Hwa Chong Institution 2014 Project Work 14S6E Project Coordinator: Chng Shi Hong, Brian

Page 1 of 13

1.2.1 Features of the game

Graphic to show the flow of the game:





Fig 4: Graphic overview of the games storyline








Features of the game

A) Introductory Video
B) Start of the game
C) Moral dilemma situation






Day starts for
the game!
Character goes
through
his/her job
Faced with a
moral
dilemma and
is provided
with 3 choices
Choice is made
Statistics showing
% of students who
chose that act and
consequences of
choice
Day repeats again!
Hwa Chong Institution 2014 Project Work 14S6E Project Coordinator: Chng Shi Hong, Brian
Page 2 of 13

A. Introductory video

Before the Primary 1-3 students begin the game, they will watch an introductory video that will
illustrate to them that there is no definite right or wrong when making moral decisions. However, they
should still be aware of the consequences of their actions. The video will also guide them on acting in
a way that does not threaten their moral roots while minimising the harm on others/society.




Fig 5: screenshot from a video that helps illustrate moral dilemmas

It seems that many people think that in every situation of moral
decision making there are two options and two
only: right and wrong. I believe that in some moral decision-
situations theres a third option besides right and wrong
necessary.
Let us explore the moral dilemma journey with A Day in the Life
to see if this is true!
Hwa Chong Institution 2014 Project Work 14S6E Project Coordinator: Chng Shi Hong, Brian
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B Start of the game: A day in the life of


Characters

(Fig 6) shows the role-playing game while (Fig 7) shows the characters from the stories
which players have control over. These characters will face moral dilemmas in the game,
which is similar to real life when we face situations where we do not know whether an act is
moral or whether it will cause harm to others.

The playable characters in the game will be designed with bright colours and eye catching
graphics to capture their attention, as supported in an article
1
about design tips to attract
young children. (Fig 3)





Relatable contents in game

This stimulation to real life situations makes it relatable and applicable to the students
Primary School life. There are also other characters like bankers, nurses and athletes.

Although they are currently students, provision of such characters will allow them to see the
types of moral dilemmas faced by the working society and give them a chance to note down
the decisions that may harm or benefit others. From there, they can avoid making the wrong
decisions or learn to make the right call in the future.

This idea of creating a game relevant to students lives is further supported by an article (Fig
9) written by Ryan Schaaf, an Assistant Professor of Technology in the School of Education
at The College of Notre Dame of Maryland.














1
http://www.netmechanic.com/news/vol5/design_no11.htm
Hwa Chong Institution 2014 Project Work 14S6E Project Coordinator: Chng Shi Hong, Brian
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Fig 6: Homepage of game design




Fig 7: Graphic showing playable characters for the RPG



Hwa Chong Institution 2014 Project Work 14S6E Project Coordinator: Chng Shi Hong, Brian
Page 5 of 13


Fig 8. Article about how young children are captivated by bright colours and eye-catching graphics





Fig 9. Article by Mr Ryan Schaaf talking about how every concept taught in games should be relevant and
relatable











Hwa Chong Institution 2014 Project Work 14S6E Project Coordinator: Chng Shi Hong, Brian
Page 6 of 13



B. Moral Dilemma situation


This cycle illustrates the flow of the game. In this segment, it will be divided
into five parts for further elaboration.





Day starts for
the game!
Character
goes through
his/her job
Faced with a
moral
dilemma and
is provided
with 3 choices
Choice is
made
Statistics
showing % of
students who
chose that act
and
consequences
of choice
Day repeats
again!

Hwa Chong Institution 2014 Project Work 14S6E Project Coordinator: Chng Shi Hong, Brian
Page 7 of 13

a. Day starts for the game


Figure 10: Possible design of the games start-screen






Designed with bright colours to
capture attention
Designed with Singapore flag to
show patriotism
Hwa Chong Institution 2014 Project Work 14S6E Project Coordinator: Chng Shi Hong, Brian
Page 8 of 13

b. Going through the job



Figure 11: Design of the student characters storyline


For this section, the four characters will begin their own storylines that are unique to their
occupations. Those who choose the student character can experience life in the classroom,
such as doing tests and homework, while those who choose the banker can get to
experience life in the workplace, and go through the various tasks that a banker has to do,
such as tallying up accounts and filing up reports.





Hwa Chong Institution 2014 Project Work 14S6E Project Coordinator: Chng Shi Hong, Brian
Page 9 of 13

c. Facing a moral dilemma

This section will be the main focus of the game. To illustrate some of the moral dilemma that
will be provided for the students, here are 2 examples from the student characters storyline:
Integrity and Responsibility.

Integrity


Figure 12: Integrity level for the student character


















Hwa Chong Institution 2014 Project Work 14S6E Project Coordinator: Chng Shi Hong, Brian
Page 10 of 13

Responsibility


Figure 13: Responsibility level for the student character


As seen from Figure 12, the situations that the students will face in the game are designed to
be as close to the real-world situations that they may face as students. Those who selected
the other characters can also face situations that mirror the real-life problems that athletes,
nurses and bankers face. For example, the athlete character will have to decide if taking
steroids to win gold medals is the right thing to do for the Integrity level.

Making the in-game situations mirror real-world problems that people face is very important
as the students will be able to relate to the situations. Research
2
has shown that creating
relevant and relatable curriculum can significantly increase student engagement levels
3
.
Hence, the relatability of the game will help to increase the engagement levels of students.




2
Akey, T. M. (2006, January). School context, student attitudes and behavior, and academic achievement: An exploratory
analysis. New York: MDRC. Retrieved April 23, 2007, fromhttp://www.mdrc.org/publications/419/full.pdf
3
http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Using_Positive/?page=2
Hwa Chong Institution 2014 Project Work 14S6E Project Coordinator: Chng Shi Hong, Brian
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d. Making a choice



Figure 14: The in-game choices that the students have to make

After the students are presented with the situations, they are then given a limited amount of
time to select a choice.
After making their choice, their choices will be recorded down and tallied, so that they can be
presented to the students later and help facilitate further discussion.
Time left: 30s
Hwa Chong Institution 2014 Project Work 14S6E Project Coordinator: Chng Shi Hong, Brian
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e. Statistical data of choice and Consequence of action



Figure 15: Statistics that will be presented to the students to facilitate discussion

After everyone has made their choices, the teacher will then stop the game and show every
student the various choices they have made.

The purpose of this is to help facilitate further discussion in the classroom, as the teacher
can help illustrate to the students the different consequences associated with different
choices. Group work can also be carried out, where one student is encouraged to share with
his/her classmates his/her reasons for choosing a particular choice and provide a different
perspective for his/her classmates, which can further help increase student engagement
levels
4
. (Fig 16)



Hwa Chong Institution 2014 Project Work 14S6E Project Coordinator: Chng Shi Hong, Brian
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Fig 16. Extract to show importance of group discussion to increase engagement levels
2.2.2 Summary of the game

The main strength of our game is its ability for the students to relate to their characters.
Students are able to become emotionally attached to their character and also get to apply
the knowledge they learnt in the classroom to real-world situations. Furthermore, the game is
also appealing to students due to its bright and engaging design

As stated before, relating to real-world situations is a key factor in increasing student
engagement, so creating this RPG will definitely be able to increase student engagement
levels in CCE lessons.