Teaching vs. 3D gaming in secondary school

Teaching vs. 3D gaming in secondary school Krunoslav Bedi School of Civil Engineering, Art and Craft Čakovec Športska 1, HR-40000 Čakovec, Croatia [email protected]

Nikolina Žajdela Hrustek Faculty of Organization and Informatics Varaždin University of Zagreb Pavlinska 2, HR-42000 Varaždin, Croatia [email protected]

Ana Ćorić Faculty of Organization and Informatics Varaždin University of Zagreb Pavlinska 2, HR-42000 Varaždin, Croatia [email protected] Abstract - Learning through games is fun. However, it is demanding for secondary school students to learn by means of developing their own game in 3D environment. One can believe that developing a 3D computer game is to be labeled as "state-of-the-art" activity considering the use of nowadays technologies – programming, graphic design, visual communication, e-learning, 3D modeling, rendering, animating etc. This paper shows the development of the game named "Legenda o zmaju" ("Legend of the Dragon") by means of a wide scope of software. The purpose of the process is that students – via the clearly defined and challenging goal of developing a game of their own - acquire and hone their skills of programming, graphic designing, planning, cooperating in the project, organizing, critical evaluating and problem-solving, interpreting and visualizing the historical content and events in a creative and innovative way. Consequently, the purpose of the final product is educative by its nature as well. It was an attempt to present a part of the history of the town of Čakovec in a new, different and attractive way, i.e. an attempt to revive the legend of the town through an interactive 3D computer game. Keywords - 3D game design, computer interaction, animation * In 2010, the 3D interactive-educative computer game "Čakovec-Legenda o Zmaju" was presented at Microsoft – Imagine Cup in Varaždin as the invited 2nd place work from Info kup – Pula 2010. The trailer of the game can be accessed via http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1BpcEZZNIU.

1. INTRODUCTION 3D animation is very important nowadays. Multimedia software design therefore appears to be a good context for students to learn about collaboration and project management [1]. The technologies that were used until recently could not present the 3D space. A few years ago, the professional

film and software industries communities realized the importance of 3D graphics and 3D modeling and, moreover, extremely real special effects have been seen in films based on 3D graphics, i.e. on animation. 3D technology has been successfully used in computer games for a few years. Technology has seen such an advance that a naked human eye is not capable of noticing a difference between 3D virtual world and/or real space. The use of educational games in learning environments is an increasingly relevant trend [2]. Interactivity in the context of computer-based multimedia learning is reciprocal activity between a learner and a multimedia learning system, in which the [re]action of the learner is dependent upon the [re]- action of the system and vice versa [3]. Based on 3D technology and the programming of an interactive computer game, it is possible to provide for education and a double acquisition of knowledge, especially for secondary school students. Putting aside the commercial importance of computer gaming, the educational importance of computer game design and creation lies in the fact that it provides an ideal framework for students to gain expertise and experience on a range of topics from computer graphics to software engineering [4].

2. LEARNING BY PLAING GAMES At schools, the teaching process is performed in a passive way mostly, where a teacher presents facts and students make notes. The active way, reversely, requests from students to take part in the acquisition of knowledge by means of asking questions, state their own opinions, conduct further investigations, analyze problems on their own etc. Students are thus more and more apt to experiential learning, i.e. learning through experience [5]. The beginnings of researching into the influence of computer games on the learning process date back to 1970s

and 1980s [6] and the related research have been done ever since. Scientists have concluded that computer games are contributing to the cognitive skills of gamers [7]. While playing computer games, gamers face certain tasks to complete by means of respective strategies and they thus make decisions accordingly. It is the very games' attributes that make games fall into the category of powerful learning environments’’ that in turn triggers „optimal learning processes“ [8]. In 2010, Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE) published the results of a research that had been done on the sample of 10000 persons from 8 EU countries. The results showed that as much as 57% of the young aged 1629 fell into the category of persons who had played computer games in the last 6 months. [9]. In accordance with the ever-growing number of research in the field, computer games have become the modern culture of today [9]. 3. 3D GAMES IN EDUCATION "Two-dimensional" presentation of knowledge is still the main way of knowledge acquisition. However, by means of 3D interactive games it can be /and it is/ more effective. Through eyes – visually- the highest percentage of information from the surroundings is received; a picture means more than a thousand words. Although the contemporary digital education materials are enriched with the video content, images, schemes, sound, presentations etc., 3D technology can go a step further. By means of 3D technology – through the same channels of text, image and sound, as well as through their combination- the space, i.e. the real world, is presented. If proper and detailed models are made, the real shapes of the real world are obtained. These objects are "given life" by means of a detailed animation process. If needed, some special effects can be deployed into animations as well and the final product of this kind of modeling is a 3D environment that cannot be presented via traditional methods. Virtual worlds can have many benefits or affordances for learners. [10] 3D environments offer the possibility to recreate completely new worlds, providing experiences that can help people in understanding concepts as well as learning to perform specific tasks, where task can be repeated as often as required and in a safe environment [11]. The use of 3D simulations, games and virtual worlds in the teaching process provides for a rich learner engagement, ability to explore, construct and manipulate virtual objects, structures and metaphorical representations of ideas [12]. A shortcoming of 3D animation is the very process of working with an array of parameters. The shaping of each model takes a lot of time and the same goes for the sequential animation and coordination. An inevitable element of the majority of games is sound. An additional effect on a user is achieved through the three-dimensional feature – the sound is produced individually and at a different volume level through each of speakers ("spatial audio"). This kind of listening requires a 5.1 sound system that-if set correctly- transfers the sound at a 99.9% of fidelity.

