Pablo Moreno-Ger’s blog

Disclaimer: Barely any game-based learning in this blog entry, just serious gaming.

I’m not exactly sure why, but all my reading regarding serious games this last couple of weeks has been solidly returning Second Life hits. This blog reflected on IBM’s approach, with employees meeting in Second Life and with its CEO, Sam Palmisano, appearing in the game for a press conference with his own avatar. In fact, that information had previously been covered by Reuters on its permanent section devoted to Second Life . IBM is also trying concepts and holding events within Second Life.

More or less at the same time, Dell announces an in-game store where you can see your computer, configure it, and customise it. When you’re satisfied with the product, you pay and you get it shipped home. I haven’t been able to find out whether you also get a virtual computer to install in your virtual home, which would be a cool (and very cheap for Dell) gift for the customers. In any case the idea is great. It theoretically cuts down prices and provides a more attractive experience. And, even if it does not cut those prices, it gets you a heck of a PR-impact.

Same thing goes for Pontiac, opening Motorati Island in Second Life where they will be selling virtual models of their Solstice brand. I can imagine the potential should they try the same approach as Dell. Come, design your car, throw in the accessories, have a virtual test-drive and then purchase the real car. Our valet will drive it to your doorstep. In case the PR hype, plus the in-game car sales do not provide enough ROI, Pontiac will be renting lots in Motorati Island to companies and individuals willing to establish their own car-culture-oriented business in the island (I wonder if that includes competitors). BTW, both Toyota and Nissan are already doing this, let’s not assume novelty where there is not. The impact here is the sheer size of Pontiac’s initative and the amount of marketing they are dumping in the news.

And in the very same week, learning within Second Life, although not a new idea, is showcased in CNN regarding online education and virtual universities.

So, does this seem like enough hype around a concept? I think the PR people at Linden Labs must be having a huge party. Probably inside the game.

Gamasutra published yesterday an article on the virtual-world education/training programs being studied by IBM. This is a company that has never been ashamed of innovating (well, with some historic bumps) and it is interesting from the perspective of game-based learning to have this association between these “unpopular” methodologies and a big name such as IBM.

It is also interesting because they’re going further than the mere “small training game”. They are looking at social networking in virtual environments (they mention Second Life among others) and how these can support training. They plan to start using them as a meeting point for new employees, mentioning ideas for meetings between retired employees and future employees which I find very interesting . From those virtual social interactions they plan on building virtual environments where the actual workflows can be essayed interacting with other real people (programming, selling, marketing, etc.).

And then, an indirectly insider insight in one of the concepts which is only briefly introduced. A member of my family has worked at IBM Spain for almost 30 years, starting there as her first job and most likely remaining there until retirement. One of the hallmarks of IBM is pride on their corportate culture, especially the part devoted to diversity. Some of these iniatitives have the purpose of letting future workers (current students) experience the corporate culture and arrive there prepared. The beauty of it is that it works perfectly as a sales pitch to attract young talent (ey! come with us! it’s cool to work here!) but can also attack a deeply rooted problem: this is a company spread over the world that deals with employees of different cultural backgrounds leading to frequent and varied forms of cultural clash: religion, schedules, attire and symbologies are obvious examples, while idioms, body-language, euphemisms and assumptions are more subtle. This social and widespread approach would prove priceless if it reduces the cultural friction that these corporations suffer.

As promised, this post is written from the Netherlands. I am working at the Educational Technology Expertise Center in the Open University of the Netherlands in Heerlen.

I’m doing a reseach stay with Daniel Burgos in the Development Program, directed by Prof. Rob Koper. We’re working in the integration of the <e-Game> engine with the CopperCore IMS Learning Design player. In a fancy setup, we’re trying to get SLED to launch in the student’s computer a small adventure game as one of the activities from a Unit of Learning. After launched, the game should be adapted to whatever happened in the previous stages of the unit (namely, the previous knowledge of the learner) and when the game finishes, it should report the outcomes of the game to the CopperCore engine so that the rest of the UoL is in turn affected by the outcome. Technologically, lots of SOAP, lots of Java and the wonderful design of the CooperCore Service Integration layer.

Hungry readers will already be wondering: Wassup with the chocolate? It’s coming. From two sides, actually. First a picture, so you get the proper frame of mind:

First, on our proof-of-concept Unit of Learning for the work at OUNL. Provisional title: The Art and Craft of Chocolate. After some initial tests on learner knowledge, we launch this adventure game in which the player is responsible for Paniel, a young student at Le Cordon Bleu learning advanced techniques dealing with chocolate. Sweet sauces, bitter sauces, salty sauces, combinations of chocolate with exotic materials, etc. Nice theme, huh? The player is required to do some research and then prepare a variety of sauces with different styles. Once the player is satiasfied with his arsenal, he can move on to the final test: A practial exam in a restaurant with real customers. The customers have different tastes and Paniel has to infer which of his sauces will satisfy better each client and with what dish they should be served. After the exam, the Unit of Learning continues. More information on that project should be available around Christmas.

Then, I wanted to report my experience this weekend in Cologne. In addition to a nice (but dark and spooky) cathedral, Cologne hosts the Museum of Chocolate, with detailed descriptions of the history and the process of chocolate, a fountain of chocolate that you can actually taste, a tropical garden and a long etc. The pic is actually from the visit to the museum… unfortunately, there was a wall of glass keeping me away from all that melted chocolate.

Obviously I was required to go there as part of my field research (ahem), and I ended up finding game-based learning hidden in a corner. What happens to be relevant was a touchscreen that was going mostly unnoticed but actually included a number of mini-games trying to put some points across. The most interesting one was actually a trading game on the (shameful) history of chocolate. Get some brass, some lanterns, some weapons and a bit of silver in europe and set sail to Africa. Sell some brass there and load the ship with slaves. Set sail to america, sell the slaves and load cocoa beans. Back to europe and some accounting: you spent some 6.000 silver coins and earned some 50.000. Point taken.

A nice way to express a crude reality without hiding it. Very sincere and illustrative. There were also some other minigames on the production, identification of trading vessels and cocoa beans. It is a pity that the machine was going unnoticed and was hidden in a corner. Hopefully, it is actually a good tool when you’re in the guided tour, but visiting on your own it goes rather unnoticed. We’re on the way, but still far from there.

Pics from Cologne and the museum coming when I get up to date with the thousands of photos pending publication.