Research Details
Dr. Carrie Heeter, Brian Winn, and her colleagues at Michigan State University are working to help invent next generation games for learning.
Life Preservers has been carefully constructed using national science standards, state of the art pedagogy and scientifically validated content and graphics. Game play has been extensively playtested to refine the experience. (You will be playing Version 67 of the game!)
In creating the game we applied tenants of designing games to appeal to girls derived from our “Girls As Designers” NSF-funded study. Prior research findings, confirmed through our studies, include a tendency for girls to want games that:
- are easy to play;
- have clear instructions and in-game help;
- do not require fast reactions;
- are not about fighting;
- do not punish or make you start over if you make a mistake;
- are somehow meaningful;
- are more about playing than winning.
Life Preservers accommodates both competitive and exploratory play styles.
