Never Alone

"Everything has a spirit

There's a consciousness in everything

Everything is alive"

~ "Never Alone" Developer - Ishmael|Angaluuk

When I visited Vancouver, BC a couple of years ago with my girlfriend, I got to go to the University of British Colombia's Museum of Anthropology. Learning about the native people's culture and studying the rich history of the land was one of the best outings on my first trip to Canada. When Never Alone came out (for free! thank you Play Station Plus) I was super excited to check out a title that puts emphasis on guiding players through an exhibit of a people's art and culture.

This is the story of Kisima Inŋitchuŋa - Never Alone:

You play as Nuna, a young Iñupiaq girl, who traverses the harsh Arctic climate in a search for the origin of blizzards to stop them from driving away the caribou her village depends on for food. Along the way, you are befriended by an Arctic Fox, and the two of you encounter many aspects of the Iñupiaq culture - the Manslayer, Little People, Children of the Northern Lights, Spirits of Nature. At the end of your journey, you are able to steal the "adze" of the Blizzard Man and break it so the caribou will return and you are reunited with your family

Gameplay Mechanics:

There are so many aspects of this game that make it stand out. First off, the game developers worked with the Cook Inlet Tribal Council to create the game development team Upper One Games. Game creators worked with members of the Council to make sure authenticity was maintained throughout the game. This collaboration is an example of when a disenfranchised group is empowered with a voice to make their culture heard. 

Every aspect of the game is an allusion to Alaskan Native culture. For starters, the game is narrated in the Iñupiaq tongue, as if a story is being told as you are playing it. This was specifically done to preserve the oral tradition of passing on stories. Divided into chapters, each story focuses on a specific aspect of Iñupiaq culture and the gameplay revolves around it. For instance, when climbing an abandoned village at night, the Northern Lights are visible. In Iñupiaq lore, the souls of children make up the lights, and , being children, they wanted to play with you, particularly your head. This story was passed down to make sure children would keep their hoods on, but in the game, this translates to floating spirits as obstacles that will actually carry you away if you get caught.

Trying to get to the next platform without having my soul snatched by the soul of a misbehaving child.

Most notably and my favorite aspect as an educator is the fact that documentary style videos can be unlocked throughout the game. Much like the collectibles in Valiant Hearts, these videos are easy to find and act as "cultural insights" to the specific part of the game you are encountering. Using the above example of the Children of the Northern Lights, you will unlock a video that actually talks about the information I mentioned.

My favorite aspect of the game was actually finding one of these and taking a break from platforming to learn

Finally, this game is meant to be played cooperatively. Sure, you could get away with playing it solo, switching roles between Nuna and the Arctic Fox, but there is something that has to be said with the title "Never Alone." It is near impossible to survive in the Artice on your own. In the same way that the Iñupiaq learned to respect and work with nature, players need to respect and work together to unlock the secrets of this game.

Teaching Points: 

I think this game really does the teaching for me. Not only are there short professional videos that teach about another culture, but those teachings are reinforced through playing the game and encountering those aspects again. As an educator, I would put emphasis on understanding this culture and comparing it to our own or others. We could learn to appreciate the simple values that a culture believes in, understanding the origins of their beliefs and coming to identify our own. What kind of stories did our parents tell us? What significance do our actions and beliefs have on our lifestyles? This game divides students naturally into groups, so I would try and find pairs that seem to have nothing in common, and strive to have them understand the similarities and differences in our respective lifestyles.

StupidSensei's Grade:

I did not come here to critique the little nooks and crannies of gameplay. Reading other reviews of the game, I realized that some gamers are simply here to game, and they will nitpick about shoddy controls and inconsistent mechanics. Disregarding that though, I found a very deep and rich game about a very important group of people. This game is a short but satisfying play, earning an A from me.

Respect Everything.

~StupidSensei

This War of Mine

"In war, not everyone is a solder"

- This War of Mine

There has been so much coverage on the news lately of the violence occurring domestically and internationally linked to terrorist cell ISIS in the Middle East.  Refugees are fleeing the area en masse and are in great need. I cannot begin to fathom what could cause such intense and utter chaos over there that the hatred has seeped to our doorstep, but the violence causing the destabilization in the Middle East has been severe and long lasting. It is this violence, this constant war, that the game "This War of Mine" hopes to bring to many like myself who are sitting in a comfortable home watching the world unfold from the safety behind a television screen. This is not a fun game, but neither is the reality of the civilians who live in war-torn countries.

