Text-based Games for Education Using Inform7

Text-based Games for EducationUsing Inform7

Joseph DelaneyCenter for Teaching Advancement and Assessment

Research

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Wednesday, January 16, 13

Center for Teaching Advancement and Assessment Research

Optional Presentation Title

Welcome to 1980

• “Interactive Fiction” or “Text Adventure” games• 100% text• Typed commands (“go north”, “throw rock”, “drink potion”)• Logic puzzles

2Wednesday, January 16, 13



Examples

• Lost Treasures of Infocom for iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch, includes Zork Ihttps://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lost-treasures-of-infocom/id577626745?mt=8

• Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy http://www.douglasadams.com/creations/infocomjava.html


https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lost-treasures-of-infocom/id577626745?mt=8




http://www.douglasadams.com/creations/infocomjava.html

http://www.douglasadams.com/creations/infocomjava.html



Recent Examples

• Interactive Fiction Archivehttp://www.ifarchive.org

• Z-Machine interpreters (Frotz, Zoom, etc)http://inform7.com/if/interpreters/

• Frotz for iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/frotz/id287653015?mt=8


http://www.ifarchive.org

http://www.ifarchive.org

http://inform7.com/if/interpreters/

http://inform7.com/if/interpreters/

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/frotz/id287653015?mt=8

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/frotz/id287653015?mt=8



Create Your Own

• http://inform7.com• Use “natural language” programming to build virtual game world• Easy to use, easy to learn• No programming experience or knowledge necessary


http://inform7.com

http://inform7.com



How it works

• Create rooms and objects by naming them.– The kitchen is a room.

– There is a bucket in the kitchen.




How it works

• Describe the things you create.– The kitchen is a room. “You are in a brightly-painted, sparkling clean and modern

kitchen.”– There is a bucket in the kitchen. The bucket is a container. The description of

the bucket is “It’s an ordinary plastic bucket.”




Behind the Scenes

• Large, strict hierarchy of “kinds” (think of genus and species)– Room– Thing

• door• container• supporter• vehicle• device• person

– man– woman– animal

– Direction– Region

• You can extend or change the hierarchy




Behind the Scenes

• Everything has “properties”– Room

• lighted or dark– Thing

• edible or inedible• lit or not lit• portable or fixed in place• wearable• pushable

– Container• All the properties of a “thing”• Openable on not openable• Open or closed• Locked or unlocked

– Person• All the properties of a “thing”• male, female, or neuter

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Photo: Peter van der Sluijs / Wikimedia Commons




Bend the Rules

• Don’t think of a “room” as a place with four walls– The stomach is a room– The heart is a room– The intestine is south of the stomach

• Change the language– An organ is a kind of room

• the stomach is an organ• the heart is an organ• the intestine is an organ, south of the stomach

• Create new properties– An organ can be healthy or diseased. An organ is usually healthy.

• the stomach is an organ.• the heart is an organ. The heart is diseased.

10http://izismile.com/2012/11/28/can_you_stomach_this_unusual_holiday_getaway_8_pics.html


http://izismile.com/2012/11/28/can_you_stomach_this_unusual_holiday_getaway_8_pics.html

http://izismile.com/2012/11/28/can_you_stomach_this_unusual_holiday_getaway_8_pics.html



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Doing it Wrong is Part of Getting it Right

• Only correct solutions is too easy• Repeated failure is frustrating• Failure that provides a clue is best

– Instead of switching on the machine:say "You know that was mistake because of the blaring sirens and flashing lights. One of the flashing lights is just above the 'low oil' sticker. The machine explodes.";end the story.




“Feelies”

• Real-world objects & activities• Puzzles in game cannot be solved without external search for

answers




Resources & Examples

• James Paul Gee - Game-Like Learning: An Example of Situated Learning and Implications for Opportunity to Learnhttp://www.jamespaulgee.com/node/29

• IF to Learn Withhttp://ifdb.tads.org/viewlist?id=pq5ep1nc1nnkfw

• Teaching IFhttp://emshort.wordpress.com/how-to-play/teaching-if/

• Education Category at Baf’s Guide to the IF Archivehttp://www.wurb.com/if/genre/7

• Inform7 by Grade Levelhttp://inform7.com/teach/resources-by-grade/


http://www.jamespaulgee.com/node/29

http://www.jamespaulgee.com/node/29

http://ifdb.tads.org/viewlist?id=pq5ep1nc1nnkfw

http://ifdb.tads.org/viewlist?id=pq5ep1nc1nnkfw

http://emshort.wordpress.com/how-to-play/teaching-if/

http://emshort.wordpress.com/how-to-play/teaching-if/

http://www.wurb.com/if/genre/7

http://www.wurb.com/if/genre/7

http://inform7.com/teach/resources-by-grade/

http://inform7.com/teach/resources-by-grade/



Hemoglobin Synthesis

• Heme Synthesis - Heme is synthesized in a complex series of steps involving enzymes in the mitochondrion and in the cytosol of the cell (Figure 1). The first step in heme synthesis takes place in the mitochondrion, with the condensation of succinyl CoA and glycine by ALA synthase to form 5-aminolevulic acid (ALA). This molecule is transported to the cytosol where a series of reactions produce a ring structure called coproporphyrinogen III. This molecule returns to the mitochondrion where an addition reaction produces protoporhyrin IX. The sythesis of heme is a complex process that involves multiple enzymatic steps. The process begins in the mitochondrion with the condensation of succinyl-CoA and glycine to form 5-aminolevulinic acid. A series of steps in the cytoplasm produce coproporphrynogen III, which re-enters the mitochondrion. The final enzymatic steps produce heme. The enzyme ferrochelatase inserts iron into the ring structure of protoporphyrin IX to produce heme. Deranged production of heme produces a variety of anemias. Iron deficiency, the world's most common cause of anemia, impairs heme synthesis thereby producing anemia. A number of drugs and toxins directly inhibit heme production by interfering with enzymes involved in heme biosynthesis. Lead commonly produces substantial anemia by inhibiting heme synthesis, particularly in children.

• The mitochondrion is a room. The cytosol is north of the mitochondrion.– There is succinyl CoA in the mitochondrion.– There is glycine in the mitochondrion. Glycine is a container.– Understand “combine [something] with [a container]” as inserting it into. – After inserting succinyl CoA into glycine: increment the score.




Philosophy

• The Chinese Roomhttp://ifdb.tads.org/viewgame?id=j6vtd2djn6o97a8b


http://ifdb.tads.org/viewgame?id=j6vtd2djn6o97a8b

http://ifdb.tads.org/viewgame?id=j6vtd2djn6o97a8b



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Joseph [email protected] http://ctaar.rutgers.edu/


mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

http://ctaar.rutgers.edu

http://ctaar.rutgers.edu

Text-based Games for Education Using Inform7

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