Game Concept: Old Streets Adventure

Indiana Jones Type Character (Alex Forist) - time travels back to 1890 to find the missing Information that will help us solve a mystery about an artifact in the present day collection. (Gameplay is like Clue)

Overview

Players play as Alex's assistants from the current era that travel back in time to collect clues that will be used at the end of the game to solve the mystery of the artifact. The Clues can include things like:

• Objects that need to be purchased and have micro-stories that reference the major themes (immigration, migration, furniture factories, lumbering),
  • Example: gun powder from the gun shop was used to blow up tree trunks by migrating African Americans on their newly cleared farms. The trees went to the mills and eventually became furniture. This powder is a relevant clue because it was also the substance that was stored in our mystery artifact. (I just made this up)
  • Example: there could be 3 locations where players have a choice between 3 items (9 items total). But, they only have enough money to buy 3 item total. So they must choose wisely.
• Information given to us by important people
  • Example: Bissel made a variety of products besides floor sweepers... including clothing irons . One recent European immigrant bought several of them to start a uniform laundry service for one of the furniture factories. This is a clue that has no relationship to the artifact. It is a mis-direct. (I just made this up)

Lesson Learned

• Objects that are tied into major themes of the era
• Cost of goods.
• Important individual characters
• Important types of people
• Detective work/ synthesis of the information to solve a problem

Up to 30 students play in 10 teams of 3.

Each team includes:

1. Tablet wrangler: aims the tablet and interacts with the AR.
2. Clue Master: writes down the historical facts (clues) on a note sheet.
3. Navigator (Leader): directs the student groups to their assigned destinations and keeps track of time.

There are 10 Stations. Each station has 1 object or person that provides 3 clues.

• Each location in Old Grand Rapids contains an AR target. Each target holds a clue that will help the teams solve the mystery.
• The tablet wrangler plays the AR and makes sure the other team members can see it.
• The navigator/leader orchestrates a collaborative effort: the team must pick only one of three clues that the station holds. This is done with a multiple choice check-sheet.
• The Clue master writes down the clue information,.

Gameplay

• 50 minute total play time.
• 1-10 teams can play
• All players assemble in the Barrel Factory. They then count off to form teams (10 minutes)
• Each team is given a map with their start location identified as well as a tablet with a custom case (in period style).
• Each team watches a 2-3 minute video on the tablet ... setting up the mystery.
• The teams, then all travel to their start locations and launch the app. (5 minutes)
• Teams rotate through the space every 2 minutes. During this time they will need to find their next location, find the AR target, consume the AR content (clue), record the clue information on the paper note sheet. (20 minutes)
• After all 10 locations have been visited, teams will go to a separate, customized, space where they will reference their notes and work collaboratively to solve the mystery. Worksheets will be provided to aid in the process. (15 Minutes).

Post Lesson

• At school, the next day, a writing/research project and/or discussion set can be assigned based on the five habits of mind. This would connect what they learned to themselves and current society.

Trade Up - IXD Outline

Overview

Players play as recent European immigrants with one object From their home, then trade up to acquire the ultimate object that will help them start a business like one of the business in old GR.

Goal: To settle into the U.S. with a stable career.

• Farmer (Irish immigrant with potatoes)
• Furniture Maker (Italian)
• Doctor (German immigrant)
• Barber Shop (African American)
• Seamstress (Yankee)

Up to 30 students play in 10 teams of 3.

Each team includes:

1. Tablet wrangler: aims the tablet and interacts with the AR.
2. Inventory manager: holds the trade up objects
3. Tallier: Tallying to see how much money you saved (based on the objects you traded)

There are 10 Locations. Each location has 3 objects.

• Each location has options to trade with a matching card symbol (raised printing for visually impaired)
• Teams are given an amount of time at each station to "trade-up" their objects
  • AR recognition will provide more information on each item
• This will continue in rotating stations? Until the time is up for the whole activity.
• The goal is to "strike a deal" and trade for the most valuable items
  • Could be duplicates of an item but the history reveals whats more valuable

Gameplay

• 50 minute total play time.
• 1-10 teams can play
• All players assemble in the Barrel Factory. They then count off to form teams of 3 (10 minutes)
• Each team is given a map with their start location identified as well as a tablet with a custom case (in period style).
• Each team watches a 1-2 minute video on the tablet, that provides the goal of their ultimate object (Its to get the most valuable object to start their business (most valuable object in their category), there will be competition as another group will also be looking for the same valuable object) and giving directions on how the game is played.
• The teams, then all travel to their start locations and launch the app. (5 minutes). Each team has a different location to start on to avoid crowding (navigator looks on map according to object card, in case it is too hard to find objects in your field, they will be color coded)
• Teams rotate through the space every 2 minutes. During this time they will need to find their next location, find the AR target, then they do a bunch of trading things — They trade their first object in the first station out of a group of two, choosing which one is the most valuable to them. As they progress through the stations, they also have a choice of keeping an item they feel is too valuable to trade. Each station will have this method of research and investigation to find the most valuable item according to their goal (this can be color coded or hinted at with categories if it's too hard to identify an object). Objects will interact with the augmented reality, and reveal more information. Augmented characters standing in front of each station (E.G Anna Bissell) can indicate the value of the products and provide further hints.
• After all 10 locations have been visited, teams will compare there ultimate object its valuation increase . (15 Minutes).
• Finally - the players trade with each other... in order to get an ultimate object that helps them achieve a pre-assigned goal.

Post Lesson

• At school, the next day, a writing/research project and/or discussion set can be assigned based on the five habits of mind. This would connect what they learned to themselves and current society.