Red Block Returns:3

Crit 3 for 05418-Design Educational Games, Prof. Erik Harpstead, CMU

Basic Information

Redblock Returns 3
Link to the game
Developer: Math Playground LLC
Platform: Browser
High-level Instructional Goal: Problem Solving, Sequential Reasoning, and Cause & Effect

Brief Description
Red Block Returns 3 is the third version in a series of puzzle games with the very basic objective of returning a red rectangular block to a red tile on a three-dimensional grid, with the condition being that the block needs to be standing upright on the red tile. The game consists of 15 levels of increasing difficulty. At the start of the game, there is an instructions screen that informs the players of the different kinds of tiles that would appear throughout the game, such as one that reveals hidden paths, teleport the block, etc. There is no time limit for solving the puzzle, and there is no limit on the number of tries either. Additionally, there is no point system in place to make it a competition, so players can take their time going through the levels.

Educational Objectives

Prior Knowledge
Regarding prior knowledge or skill, the players need to have a basic sense of space and understanding the relationship of arrow keys to moving a 3-dimensional object. Oftentimes, a player must think a few steps ahead to effectively find the path to the red tile.

Anticipated Learning
At a first glance and on the surface, the game seems quite simple with a very straightforward objective and takeaway — that being logical reasoning. After all, it is a puzzle that requires the players to think of a way to get the red block to stand on the red tile while avoiding the pitfalls and tiles on which standing is not permitted. Problem-solving is the most evident skill that the players can be expected to learn from the game, as the game difficulty increases as the players progress through the levels and they are forced to think harder and the solutions do not become that obvious.

Potential Transfer
In addition to problem-solving skills, the game teaches the players the concept of cause and effect as the red block rolls around the grid and they have to be aware of the effect that every single movement has and can lead to respawning and restarting the level from square one. For instance, normally when one half of the block leans over the edge of the grid, the game is over, and it restarts from the starting position. However, at certain levels that contain the orange tile, there are conditions in which the block can lean over the edge and not end the game. There are more such exceptions to the general rules that the players discover through the cause and effect analysis of their actions throughout the game. Furthermore, the players are taught the concept of sequential reasoning, i.e. — the ability to mentally process and organize information in a way that helps the person solve a problem in a step-by-step way. It is often necessary to think a few steps ahead to find the solution to many of the levels, without which the players might get stuck in a position, getting out of which can take twice as many moves as it took getting into it.

MDA — Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics

Mechanics: The game’s mechanics are quite simple, as it is a three-dimensional grid on which a rectangular red block of 2:1 dimension is moved around. There are no additional features of selections to be made before or during the game. The block’s movement is based on the movement of a real rectangular block in the real world, in that it can only be rolled along with one of its twelve edges. There is no time limit for solving the puzzle, which allows the players enough time to think about the best way to get the block onto the red tile. Additionally, there is no points system or a leaderboard, so each player is essentially playing with himself, but the difficulty keeps increasing as the player progresses and there are different tiles introduced in the later levels as well.

Dynamics: Since a player has as much time as they deem necessary to get through any of the levels, the players discover that the important characteristic for getting through all the levels is patience and perseverance. Furthermore, since the game allows unlimited respawns for each level, the players can adopt a strategy of going around trying numerous paths and potentially ending the game and restarting the level with the knowledge that the previous path did not work. This is a trial-and-error approach to making discoveries and inventions. Other players adopt a more cautious strategy of thinking ahead of the consequences of their actions before making a move, much like playing a game of chess. This could be a result of learning the concepts of cause and effect as well as sequential reasoning.

Aesthetics: The game works on the aesthetic of challenge and discovery. It is through the trial and error that the players build onto discovery and problem-solving. Due to the difficulty increasing progressively, the players also attain a sense of accomplishment once the level is completed. The increasing difficulty makes it a rewarding experience.

Instructional Principles

Principle 1: Scaffolding
Building upon prior concepts while introducing new concepts and building towards a higher goal. The game is made up of 15 intricately designed levels that contain tiles that serve various purposes specifically made to make the player’s path to the red tile as complicated as possible. However, the game does a wonderful job of introducing the difficulties sequentially, and not bombarding the player with every possible obstacle from the get-go.

Principle 2: Variability
Using multiple and varied examples to teach and practice the use of different concepts. In the game, no two situations are the same. It does a good job of preparing the players to apply their knowledge in varied situations through points in levels that at times look similar to each other. As the players learn how to tackle each of the tiles individually, the game starts introducing levels that have two or more forms of the tiles together and finally towards the end when all the tiles are present in the grid and the players have to use all their previous knowledge to return the red block to the red tile.

Principle 3:Goldilocks
Accounting for a player’s prior knowledge and skill level when considering how challenging to make the game. The game starts with an instruction screen that cannot be accessed again throughout the game, and though the later levels in the game are difficult, the progression of difficulty is handled quite well. The earlier levels start out relatively easy, letting the players understand the gameplay and introducing them to the various elements sequentially and then the difficulty is ramped up after about the 5th level when different elements are included together in the same grids.

Synthesis and Critique

The game has very simple mechanics and dynamics, that is easily understood within the first few minutes of playing. The learning objectives behind the game are quite transparent and go beyond just normal one-dimensional problem-solving skills. Furthermore, the learning principles included in the game do well to support the game. The game does not have much of a feedback system to let the players know what is happening. However, it can be argued that it is intentional to allow the players to reflect on their decisions by themselves, i.e. — an additional learning principle of Metacognition. As mentioned a few times before, the instruction screen that explains the different elements of the game is not accessible again after it is seen in the very beginning, though it is not very difficult to get the hang of everything while playing the game itself. Also, though the game is addictive in and of itself, having a scoreboard/leaderboard based on points or time taken to solve the puzzles might make the game even more interesting than it already is.