This is the story of This War of Mine:

You control a group of survivors trapped in a war-zone. With snipers preventing anyone from leaving their houses in the day, you are forced to stay in your wrecked shelter and make decisions on how to improve your living conditions. At night, you can choose to have one of your group go out and scavenge for much needed supplies. The story and ultimate outcome of your group changes depending on your choices and actions.

The introduction to the game. This is how it begins, but the end is up to you.

Game Mechanics: 

This game is incredibly simple. You click on a character to select, then you click on an intractable object to see options of what you can do. What really got to me is the dialogue you can read as you play and the status boxes on the bottom right. The status box not just shows your character but the state that they are in. They can be sick. injured, discontented, etc. Clicking on that portrait allows you to read their journal, their perspective of the choices made and events in the game. Dialogue while playing acts as a clue to what is going on with your characters as you play.

You will be forced to make drastic decisions as the game progresses. At first, it might seem simple and easy finding the resources you need to keep your group alive. At some point, they might even feel content. However, resources do not respawn, so you must delve into more dangerous areas of the war-zone and make more difficult decisions about how to acquire your next meal. I had the option of stealing from an elderly family, but I chose to walk away without food. The next day, my group was getting sick from hunger. I had to go back and face the consequences of making that crucial decision.

Just one of the scenarios you will have to face. Can you really turn down the plea of children?

Teaching Points: 

This game is a great opportunity to teach empathy. Thankfully, not many people know what it is like to live in a war-zone, but still too many do. In order to help spread the word, the developers created a simulation to recreate what it feels like to wake up to the sound of guns and bombs. As an educator, it is very important to set the tone of your lesson. Students like to have fun and play games but this game is pretty serious and takes on some heavy topics. What do you value as a child? What do you take for granted that children in this game would appreciate? How does this connect with current conflict around the world, in particular the refugee crisis? And finally, my favorite and ultimate result of good education - what can you do about it? This game actively tries to raise awareness and money for WarChild through in game purchases of artwork DLC. This is a great opportunity to get them engaged in the international community by introducing them to charitable organizations like this.

StupidSensei's Grade:

Games like this are typically quite difficult for me to play. I hate making decisions if they aren't black and white like most games with a morality meter. You aren't a hero. You aren't overpowered. Playing this game was a humbling and eye-opening experience. It allows for many opportunities to educate and learn empathy and even lets one tell/experience other stories through Steam Workshop. I think this is a great venture into an often overlooked world. A+

I cannot say "happy" reading. I just encourage you to read and experience with an open heart and mind.

~StupidSensei

Grand Theft Auto V

There are a few joys when it comes to teaching...prep periods, lunch...and the way a kid's eyes light up when you finally are able to talk about the one thing that really gets to them. This happened to me when I mentioned that I liked video games and for our lesson on characterization, we could talk about Grand Theft Auto V.

I'll be honest, I haven't played GTA V before...or any of the GTA series. I couldn't give you a summary of the story or really sum up any of its redeeming qualities. I merely brushed this game aside as having no inherent value, like a typical Young Adult vampire book. (Just kidding! I'm sure there are some good ones out there.) I fell into the trap of believing the media in its crusade against meaningless violence in video games. However, a video by Wisecrack has enlightened me to the merit of GTA V.

I highly encourage you watch this video, as all fifteen minutes of it are beautiful analyses of the game's character and plot and insights into gaming. In fact...




This is what I eventually hope my posts become. In depth analyses of gaming and gaming mechanics. However, now that this revelation has come to surface, one problem still remains. How do you even begin to teach this? Grand Theft Auto, after all, is a game about many of the negative values that the education system tries to keep youths away from. How could one possibly even begin to put this in the classroom?

Back to my class, I only brought it up because nothing I was introducing to the students was getting their attention. I eavesdropped on a conversation as most teachers do and, upon hearing a group of students bragging about their exploits in GTA, decided to try my luck. It felt like climbing a sheer rock wall and jumping to a perceived hand hold that was just out of reach. Would attempting to engage students by utilizing a pop reference to a violent video game actually work, or would I plummet and lose control of the class?

