This document provides an overview for a proposed serious game called "Transitions" designed to help US military veterans transition to civilian life. The game uses an escape room format where players must complete value surveys to determine gameplay environments centered around character strengths. In each 3D environment, the player has a short time limit to interact with objects, solve puzzles, and discover how to escape by demonstrating an understanding of that environment's value. Progressing through multiple environments allows players to reconstruct their self-identity outside of the military context. The goal is for veterans to work through challenges representing real-life transitions while gaining insights into their own values.
This document provides an overview for a proposed serious game called "Transitions" designed to help US military veterans transition to civilian life. The game uses an escape room format where players must complete value surveys to determine gameplay environments centered around character strengths. In each 3D environment, the player has a short time limit to interact with objects, solve puzzles, and discover how to escape by demonstrating an understanding of that environment's value. Progressing through multiple environments allows players to reconstruct their self-identity outside of the military context. The goal is for veterans to work through challenges representing real-life transitions while gaining insights into their own values.
This document provides an overview for a proposed serious game called "Transitions" designed to help US military veterans transition to civilian life. The game uses an escape room format where players must complete value surveys to determine gameplay environments centered around character strengths. In each 3D environment, the player has a short time limit to interact with objects, solve puzzles, and discover how to escape by demonstrating an understanding of that environment's value. Progressing through multiple environments allows players to reconstruct their self-identity outside of the military context. The goal is for veterans to work through challenges representing real-life transitions while gaining insights into their own values.
This document provides an overview for a proposed serious game called "Transitions" designed to help US military veterans transition to civilian life. The game uses an escape room format where players must complete value surveys to determine gameplay environments centered around character strengths. In each 3D environment, the player has a short time limit to interact with objects, solve puzzles, and discover how to escape by demonstrating an understanding of that environment's value. Progressing through multiple environments allows players to reconstruct their self-identity outside of the military context. The goal is for veterans to work through challenges representing real-life transitions while gaining insights into their own values.
1. Game Title: Transitions: a Serious Computer Game for Veterans
2. Game Genre: Escape Room type game 3. Target Audience: US military veterans- but any adult could conceivably play and benefit from the cognitive experience. 4. Subject Area(s): Psychology- Positive Psychology 5. Topics Covered: Understanding, deconstructing/reconstructing self-identity through values comprehension/manipulation. 6. Learning Objectives/Standards Addressed: While this is not an academic learning game, it does align with some of the core objectives of psychology courses, specifically the Texas State academic course guidelines manual (ACGM) PSYC 2301- objective stating that the learner will “identify the factors in physiological and psychological processes involved in human behavior.” Meeting this objective is achieved as the player moves through each playing environment because the player will have to understand his or her core values strengths at least at an underlying level and be willing to trade them for values needed to escape the environment. 7. Goal of the Game: for the service member who is leaving the military and returning to civilian life to move through the different environments of the game, trading current, self-ascribed values for actual values until transition has been achieved. 8. Rules- The veteran must complete a two-part values survey to build a values inventory and use that inventory to exit an environment (escape) within a certain time frame. Once the veteran has successfully negotiated all environments, he or she will have completed the game. Each successive environment will have its own unique challenge based upon the value being explored, but the essential rules are the same: escape the environment within the allotted time and with an improved understanding of the value being implemented in the game. A time manipulation method is introduced at the beginning of the game to allow the length of time within each environment to be increased, but that increase will come at a cost to the player in later environments. The game can be replayed as often as desired. 9. Storyline: The veteran (the player) has received discharge papers and is preparing to leave the military. The game begins as the veteran is challenged to find a way out of the office from which he received his marching orders. Each environment will be built based upon the five critical character military strengths selected by the player. These self-selections will be pitted against the top five actual strengths as determined by the VIA-72 survey. Prior to game play, the player has responded to each survey during the onboarding process. Those responses will be what determines the playing environment. Each environment must be successfully negotiated for the player to move closer to becoming a civilian again. The game does include a social aspect in that if a player is having difficulty negotiating an environment, the player may ask for help, akin to the “phone a friend” or “street shout out” type of “lifeline” which will be allowed. Using this feature adds time to the clock, but may adversely affect the game play later in the game by running down the clock faster or some other such manipulation not yet decided. 