Developing Games to Reach Millions of Children: Design, Testing, and Learning Analytics

• In Event: Teaching Informational Text With Games and Videos: A Multi-Institutional Success Story of Impact and Innovation

Abstract

Purpose
Molly of Denali is an award-winning animated series, produced by GBH Boston, that follows the adventures of curious and resourceful 10-year-old Molly Mabray, an Alaska Native girl who lives in the fictional village of Qyah, Alaska. It is the first nationally distributed children’s series to feature a Native American lead character. Molly of Denali involves Alaska Native voices in all aspects of the production, both on screen and behind the scenes. Informational text, the underlying literacy curriculum, is integrated into the series’ episodes, digital games, app, website, and assets for educators, families, and kids.
Informational text (IT) is text whose primary purpose is to convey information. It includes written words, images, oral language, videos, and websites. The ability to read, write, and critique IT is crucial for education, the workplace, and being a good citizen. The innovative learning framework for this series was developed by a team led by series advisor and informational text expert Nell Duke. The framework identifies 15 major IT Learning Goals and reflects and incorporates some key standards from the Common Core State Standards and the PBS KIDS Ready To Learn Literacy Framework. The learning goals also reflect research on young children’s development of IT reading and writing.

Game Development Process
Designed in HTML5 and SpringRoll for ease of browser and app distribution to children 4-8, the Molly games are developed to include a balance of curriculum, repeat-play, and authenticity both for the Molly series and to the Alaska Native culture it presents. Gameplay models Alaska Native values (such as only gathering what food is needed) and gives players a chance to experience Alaskan activities—from going to fish camp, to dog sledding and beading to snowboarding and playing basketball. User testing is key during development and these games have been tested 1:1 with over 200 children in afterschool settings. Indigenous advisers, tribal elders, and domain experts advised on each game. The games are open captioned with additional attention to best practices in Universal Design for Learning.

Molly of Denali Games
Explore with Molly: immersive Alaskan village with mini-games and games menu
Fish Camp: players learn about fishing and respecting nature
Sled Dog Dash: players learn about dog sledding and caring for your dogs
Beading Art: players learn the tradition of Alaskan Native beadwork with simple patterns

Learning Analytics
Working closely with PBS KIDS and UCLA/CRESST, each game was developed to have an elaborate event specification to allow analyses of gameplay and user behavior in a recruited trial, led by EDC and at scale, with comparative population data, with games distributed in PBS KIDS digital platforms. Lessons learned from a careful review of these data help guide subsequent games and have included vital information about the layout of choice menus, player decisions around guided vs. free play modes, whether voice-over appears intrusive, and level progressions, while also adding to wider discussions about the learning value of getting something wrong versus getting it right.

Authors

• Melissa Carlson, WGBH

• Bill Shribman, GBH