Gaming Square Pegs into

Dinosaur-shaped Holes: Adventures in Game Design

at the American Museum of Natural History

Barry @MMMooshme

Mooshme.org

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The GLS Museum of Natural History

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Welcome to theGrand Opening of theSerious Play Museum

of Natural History

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Play.Amnh.org/GLS

American Museum of Natural History

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phot

o by

Jef

frey

Mils

tein

American Museum of Natural History

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American Museum of Natural History

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American Museum of Natural History

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American Museum of Natural History

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American Museum of Natural History

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American Museum of Natural History

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History of Innovations in Public Engagement & Education

Lantern Slides

Dioramas

Audio Tours

Laser Show

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Games For the Public

CD-ROMSpace Cruiser

Accomplice Mead Arcade

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Games For Education

Cretaceous Seas

What Happened to the Neanderthals?

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Games For Public, Through Education Programs

Card

Pterosaurs

Killer Snails

Flora

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Games For Public, Through Education Programs

Mob

ile

MicroRangers

Playing With Dinos

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Games For Public, Through Education Programs

lapt

op

Minecraft at the Museum

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Games For Public, Through Education Programs

role

-pla

ying

Crime Scene Neanderthal

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Minecraft at the Museum

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Pterosaurs: The Card Game

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MicroRangers

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MicroRangers

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Educational Objectives of the Game:People who play the game will be able to:

• Gain a familiarity with a diversity of microorganisms

• Describe that microorganisms are part of a complex ecosystem across scales

• Describe how humans are part of that complex ecosystem

• Appreciate the overall importance of a healthy ecosystem

• Identify the microscale within the museum’s macroscale

MicroRangers

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MicroRangers

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MicroRangers

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MicroRangers

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MicroRangers

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MicroRangers

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MicroRangers

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Coral

BioluminescenceSeal

Beaver

Bison

Raccoon

Spruce-Fir Forest

Forest Floor

Chestnut Tree Home Base

Coral BioluminescenceSeal

Identify:

Solve:

collect (zooxanthellae)

calibrate (temp & pH)

investigate (photobacteria)

clean-up pollution

develop vaccine

protein structure

MicroRangers

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Playing with Dinos

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Playing with Dinos

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Playing with Dinos

Tiny Games

•Easy to learn and play (minimal instructions) •Short duration (5-10 minutes) •Need limited props (or none) •Accessible via personal mobile device •Can be played anywhere, with anyone

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Playing with Dinos

Tiny Games

•Easy to learn and play (minimal instructions) •Short duration (5-10 minutes) •Need limited props (or none) •Accessible via personal mobile device •Playable onsite at the museum •Focused on museum content •Appropriate for all ages •Can be played without staff facilitation

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Playing with Dinos

Youth Workshop

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Playing with Dinos

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Playing with Dinos

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Playing with Dinos

Why Tiny Games?

• Easy to create (relatively) • Flexible use • Low barrier to entry • Adapts to audience needs

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Playing with Dinos

Why Tiny Games?

• Easy to create (relatively) • Flexible use • Low barrier to entry • Adapts to audience needs • Content!

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Gaming Square Pegs into

Dinosaur-shaped Holes: Adventures in Game Design

at the American Museum of Natural History

Barry @MMMooshme

Mooshme.org

#SPM

useu

m

Barry Joseph @MMMooshme Mooshme.org

ObjectOriented.info

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