Students blurted out: "I love that game!" "Aw hell yeah, mister. Do you play?" "This one time, I gunned down..." I had the kids' attentions and so I rolled with it! I asked sincere questions out of curiosity: Who is Michael? What was he like? How would you describe his appearance? Then: What does he do? How is he different from other characters? What does this mean about.....?

And the questions kept getting deeper to the point where we actually started talking about racism and race issues in America. Eat your heart out To Kill A Mockingbird.

If I were to really use this game in the classroom, I wouldn't dedicate time to playing it. I would simply use it as a reference as it seems like most people have already played it.or at least know of it For those who haven't, it would be an opportunity for students who have and don't typically engage in the classroom to actually put in work and help another student out. With the background info parsed out in this way, students teaching students, I could talk about any of the topics mentioned in the video or do simple characterization like in the above example.

This game is now on my list of "games to play while on break". If anything, I want to know more about the game so I can also participate in class discussions. I'm sorry I don't have a full review up just yet, but I wanted to share this insightful video and personal experience.

Happy Reading!

~StupidSensei

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

"OBJECTION!!"

~Phoenix Wright

This is the story of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

You are a defense attorney, Phoenix Wright. You solve mysteries and defend your innocent clients in a court of law. You need to be cunning and be able to piece together all the clues to unravel the truth while combating the prosecutors who seek to incriminate your client with evidence. You find contradictions in testimonies, present evidence to support your objections, then provide an alternative perspective that often leads to the truth and your client's acquittal. Seems like a simple game, right?

Game Mechanics

This game is an interactive visual novel. It is a text based story that is supplemented with simple animation frames and artwork, consistent sound effects and background music, and a very basic gameplay structure. There are two phases: Investigation and Trial, and the player bounces back between these two phases until the "case" or "chapter" is concluded.

In the Investigation Phase, you are looking for clues and interrogating characters. Presenting the correct evidence from the Court Record or choosing the right response to a prompt will unlock more dialogue, evidence, or even areas to explore. Once you have progressed far enough, meaning you have collected enough of the appropriate information about the story, the game progresses to the Trial Phase.

In the Trial Phase, the player is given the opportunity to hear the testimonies of characters involved in the case. The player can choose to "press" for more information or "present" an objection to a perceived contradiction in the testimony. Incorrect objections result in a loss of something resembling a health bar or strikes. Too many mistakes and the judge discredits your ability to find sufficient evidence and pronounces your client guilty and thus, game over. 

The trick to getting hooked on this game is the lovable and dynamic characters, the incredible plots, and overall, the fact that the game hides all of the games massive amounts of text, revealing it to players only three lines at a time, using the speed at which text is revealed to set the tone and mood for what is being "said" in the scene. By combining the sleuthing interactivity with this mechanic, the interactive visual novel becomes quite encapsulating.

Teaching Points

This game is all about reading and literacy. Players must thoroughly read and put together relevant information to form new ideas and perspectives about characters and their interactions. Of course, a player could do the "multiple choice guesswork" during the trial, and that may sometimes work, but because of the penalty system, the game innately discourages it or face having to read the entire thing over again. Instead, educators should focus on helping students see connections and correlations between statements, as understanding that concept is crucial to finding the contradictions in the witness testimonies.

I see educators helping students read this game like a book. Coach them along the trains of thought. Ask them about the significance of each of the items in the Court Record before having them pick and present their evidence. Treat it like an actual court proceeding in the classroom and most of all, have students back up their claims with evidence. If there is something that students have always needed to learn, it is that whatever they say must be supported with evidence.

Why should we stop smoking? What's your supporting evidence?
Gun control is a necessary step to peace? Where's your proof?
I should let you go to the bathroom? What are some conclusive facts that tell me you really need to go? (that one is part joke, part me angry at students who want a bathroom pass just to leave class)

This game really drives the point across that one needs evidence to support any claim, to the extent that I have even started subconsciously doing that for everything that I say to my girlfriend nowadays. (Who said video games never helped their relationships?)

I'm even starting to have witty inner monologues, just like Phoenix Wright.

