Businesses and universities are using ARGs to take advantage
of collaborative gameplay and the combination of physical world and digital
experiences as part of learning activities
Alternate Reality Games: Gamification for Performance by Charles Palmer and Andy Petroski, two faculty members at Harrisburg University of Science & Technology, was released in April 2016 and is available on Amazon at http://bit.ly/GfP-AMZN
The book is a culmination of the authors’
experience building Alternate Reality Games (ARGs) and teaching Serious Game
concepts over the past seven years.
Presenting a thorough examination of the benefits
ARGs can provide in the business environment as well as methods for creating
effective ARGs, Alternate Reality Games:
Gamification for Performance is an ideal reference for business leaders
considering games to improve performance.
The book leads you through the fundamentals of
ARGs, citing examples and identifying business challenges that can be addressed
through them. It presents case studies that illustrate the variety of forms
that ARGs take and the issues to which they can be applied, such as improving
performance and critical communication situations. It also provides guidelines
for creating your own ARGs.
ARGs in the Workplace
“An exciting thing about ARGs is that they can
be easy to implement in terms of resources needed, providing a big impact with
minimal effort,” says Petroski.
“One example is how the president of a company
interrupted leadership training and told his staff that a production plant in
another country had a problem that needed to be fixed immediately or it would
lead to disaster," he added. "With a simple scenario and a few rules for how to
find the solution, the company was able to use ARGs to improve training.”
According to the two faculty members, Games
have the potential to change how businesses train employees and cultivate
skills in the workplace.
ARGs in the Classroom
“Harrisburg University’s Center for Advanced
Entertainment and Learning Technologies has been on the forefront of ARG use in
the public sphere,” says Palmer.
“We have built and studied a number ARG
titles,” he added. “We started by building these games for external clients,
but after some experimentation we brought the subject into the classroom at
both the undergraduate and graduate levels.”
According to the authors, businesses and
universities are using ARGs for orientation, training and collaboration
exercises. They are using ARGs to take advantage of the story, collaborative
gameplay, and the combination of physical world and digital experiences as part
of learning activities. Players must discover facts, find resources, and
collect assets to compete in the game and, by doing so, they evaluate
information and data, connect with new people and learn new skills.
“A Taste of” The ARG Journey (Book Excerpt)
An ARG is built around a story that engages the
players through an anomaly in their daily schedule. It could be an email from
an unknown source. It could be a Post-it note on a desk. It could be a video
played on a monitor in a public location. Or, it could be a message on a
computer screen that reads “Follow the white rabbit.”
The realism of the story is strong at the beginning
of the ARG. The player might not be sure whether he or she is even playing a
game. The realism may fade as the interaction with content and the level of
activities in the game increase, but the story is always there and remains a
central part of the player’s experience in the game. The ARG experience can
take place over a series of days, weeks, or months depending on your goals,
audience, and budget.
Find more on the book Alternate Reality Games: Gamification for Performance available at Amazon
About the Authors
Charles Palmer is a faculty
member and administrator at the STEM focused Harrisburg University of Science & Technology. As the Executive Director of the Center for Advanced
Entertainment and Learning Technologies (CAELT), Charles Palmer serves as an
Associate Professor in the University's Computer and Information Sciences
undergraduate program, coordinates the undergraduate Interactive Media program,
is an adviser to the Learning Technology Masters of Science program,
coordinates the High School Gaming Academy, and mentors students on research
projects in the fields of Augmented Reality and Interactive Games.
Andy Petroski, Senior New Product Development Consultant
at Harrisburg University of Science & Technology, is a renowned expert in Advanced
ID & Curriculum Design, Serious Games, and Emerging Technologies, having
designed technology-based learning experiences in education, corporate
learning, multimedia production firms, and independent consulting environments
over the last 18 years.