10. Characters/Roles: In this iteration, the only active character is the veteran. Future iterations should include multiple additional players, including fellow unit members, spouse and other family members, civilian friends and co-workers, and other more random characters. All characters introduced will be included with the intent of challenging the veteran players’ identity as they maneuver through the game environment. 11. Problems/Tasks/Missions: Each escape room environment will be based upon specific values determined by completion of the pre-game surveys. The “mission” will be for the player to engage with each environment, determine what needs to be done to escape, and do it, within a pre-determined timeframe. Failure will bring the player back to the beginning of that environment and restart the challenge. 12. Descriptions of 3D Environments Overall description (visual) In this iteration, the overall visual design of the game is intended to be within a three-dimensional environment (a room, an indoor area, outdoors, etc.) where the player moves about and interacts with objects/items within that environment to discover the means of escape. The environment will be three- dimensional, and the player will be able to move around as a normal human would within the space they are located. There will be no superhuman abilities such as flying or super strength. The initial environment will be a room designed to have a military look and feel, where the player will begin their transition. Characters or NPC In this initial iteration, the only character will be the player, interacting with items/objects within the environment. Game mechanics (actions) The player will be required to complete two brief surveys prior to game play. Once those surveys are complete, the player will begin to engage with the environments. The environments will be determined from the surveys completed. The player will have to move about the environment and interact with items/objects within the environment to discover how to escape. Once the key to leaving the environment has been determined, the player will complete the task needed to unlock the exit and move through the exit to whatever the next environment is. Each environment will include items with which the veteran will interact. For example, there may be a piece of paper containing information of some kind located in a file folder somewhere in the room. The information might be a clue or instructions the veteran needs to escape the environment he is currently in. In-world tools/resources These will include, in part, the surveys completed prior to game play, which will determine the initial selection of environments, the various items within each environment that provide tips, hints, and clues to solve the puzzle, and a method for increasing the time spent on each level to solve the puzzle and exit the area. Challenges or obstacles Each environment will contain a challenge unique to its attached core strength. A major obstacle to be included in each environment, regardless of the attached value, is the presence of a countdown timer that forces the player to engage and make decisions to solve the puzzle and exit that environment. Interaction/communication In this iteration, the player will have no communication with others, and will only interact with the collection of items within the environment. Sounds Ticking clock sound to subtly increase the urgency for the veteran to exit the environment. Additionally, there will be a soundtrack suited to the environment the veteran is in that will enhance the need for urgency on the part of the player. Sound is an effective method for creating a state of mind that may cause the player to slip into negative behavioral patterns in order to complete the environment. 13. Levels and Progression: Progression will be determined by movement through different playing environments that are unknowingly selected by the player when completing the pregame surveys. Progression through the game should not be considered as “levels” per se, as difficulty does not increase and some players may find the most difficult environments are earlier in the game. Each environment will be based upon one of the Essential Character Strengths selected by the player prior to game play. 14. Number of Players: Single player 15. Estimated Length of Gameplay: Overall length of game play will vary and be determined by each individual player. Each level, however, will have a predetermined timeframe within which the player must solve the puzzle and escape the room. That time frame has not yet been determined, but it will be short enough to cause stress and anxiety to the player. Estimated environment playing time will be 2-3 minutes allotted for the escape. Each environment will have a mechanism built in for the player to extend time, but that will cost the player at later positions in the game. 16. Cognitive Processes Required for Gameplay Remembering Yes The player will have to remember the location of items/objects within each environment to use toward escape. Understanding Yes The player must have an understanding of the significance of his or her essential values and how they might impede the transition process. Applying Yes The understanding must be applied within the game environment in order for the veteran to achieve the goal of successful transition. Analyzing Yes The player must be able to analyze the environment and determine which value(s) must be utilized to best negotiate any given environment, with an understanding that the choice made might become problematic in later levels of the game. Evaluating Yes The player will need to evaluate the options offered and determine the most appropriate play. Creating No This iteration of the game does not require any creativity from the player, per se.