As an educator, don't be afraid to let students use the many walkthroughs online. Fact of the matter is, they are reading. I would supplement the reading with actual classroom formative assessments though. Just grab the questions posed in the game and present them in class, to see how much they retain.

StupidSensei's Grade

I believe this is the closest a video game will get to being a conventional book. And, for a book, it has some pretty amazing storylines and twists. I would teach this like I would teach any typical novel in the classroom. This game gets an A+

OBJECTION!

Just because a book has pictures and music and a very basic interactive model, that doesn't mean students will actually sit around and read it! They would rather play Madden or Call of Duty

OBJECTION! 

This doesn't mean that as educators we need to stop trying to introduce our students to new means of reading. Gaming is just one of many mediums, and if this works, then it works. If it doesn't, well it didn't seem like Hamlet did any better, but we still push that don't we. I say, keep video games on our bookshelves, with Phoenix Wright being a masterpiece!

Any thoughts? Maybe leave a comment below, but make sure you leave evidence too!

Happy reading

~StupidSensei

Assassin's Creed

"Nothing is true, Everything is permitted"

                            ~The Assassin's Creed

Every time I turn on the news concerning our government, I typically see experts and public leaders debating over tough topics. Sometimes, I'll even catch a glimpse of Donald Trump and his "extreme" views and hordes of people who oppose him. No matter the context, there will always be people who agree and disagree to varying degrees. It wasn't until I substituted for a teacher who taught both Freshman Social Studies and AP Government that I found the connection between our current political system and a game series that I love: Assassin's Creed.

A beautiful graphic of all the playable Assassins to date (minus the two from Syndicate)

...well, if you want a full perspective of the games without actually playing the 12+ titles in the series, follow this link. However, here's all that you need to know.

This is the story of Assassin's Creed:

Your character is Desmond Miles, and over the course of several games, your primary play is as Desmond as he goes into a simulator machine called an Animus. While in the Animus, Desmond is capable of experiencing scenes of his memory as memories are embedded in one's DNA and passed on to offspring. You play Desmond playing any of his featured ancestors through several distinct historical eras, including,the Medieval Middle East, Renaissance Italy, Colonial Americas, etc. Each ancestor is linked in that they are all Assassins - a secret group of agents who attempt to maintain the liberties and freedoms of the world. Assassins are in a continuous struggle with the Templars, another secret cult who aims to bring peace to the world through control and coercion. Desmond is a modern day Assassin whose role in playing through memories is to locate powerful artifacts, called Pieces of Eden, left by an ancient civilization. This is where the story gets very sci-fi conspiracy like, so if you are into that, I suggest reading this summary article, but I have stated the important part of the story.

You are an Assassin and you are fighting Templars. Both groups want what's best for the world, but they go about it in different ways.

Templar insignia alongside the Assassin's 

Gameplay Mechanics:

Each title in the Assassin's Creed is beautifully rich with culture and history. Following the original Assassin's Creed entry, every game after brought a database with it that provided history and perspective to people, landmarks, and other important tidbits of the time. As a player, you can access it upon discovery or at your leisure or never access it at all if that is your goal in the game.

A typical entry in the database. 

This game is an open world sand-box, meaning exploration and pace of story advancement is completely optional. There are puzzles to be solved and many collectibles that act as puzzle pieces of a larger more enthralling conspiracy story. One can spend hours just doing side missions and doing parkour over vast beautiful landscapes, but eventually they will have to get back to the main storyline.

Teaching Points:

There are many opportunities to teach lessons here. Most notably, one could use the engaging time periods to introduce lessons based on the culture and era. For instance, you actually take part in Paul Revere's ride, rallying militia and warning of the coming of British soldiers during the Revolutionary War. However, the main lesson I would draw from this series is one that my substitute class revealed to me.

I was giving a lesson on Rome, and the difference between the patrician class and plebeian class. Then, the AP Government class comes in and I was giving a lesson on political spectrums - the left (liberals) vs the right (conservatives) and authoritarian vs libertarian ideology. Society is full of so many dichotomies like this, just like the eternal struggle between Assassin and Templar. Identifying students who resonate with game may be more open to discussing the several perspectives of the political spectrum.