4. LEARNING BY DEVELOPING GAMES By means of developing the computer game "Čakovec – Legenda o Zmaju", the students of Graditeljska škola Čakovec had a chance of developing and honing their skills of programming, graphic designing, cooperating, organizing, interpreting historical events (storytelling), shaping up characters, tasks and rules in a creative and interesting way; In other words, the educational experience of students was widened. Making a game actively engages learners because they construct their own game using a software tool; it is not a passive experience [13]. As technologies progress aggressively, games development tools become more widely available and affordable for a non-professional [14]. The very process of developing an educative game requires a coordination of certain educational strategies and tools that in the best way target the desired outcomes [15], which was attained in the case of developing the game „Čakovec – Legenda o Zmaju“. Two second - grade students- under the mentor's supervision - took part in creating the game. The whole process took almost a year to complete. A wide scope of software was used that is normally used throughout the four-year course. Namely, this is the web-designer/media technician course for whose implementation the entire necessary software infrastructure has been provided by the Ministry of Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia. The very work was organized as a teamwork as it had been proved that it was far more efficient a work when one of the students did the programming and the other the visual designing. The students worked on the game during their optional subject/activity time where the key role of the coordinator was assigned to the mentor, i.e. the optional subject teacher, who is in turn one of the authors of this paper. In their teamwork, the students chose a specific name, "Studio 219", to work under and this can be seen from the Youtube attached trailer. In this way, the teamwork got a new dimension of being "professional" one and additionally motivated the students. Besides that, for the purpose of the State IT Competition – infokup 2010 Pula- a Facebook profile (a group) was created that additionally promoted the computer game. Finally, it is important to point out that the so-called engine game "Zrinski" that had been developed in the course of the oneyear students' independent work. It had been developed on the basis of the mentor's own experience and the free Internet forums education. The game engine "Zrinski" is used at he present moment as well for the purpose of development of new computer games as it has turned out that there is interest in students for it and that there is a need for such sort of work in the secondary education.

5. THE GAME – “ČAKOVEC LEGENDA O ZMAJU” „Čakovec – Legenda o Zmaju“ is a 3D interactiveeducative computer video game. The events take place in the 17th century, when noble family the Zrinskis ruled in Čakovec (Međimurje). The legend, the dragon and the animation on one side and the real look of the old fortress of Čakovec on the other side are additionally intricate and revive the imagination concerning the dragon of Čakovec,

"Pozoj" that, in accordance with the legend, lived under the walls of the fortress. The legend has it, in turn, that the dragon's tail was under the walls whereas its head was under the foundations of St Nicholas church. The objective of the game is acquiring education on the history of the Old Town of Čakovec and the Zrinskis. During the game, memorizing as much historical content as possible is required and in the end the final question – embedded in the Zrinskis' manor castle within the fortress- has to be answered. The correct answer to the question provides access to the multimedia presentation of the dragon. The visual design of the game is prevailingly in the Baroque style whereas the modeled objects are to a high extent in accordance both with the historical facts and the contemporary appearance. Additional learning content can be accessed via the official site of the game (http://legendao-zmaju.tk); An additional knowledge check can be performed by an online quiz. 5.1 The visualization (3D GRAPHICS) The gaming experience is attained through 3D graphics, namely by means of virtualization of space by Cinema 4D v11.5 program owned by MAXON Computer GmbH company (September, 2009). The program functions on the principle of the defining objects and points in space with vectors and it thus serves for modeling, animation and 3D models rendering. The program is widely known by its flexibility and the interface simplicity that provide for the simplicity of use. The program offers the options of polygonal modeling, animating, texturing and 3D rendering. For each object, it was important to define how it would look. Ancient period paintings and/or sketches were required for the key objects; In this way, the reality of 3D modeling was used to present the historic look of Čakovec and its surrounding to a future gamer. The majority of objects were made in accordance with the actual shapes and proportions. Less important objects such as barracks, local market-place etc., are imaginary as there are no existing historical (pictorial) records of them. This is why imagination, innovative skills and creativeness were used in presenting the 3D space. The basic look of the old fortress features a high level of fidelity as there are records of it. Thus the most of the working time was allocated to the modeling of The Old Town of the Zrinskis. Picture 1 shows the moment of modeling the fortress in Cinema4D program.

