Call of Duty

How did Treyarch do it?  The developer behind Call of Duty: Black Ops managed to break the record for "the largest ever entertainment launch in history in any form of entertainment" with sales of "$310 million within the first day."  I want to know how.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treyarch


The topic of this blog post will need to be explored in more depth, however I'd like to start with the reflective level of Norman's Three Levels of Design (visceral, behavioural, and reflective) in relation to the Call of Duty franchise.  In his book, Emotional Design, Norman talks about how at the reflective level, "the overall impact of a product comes through reflection - in retrospective memory and reassessment" (p. 88).  The first Call of Duty game was launched in 2003 with each subsequent iteration of the game operating at the reflective level.  The nostalgia factor and "gamer cred" associated with playing these games provides fodder for marketing campaigns in the form of game trailers, multiplayer advertising, reviews, and toys.  Interestingly, Activision, the publisher of these games, has also created a Call of Duty Endowment, aimed at supporting U.S. veterans to find employment.  All of these measures serve to satisfy the reflective level of design, ensuring the continued longevity of the franchise.  Previous Call of Duty games then help to explain part of Treyarch's success with Black Ops.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_of_Duty


I have more to explore on this subject.  Where I am going with this is to take a prominent digital success story (in terms of sales, ethics and moral considerations are another issue entirely), study it and ask how this can be replicated in education.  Call of Duty has successfully engaged millions of people worldwide.   If I were to introduce a digital learning tool to a student, how could I achieve the engagement level synonymous with this franchise?  At the core, what is Call of Duty doing right that could be revamped and presented in an educational context to engage boys?

The Education Arcade

Check out Revolution by The Education Arcade, built on the Neverwinter Nights engine.  The company does not charge for this 18th century American Revolution mod, however, you do need a copy of Neverwinter Nights to run it.  Is this a game built with educational goals inherent in its design or a video game with education tacked on as an afterthought?

http://www.educationarcade.org/node/357

Becker

Katrin Becker's work on serious game theory is noteworthy.  She began this body of work by asking these questions:

1. What is it about games that makes them so engaging?
2. How can we transform that into games for learning?
3. How can we design GOOD games for learning?
4. How important is it to know how the technology works, if you want to design artifacts that use it?

http://www.minkhollow.ca/becker/doku.php?id=serious_games

I am interested in exploring a broader sense of student engagement through games.  However, meeting the needs of boys is ultimately where I see this taking me.  To get to the crux of what it means to engage 21st century learners and the digital literacy skills required to navigate this terrain, it will be important to explore both genders and their unique sets of needs.

This is a link off of Becker's website to Christine Daviault's work, Look Who's Pulling the Trigger Now: A Study of Girls'/Women's Relationship With Video Games.

http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp01/MQ54260.pdf

I am drawn to outliers, what occurs in the margins.  Female hardcore gamers interest me because they challenges my assumptions about the interests of boys and girls.  Let's crack this open.

Black Ops

I'm at the video store with my 13 year old son and his friend.  The two of them are chewing massive wads of berry-flavoured bubblegum, perusing the aisles and chatting about the latest video games on the shelves.  I overhear, "I totally want to play Black Ops," followed by an enthusiastic exchange of indeterminable teenaged male utterances.  They refer to, of course, the new Call of Duty game, one that is rated 'M' and stands a snowball's chance of ever entering my household.

At launch, Black Ops sold 7 million copies and as of December of 2010, a combined 68,000 years worth of game time has been logged.  Chrysler has even manufactured a limited edition Black Ops Jeep Wrangler in response to the popularity of this game.  It's no wonder my son finds himself caught up in the wave of media attention this game has received.  As a parent, how do I respond?

How are Call of Duty games catering to the interests of boys and what compels my son to participate?

http://gamrfeed.vgchartz.com/story/83240/gamers-have-already-played-68000-years-of-cod-black-ops/
http://kotaku.com/#!5667616/treyarch-explains-the-call-of-duty-jeep-wrangler