Try this quiz out first to determine if you are Assassin or Templar

Then try this quiz to find out your political ideology 

Stupid Sensei's Grade:

This game gets a solid B. I love the story and the gameplay is fun, but the time it would take to make meaningful headway into the material in order to start a good discussion or lecture is not worth it. Unless you are willing to have a class read a synopsis and watch a few gameply vids to get the story, this resource is best used to engage those students who have played and enjoy this game already. Being a AAA title, most people will have heard of this game, unlike several indie titles I have covered already. This is like the War and Peace compared to Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie. Lot's of opportunity to teach and learn if classes weren't a mere 52 minutes each.

Stick to the Creed folks, and happy reading!

~StupidSensei

Valiant Hearts: The Great War

"Hungry for more, the war was not yet over. Its appetite was infinite."

I don't remember learning much about The Great War aka WWI. I remember trench warfare, mustard gas, and not much else. I pretty much went into this game blind, with little background knowledge. It was overall, a great pleasure.

This is the story of Valiant Hearts: The Great War

Players control four characters in chapters of this game, piecing together a rich story of how these individuals, each with different backgrounds and motives, come together as if through destiny to help each other in the conflict known as "WWI" or "The Great War". Here are their portraits.

The Characters:

Emile, a French farmer, is father to a daughter whose husband, a German, is deported back to Germany at the onset of the war. Emile is then drafted into the French army and sent to the front lines.

Karl, a young German farmer married to Emile's daughter, is recruited into the German ranks after being deported from Emile's farm in France. He runs into Emile on the battlefield but is captured and sent to a POW camp. He only wishes to go home.

Freddie, an American emigrant, joins the British forces before the US jumps into the war. He has a personal vendetta against a particular German Baron and fights for vengeance and patriotism.

Anna, a Belgian veterinarian, gets caught up in patriotism and decides to head to the front-lines to treat the wounded. Once there, she experiences the horrors of war, but is motivated to push on to rescue her captive father.

Walt, a war-dog, is befriended by the main characters and aids in their endeavors loyally. Some argue that the story is told from his perspective.

Game Mechanics

Told by means of animated comic strips, Valiant Hearts brings the heavy nature of WWI down to a level one can comprehend and enjoy, yet still feel the impact of the war itself. There is very little dialogue, forcing the player to focus on the main character's actions and nature of the missions.

There are many parts where Valiant Hearts feels like a game (as it should because, well, it is a game) like the driving scenes that are part rhythm game and part Frogger. However, this is what makes the game engaging. Not everyone will enjoy the game for its historical content as I was, but simple things like this break up the pace, like a typical "energizer" strategy in teaching pedagogy to keep students from falling asleep during lecture.

The "Taxi CanCan" 

One more important bit of gameplay is finding "collectibles." Each level has a number of these items scattered about, and collecting them rewards the player with an entry in the dossier. Typically, these collectibles are unique features of the level. For instance, in the level where you fight in the trenches, you might collect a sock or a gas mask, and the dossier entry would include an educational bit about its importance to the time. This is another piece of pedagogy that allows players to take a step back from the comical play and learn about the reality of the war. It is a grim reminder of what actually happened and an educational bit about WWI.

This fact found in the game teaches about how WWI changed with the addition of armored vehicles.

Teaching Points

Valiant Hearts is a "valiant" attempt to retell the heroism and tragedies of The Great War. It can be taught and used to initiate many lessons in history. It is riddled with facts that an educator can guide students to finding and reading, then connecting their importance to the game, the level, and the history of the war itself. Students are working to find this information (and this way beats looking it up in a dictionary or textbook any day.)

From a Language Arts perspective, an educator would focus on the concept of "fragmented stories" and "point of view" in telling stories. Guide students in putting the story that they are witnessing into their own words, or describing the main characters. Ask them what actions correlate with what descriptions (ex. Freddy = fearless because always charging into battle). Like any good book, have the students fall in love with the characters, relate to them, and use words to tell their story.

StupidSensei's Grade

At times, the relentless back and forth of puzzle solving got the best of me, but I managed to get immersed in the "combat" and intensity of many of the scenes and levels. I enjoyed and appreciated the learning opportunities provided by the dossier. This game took me about 6 hours to complete, and I can see pairs or groups completing this together to relative success, provided the educator can keep them on task (perhaps with a tasklist to guide them through completing the game or finding collectibles.) This game gets a solid A.

