Accessible Gamification (edX)

The vast field of Gamification applies techniques and patterns from fundamental mechanics of game design to non-game contexts in order to make business tasks more fun for a user. This can lead to increased efficiency and accuracy and even facilitate better health by reducing exhaustion.

However, there is one particular requirement that often becomes a hurdle for Gamification efforts: meeting accessibility requirements.

In this computer science course, we will investigate this use case closer and derive a new set of patterns that are representation-agnostic. You will learn the fundamentals of Gamification and accessibility, as well as lessons in game development and game design. We will take a look at popular digital games and draw patterns from their game design and game mechanics.

By the end of this course, you will have gained a better grasp on the problem at hand and learn patterns and techniques to deploy gamification in a broader and more abstract scope.

But be warned: you might see your favorite digital games like you never saw them before – as a wired, but well-tailored, combination of reward, development, discover and challenge.

What you'll learn

- What Gamification is and how it relates to common business processes

- Basics of Digital Accessibility and how it interacts with Gamification

- How to derive Game Design Patterns from popular digital games

Syllabus

Week 1: Gamification

Games and fun

Gamification

Quest: real-world examples for motivation

Players: Bartle

Quest: genres & players; classification quiz

Beyond Bartle

Quest: Analyze some games you play! / What kind of player are you?

Week 2: Accessible Gamification

Gamification Concepts

Quest: Sample Business Process

Gamification Requirements

Quest: Picture Show: real world examples. Is there gamification involved?

Accessibility: personalisation vs accessibility; Universal Design; gamification and accessibility.

Quest: find collisions of accessibility & gamification

Week 3: Game Design Patterns

One Step Back

Quest: game design vs game mechanics

Reward

Quest: examples: Dungeon Crawler

Discovery

Quest: Examples: Space Sims

Challenge

Quest: examples: RTS

Development

Quest: Examples: MMOG

Action space

Quest: examples: FPS

Quest: pick a game of your choice and dissect it

Week 4: Examples: Reward & Challenge

Reward: immediate & measurable; designing reward (Skinner box, achievements, exclusivity)

Quest: showcase: RPG quest rewards

Challenge: business process vs gamification; designing challenge

Quest: showcase: Casual “Arkanoids”

Applications for the web

Quest: design a quest for an RPG

Week 5: Examples: Action Space & Development

Action space: action space models; action space pollution

Quest: TCG strategies

Development: characters and history; visuals; economy

Quest: MMOG characters

Applications for the web

Quest: take a look at your web browser and its action space