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dc.contributor.advisorWalter Bender.en_US
dc.contributor.authorBlankinship, Erik Jackson, 1974-en_US
dc.contributor.otherMassachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture. Program In Media Arts and Sciencesen_US
dc.date.accessioned2007-11-15T19:47:26Z
dc.date.available2007-11-15T19:47:26Z
dc.date.copyright2005en_US
dc.date.issued2005en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/33877en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/33877
dc.descriptionThesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2005.en_US
dc.descriptionIncludes bibliographical references (leaves 85-88).en_US
dc.description.abstractMany players enjoy the challenge of outwitting computer opponents in strategy games. Devising strategies to defeat a computer opponent may enhance certain cognitive skills (e.g., analysis, evaluation, planning). This thesis takes a constructionist approach to gaming, hypothesizing that players may learn more about strategic planning by building their own computer opponents and then playing them to understand how their strategic theories play out in real experiments. I have developed a graphic toolkit for designing strategy games and computer opponents. The goal is to help students learn the underlying mathematical and computer science theories used to win these games. The tools have been designed to eliminate the overhead of using conventional programming languages to build games and focus students on the pedagogical issues of designing and understanding game theory algorithms. I describe the tools as well as initial evaluations of their effectiveness with populations of teenage students. Teenagers in this study posed their own problems, in the form of games they designed, and then hypothesized about winning strategies. Of their own volition, most teenagers iterated on their strategic designs, reformulated problems and hypotheses, isolated variables, and informed next generation versions of this tool with astute suggestions.en_US
dc.description.abstract(cont.) The toolkit designed for this thesis has a low floor, making it easy for people to quickly start playing with mathematical concepts, and a high ceiling for sophisticated exploration.en_US
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityby Erik Jackson Blankinship.en_US
dc.format.extent88 leavesen_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherMassachusetts Institute of Technologyen_US
dc.rightsM.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.en_US
dc.rights.urihttp://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/33877en_US
dc.rights.urihttp://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582
dc.subjectArchitecture. Program In Media Arts and Sciencesen_US
dc.titleWho's got game (theory)?en_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.description.degreePh.D.en_US
dc.contributor.departmentProgram in Media Arts and Sciences (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
dc.identifier.oclc66464755en_US


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