Quest Log Entry — Prototyper’s Field Notes
Well, this is it — the final mission of the semester.
Arch McGee has vanished once again (classic McGee), Truman Tiger is counting on me, and the realm of Mizzou Learning Technologies is in dire need of game design intervention. With several course subjects begging for a meaningful-learning makeover, it fell to me, the Prototyper, to step in and restore balance.
Three challenges were laid out before me, but one called louder than the rest…
🌿 Why I Chose “Roots of Change”
Roots of Change immediately stood out because it combines everything I’ve been learning over the past 14 weeks:
✔ narrative framing
✔ systems thinking
✔ ethical reasoning
✔ investigative decision-making
It’s a web-based serious game where players act as environmental journalists uncovering corruption, failed policies, and deforestation in Malaysia. The game has incredible potential — but, as Truman warned, something wasn’t quite right beneath the canopy.
My task?
Identify three design errors and reforge them into mechanics worthy of meaningful learning.
🕵️♂️ Error #1 — The Missing Verification Mechanic
As I dove into Chapter 1 of Roots of Change, something became clear:
Players gather interviews, satellite images, and documents… but never verify any of it.
In a game about journalistic ethics, that’s like giving a knight a sword with no sharpening stone.
My Fix:
I added a Evidence Verification System that allows players to:
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Cross-check interviews
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Identify bias
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Mark sources as Verified, Disputed, or Unreliable
This transforms clue-gathering from passive collection into active reasoning — exactly what environmental journalism requires.
📊 Error #2 — A Reputation Meter Without Meaning
Public Trust. Government Pressure. Environmental Impact.
These are the game’s core metrics, yet nothing explains why they rise or fall.
It’s feedback without clarity — like exploring a dungeon without a torch.
My Fix:
I reforged the system into:
Impact Summary Cards
After every significant decision, the player now receives:
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What changed
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Why it changed
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Optional tooltips explaining the deeper system
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A short narrative reflection (“Officials react to your exposé…”)
Feedback becomes visible, traceable, and meaningful — reinforcing Gee’s idea that learning emerges from understanding consequences within systems.
🗺️ Error #3 — A Heatmap with No Guidance
The heatmap of Malaysian Borneo is gorgeous… and silent.
It shows deforestation patterns but never teaches players how to read them.
My Fix:
I introduced:
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Guided overlays revealing political, economic, or environmental drivers
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Timeline scrubbing with satellite before/after imagery
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Contextual pop-ups explaining why certain zones are high-risk
Suddenly, the heatmap transforms from a static visual into an investigative tool for systems thinking.
🔧 The Redesigned Roots of Change
With all three fixes integrated, Roots of Change becomes a richer, more authentic investigative experience:
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Players evaluate evidence, not just collect it
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Feedback supports reflection and ethical decision-making
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Heatmaps reveal systemic patterns instead of pixelated mysteries
These revisions ground the game in meaningful learning principles and align its mechanics with its most important objective:
teaching players how to think like investigative journalists.
🧩 Reflection: Growth of a Prototyper
This final mission reminded me how far I’ve traveled this semester.
When I began, I saw game design as a mix of mechanics and fun.
Now, I see it as a landscape of:
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feedback loops
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embodied problem spaces
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cognitive scaffolds
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player identities
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ethical decision-making environments
Every redesign choice I made in Roots of Change was influenced by the readings and projects that shaped my understanding of meaningful learning.
Arch McGee would be proud.
(Wherever he is now… probably stuck in a side quest.)
🏆 Quest Complete
With this final redesign, I officially complete my Designing Games for Learning adventure. The Prototyper’s journey continues, but this mission — this semester — has reached its Front-Page ending.
On to the next quest.
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