Picture 2 provides for comparing the 3D model of the fortress with its contemporary photo.

Picture 2. 3D model of the fortress

5.2 Modeling and designing the game (MODELING AND DESIGN) Each object in the game was modeled individually. The modeling was performed in steps. Cinema 4D features several special basic windows appearance and some of them are, for example, "Animation", "Modeling" and "Paint". Each of the windows is provided with respective schemes of bars with tools needed for the specific work tasks. By the use of the windows looks, 3D models were made and integrated in the game later on. Each model was textured. Ideal textures had to be found so that they fit to the models and the virtual space as a whole. After an appropriate texture was created, it was tailored to the model by means of leveling the repetitions, size and alignment for each of the textures. Once a model was finished, it was situated into the game space as a whole and adjusted to other models. As to shaping, the attention was focused on the style of the times in which the game takes place. 5.3 The game animation The animation was edited and rendered with Adobe® Premiere Pro® CS4 v4.0 and the special effects added with Adobe® After Effects® CS4 v9.0. 5.4 Educational aspect of the game "ČAKOVEC LEGENDA O ZMAJU" In some spots in the game, there is a canvas with a painting of the town or the members of the Zrinski family (Picture 3), which additionally encourages e-learning of historical facts.

Picture 1. The Old Town of the Zrinskis

Illustrator, and Adobe CS4 After Effect. For the web site the following was used Adobe CS4 Dreamweawer, Adobe CS4 Flash, Adobe CS4 Photoshop and Adobe CS4 Illustrator . 5.6.1. Game engine „Zrinski“

Picture 3. Canvas with a painting of the members of the Zrinski family

The education in the game (Picture 4) was made possible via "panels" – books that should be read for the purpose of acquiring historical facts and this is the only way in which the game can be completed successfully.

Game Engine is a software system designed for the creation and the development of video games and it is as well used in other kinds of interactive applications such as marketing, architectural visualizations, simulations and environment modeling. There are numerous Game Engine platforms designed to work with consoles and operative systems such as Microsoft Windows, Linux and Mac OS X. Game Engine provides a platform and enables- with only a few source code changes- playing on various platforms including console games and personal computers.

5.6.2 Input engine Input Engine has been optimized to work with a keyboard under Windows OS only. Moving in the game is provided for via a mouse and a keyboard. The controls (Picture 6) are as follows:

Picture 4. Panels

The real look of the water surfaces (Picture 5) was attained by special algorithms that provide for reflections, i.e. the shadows of objects cast on the water. By means of moving through 3D virtual world, the shadows on the water move too.

Picture 5 The Old Town of the Zrinskis

5.6 The technology used The whole game was programmed in the C# language and based on the XNA framework, whereas the educational web used HTML, CSS, PHP, JavaScript, XML and FLASH. For the video game the following was used: Microsoft Visual Studio, Cinema 4D, 3D Studio Max, Adobe CS4 Premiere, Adobe CS4 Photoshop, Adobe CS4

W A S D I H K M Tab Caps Lock Num1 Num2 Num3 Space Escape F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 F8 F9 F10 Enter Mouse

Move forward Move left Move back Move right Game making Help Controls Map Open task menu Short description of tasks Answer to the question No. 1 Answer to the question No. 2 Answer to the question No. 3 Play the final video Open/close a menu Open a book Open a book Open a book Open a book Open a book Open a book Open a book Open a book Open a book Play the intro video Confirm choice Moving along X Y Z coordinates in the game Picture 6. The control

6. CONCLUSION

5.6.3 Video engine The main support to Video engine isdirectshow.dll file downloaded in full from www.codeplex.com. Maximal video resolution is 1280x720 with CBR encoding. 5.6.4 Audio engine The main platform to have been used was Microsoft XACT sound creating tool. Every few seconds the sound source shifts position from the left speaker to the right one. As to the positional sound, it is important to point out that moving toward a sounded object provides for crisper and better sound. For example, walking toward water in the surrounding of the fortress results in amplification of the sound of gurgling.

