Ecology and evolution simulation and quest design for an educational massive multiplayer online game
Name
871171844-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
8.66 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
d647848f33e8a084a8cb5fe073a5c070
Author(s)
Zhang, Mark (Mark A.)
Advisor(s)
Eric Klopfer.
Date Issued
2013
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
In this design-based research project, I developed two simulations to be used as student tools in a massively multiplayer online game targeted at STEM education, the Radix Endeavor. I designed both the underlying agent-based model as well as the user interface for each simulation, and furthermore designed quests for my simulations for the purposes of playtesting. My final ecological prototype is able to authentically model fairly complex food webs of six or more organisms, and my final evolutionary prototype can handle complex fitness relationships between the individual traits of a single population and various environmental factors. In my thesis, I discuss the design and implementation of these simulations, the feedback we received from students, the overall effectiveness of my prototypes, and recommendations for further work.
Description
Thesis: M. Eng., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2013.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 74-75).
Subjects
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Terms of Use
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