![](bg4.png)
Figure 4: The human player’s team scores 10 of 21 points.
The game reported throughout the present section
has been ending with the human player’s–in fact, the
author’s–victory (gaining 10 points out of 21 in total;
see figure 4) demonstrating the tactic’s success.
An a posteriori analysis of the game play–a key
didactic form of exploratory learning with digital
games–is usually very instructive. Players may learn
how the NPCs’ “implemented intelligence” unfolds.
This is leading to insights into the way in which AI
works, how it contributes to the experienced effects,
and how much it depends on further conditions.
The next key didactic form is in-depth explo-
ration. Learners have to set up experimental scenarios
for investigating the effects of tuning an NPCs’ AI.
They are no longer only learners, but are becoming
researchers elaborating own scientific hypotheses and
pondering adequate methodologies of investigations.
6 SKETCH OF THE
ACHIEVEMENTS
To invoke computers, in general (DiSessa et al.,
1995), and games, in particular (Reilly, 1974), is not
new to the community. But GORGE’s (i) focus on
technology competence and (ii) the opportunities to
properly control proper AI system behavior in a play-
ful setting are–to the author’s very best knowledge–
novelties in technology enhanced learning.
Players who have experienced GORGE do no
longer consider Artificial Intelligence a mystery.
A separate study (see (Gaudl et al., 2009), for
more details) has demonstrated that the AI in GORGE
is expressive enough such that tuning “the character”
of NPCs results in experiencingquite differentstories.
7 SUMMARY & CONCLUSIONS
The game GORGE introduced by means of the present
poster paper is a contribution to technology enhanced
learning, in general. More specifically, GORGE may
be seen as a “serious game” and the author’s approach
may be seen as a case of game based learning. The
underlying didactical concept is exploratory learning.
GORGE is used for dealing with extra-curricularly
topics such as technology competence with a focus to
the attractive, but often misunderstood field of AI.
Whereas the present submission concentrates on
motivating the game and its design, implementation,
and functionality, future work should address issues
of application, players’ perception and evaluation.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
There have been about two dozens of earlier GORGE
implementations by the author’s students. The present
version is a browser game; project supervision Chris-
tian Woelfert, graphics and animation Sandy Stehr,
development and programming Christoph Kutza.
This work has been supported by the Thuringian
Ministry for Education, Science, and Culture within
the project iCycle under contract PE-004-2-1.
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