5.7 Web support For the purpose of the additional educative needs of the game, the web site at http://legenda-o-zmaju.tk was created. Web site (Picture 7) is enriched with additional educative materials provided through FLASH technology.

Today, young people spend more and more time playing video games and taking part in virtual worlds. This is why there is an outgrowing need of investigating into the way of adequate employment of games into the new knowledge acquiring process. The changes that have taken place in classrooms are obvious. The way of receiving and acquiring knowledge is not the same as it used to be. The chalk-and-blackboard lessons are simply not sufficient for students any more. Students want to become a part of the learning process and thus – opposite to the traditional passive way of learningactively apply and create new knowledge. Taking part in 3D games and 3D virtual worlds provides for them to feel engaged in an active way, to represent spatial knowledge and to have opportunities of experimental, contextual and collaborative learning. By means of developing 3D computer game, "Čakovec – Legenda o Zmaju, the students had an opportunity of applying their skills to a challenging and motivating task and thus to supplement and hone them additionally. The task made the students take active part in learning and creating. Finally, the most important of all is the students' satisfaction regardless of the results of evaluations of their work. As a conclusion, it can be said that, hand in hand with the real 3D graphic, an exceptional program was created in terms of education and- of course-fun. REFERENCES [1] Y. B. Kafai, C. C. Ching, S. Marshall, “Children as designers of educational multimedia software”, Computers & Education, vol. 29, p. 117-12, 1997.

Picture 7. Web site of game

[2] P. Moreno-Ger, D. Burgos, I. Martínez-Ortiz, J. L. Sierra, B. Fernández-Manjón, “Educational game design for online education”, Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 24, p. 25302540, 2008. [3] S. Domagk, R. N. Schwartz, J. L. Plass, “Interactivity in multimedia learning: An integrated model”, Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 26, p. 1024-1033, 2010.

5.8 Final product Picture 8 shows the DVD cover.

[4] S. Schaefer, J. Warren, “Teaching computer game design and construction” , Computer-Aided Design, vol. 36, p. 15011510, 2004. [5] E. Smeets, “Does ICT contribute to powerful learning environments in primary education?” Computers & Education, vol. 44, p. 343–355, 2005. [6] H. F. O’Neil, R. Wainess, E. L. Baker, “Classification of learning outcomes: Evidence from the computer games literature”, The Curriculum Journal, vol. 16, p. 455-474, 2005. Picture 8. DVD cover

[7] J. Robertson, C. Howells, “Computer game design: Opportunities for successful learning”, Computers & Education, vol. 50, p. 559-578, 2008. [8] E. Smeets, “Does ICT contribute to powerful learning environments in primary education?”, Computers & Education, vol. 44, p. 343–355, 2005. [9] Video Gamers in Europe Spring, Prepared for the Interacitve Software Federation of Europe (ISFE) by GameVision Europe, http://www.isfeeu.org/index.php?PHPSESSID=uj237vts2ajs9u7oiuvk5vi181 &oidit=T001:662b16536388a7260921599321365911, Accessed January, 31th, 2011. [10] Y. L Eow, A. Wan Zah bte Wan., M. Rosnaini, B. Roselan, “Computer games development and appreciative learning approach in enhancing students’ creative perception”, Computers & Education, vol. 54 , p. 146–161, 2010. [11] A. Iqbal, M. Kankaanranta, P. Neittaanmäki, “Engaging learners through virtual worlds”, Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, vol. 2, p. 3198-3205, 2010. [12] L. Chittaro, R. Ranon, “Web3D technologies in learning, education and training: Motivations, issues, opportunities”, Computers & Education, vol. 49, p. 3–18, 2007. [13] J. Robertson, C. Howells, “Computer game design: Opportunities for successful learning”, Computers & Education, vol. 50, p. 559-578, 2008. [14] L. Y. Eow, W. Z. A. Wan, M. Rosnaini, B. Roselan, “Computer games development and appreciative learning approach in enhancing students’ creative perception”, Computers & Education, vol. 54 , p. 146–161, 2010. [15] B. Dalgarno, M. J. W. Lee, “What are the learning affordances of 3-D virtual environments?”, British Journal of Educational Technology, p. 41, p. 10–32, 2010.