17. Skills Required for Gameplay
Critical thinking Yes The player must be able to think critically and choose the most appropriate method of exiting the environment without creating circumstances for issues to develop in later levels. Problem solving Yes Each level offers a specific, value-related problem to solve. Decision making Yes Each level will require the player to make a decision regarding what values-related character strength they will choose to use to negotiate that environment. Creativity No Communication No Collaboration No Psychomotor skills Yes The player will be learning no new psychomotor skills as a result of playing this game, but they will be using some existing skills negotiating the game environment, selecting and manipulating objects within the escape room in order to solve the puzzle. Other No
18. Content Integration
This game requires prior knowledge. No This game teaches academic content. No Content integration strategies and rationale: This game has no academic content integrated. Each identified value will have its own “escape” environment from which the player will need to escape. The content will be determined based upon two surveys the player will complete prior to game play. The first survey is based on the Signature Strengths Survey created by VIACharacter.org. This survey is a self-reporting of what the player believes to be character strengths that are absolutely essential to who they are as a person. The player will select five of the twenty four value listed that are absolutely essential to them. The second survey, also created by VIACharacter.org, is the VIA-72 survey, which identifies the actual strengths of the player as opposed to the self-reported strengths. The two surveys provide for the environments to be built to challenge each player’s perceived values versus actual values. For example, a player might choose 19. Engagement Strategies: The main engagement strategy of this game is to use the veterans own desire to improve their transition experience to maintain engagement in game play. A variety of engagement strategies are built into the game including the surveys, the in-game information items/resources, and the clock, to name a few. 20. Scaffolding Strategies: Scaffolding will be provided initially by the values selections the player makes. The different values environments encountered by the player will be determined by those selections. Additional scaffolding is acquired by interacting with elements found inside each environment. These elements will provide insight as to the benefits of manipulating various values to escape. 21. Assessment Strategies: the assessment strategies are built into the pre and post surveys the player will take. The surveys will be taken “out of world.” Pre surveys will be administered on the onboarding process and the post survey will be administered as a pre-determined point following game play. The pre and post surveys will indicate whether any shift in values has occurred. 22. Major Purpose of the Game Integration: This game will be mainly used as a… Motivation tool This game will be used to help motivate veterans to work on a more successful integration into civilian society by recognizing behaviors they may engaging in that are detrimental to their progress. Practice
Instructional tool This game will be useful as an instructional tool to help
veterans identify aspects of their identity that may be hindering their successful integration into civilian society. Formative assessment This game may provide a formative assessment to players through the pregame surveys taken to identify their core character strengths. It would provide ongoing formative assessments as the player continued to play the game Summative assessment As this is a game designed for players in a state of identity flux, it would be difficult to discern any sort of summative learning because the reasoning for game play is ever-changing. However, the game could possibly assist in the summative assessment of a player’s values and identities relationships when the player is playing the game for a period of time when shifting from one identity state to another. Cognitive Behavioral This game is best suited as a discovery tool for the Tool player. As stated above, this game may provide a useful adjacent therapy tool to assist veterans with identifying detrimental veteran behaviors as they relate to identity crises experienced during transitional periods. 23. Implementation Plan: Ideally, this game will be implemented via a partnership with either government veterans’ services or private/non-profit veterans’ organizations or both, dedicated to helping veterans with transition issues. It could also be useful to therapists when providing individual counseling services to veterans in assessing their overall mental health state as it relates to their transitional efforts. 24. Perceived Barriers & Support Needs: The most significant barrier to the success of this game will be in distribution/deployment (See implementation, above). The second barrier will be in locating veterans willing to engage in the game. One possible solution would be to partner with a large veterans’ organization and distribute/connect through that medium. This solution speaks to what the game needs to be successful as well. 25. Reflection on the Assignment: This assignment has forced me to more clearly understand how I need to integrate my surveys and responses into the game creation. Specifically, it has made me think about how I want the player to interact with each self-chosen value and its relationship with the values determined by the VIA-72 survey. I see that I will need to engage in an ongoing examination of how to create and implement value-specific environments to challenge each player to fully examine their own value systems and its connection to their identities. Although I had already conceived of this game prior to this course, this assignment has made me examine aspects of the game that I had not yet considered. I believe I have a significantly better developed game because of it.