLAY
MODEL
PREMIUM
SERVICE
*Premium Service offers users more features, such as the ability
to join concurrent guilds, livestream to Youtube and Twitch, and
design customizable avatars.

MEET THE GTI TEAM!
Martin Radley
Business Operations &
Virtual Economy
Development.
Sherry Jones
Game Architecture Design,
Narrative Design &
Education Research.
Jeff Segor
Backend Architecture
Engineering & Game
Development.
Palani Muragan
Mobile & Responsive Web
Development.
Stephen Getter
Graphic Design & Game
Development.

UPCOMING PROTOTYPE RELEASE IN EARLY 2016!
◦ Gain first access
to The Perspective
Game! Contact us
to become game
testers!

Thanks!
ANY QUESTIONS?
Twitter @autnes
Email sherryjones.edtech@gmail.com
Website http://about.me/sherryjones
Slides http://bit.ly/epistemicgame

CREDITS
Special thanks to all the people who made
and released these awesome resources for
free:
◦ Presentation template by SlidesCarnival
◦ Photographs by Unsplash