I hope you enjoy this read! That ending though....

~StupidSensei

Papo & Yo

A short story of a boy and his Monster

I guess you could say I've lived a sheltered life, although I like to think of it instead as a protected and loved one. However, not everyone has had the same experience as I have had growing up, and I see that apparent in the lives of some of my students. Teaching in less affluent and more transient parts of the neighborhood has exposed me to children who have gone through some rougher parts of growing up. I can only imagine what it is like to be one of these students living in a broken or abusive and unstable home. Fortunately, there is one game that attempts to re-imagine this experience and present it in such a way that engages players regardless of their history with themes of abuse and violence.

This is the story of Papo & Yo

Papo & Yo is a game by Minority Media that tells the tale of a boy named Quico who, like many other kids, lives in his own imagination. Players take the role of Quico as he searches for his sister with his robot - Lula - and his large beast of a friend - "Monster". Together they make their way through a puzzling labyrinth themed like a surreal South American Favela, unraveling a touching, revealing, and at times disturbing relationship between Quico and Monster. 

Beneath the basic exterior of simple gameplay (jumping, platforming, activating switches, moving object from point A to point B, etc.) and beautiful artistry of the landscape, there lies a very profound story and experience. With the use of very few text and employing simple pictures and tutorials to teach the game mechanics, the game puts players in the shoes of a child who must learn through trial and error. Then, it introduces characters with unique interactions to the player, and all interactions are suggestive of something more in the boy's reality.

[WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD]

This game has little to do with actual text and everything to do with metaphor. Your interactions with the characters and actions in the imagined favela tell an alternative story of Quico's reality. Although nothing is revealed to you in full until the end, Quico struggles with abuse by his father at home, and rationalizes it by living in his imagination - his safe place. Monster is a manifestation of his father in Quico's imagination. Monster is typically calm and usually fast asleep. You play with him, guide him along with fruits, even bounce on his belly when he's taking a nap. However, he loves frogs, but they induce in him a fierce rage when ingested. When he is enraged, Monster chases you around, slapping you and sending you flying. They player does not die or get hurt, but when Monster changes, the game suddenly becomes dark and the music turns frightening. You are compelled to run, to hide from Monster. This is the key element of the game, simulating what it's like to be abused.

Monster before eating a frog and after eating a frog

The story concludes with you leading Monster to another plane where you replay the scenes of your life. The fanciful world is shown to be a parallel of Quico's reality. Then, you are challenged with leading an enraged Monster to a bed where he is put to sleep for good, with you as the agent. This seemed to resemble a trial and you were the prime witness indicting your father for abuse. At this point, the story ends, the future of Quico uncertain. 

The game reveals Quico's reality when you transform statues of Monster into statues of your father.

Teaching Points:

Papo & Yo presents a great opportunity to teach the theme of child abuse, alcoholism, and ultimately strategies for dealing with crises. We have Quico, who is constantly running. That's all he can really do. He cannot fight, he cannot really hide. All he can do is run and try to "reason" with Monster. I see this as a learning opportunity for students, not just in seeing the connection in the game and making it to their own lives, but also figuring out what other ways of dealing with conflict are there.

From a literary perspective, this game is riddled with opportunities to teach metaphor and symbolism. Quico's father is a monster. Educators can teach students to see more into the game mechanic just like we teach students to read into the writing mechanic. Why is the only thing Quico can do is run? Why is it that the setting is of a run down favela and not a mansion or a jungle? These questions probe the player's mind as they are experiencing the game and hopefully incite critical thinking and opportunity for discussion and learning.

StupidSensei's Grade:

This story is an absolute A+ for its story and game design. It is simple enough that nearly everyone can pick it up and play but immersive enough in theme that students of any background can feel engaged. I was able to power through this game in a little over 3 hours, and it is organized in chapters so creating lesson plans around this game might be quite simple. It is $15 via the HumbleStore which I find to be reasonable considering a good book is about that price and there is yet no free borrow service for games. I highly recommend this title for educators to address this issue.

Happy reading and beware of frogs!

~StupidSensei