Forge of Empires

In my last post, I described how using games for learning can be one of the most effective tools for educators to use in the classroom.  It sets clear goals that students want to reach, keeps them engaged and motivated and provides feedback on their progression.

In my effort to become familiar with some games that my students may want to play, I first had the burdensome task of playing the games myself *sarcasm* :).  I tried a few games on the "Gameforge" site, including Wild guns and Air Rivals but weren't too amused with those.  I ended up spending more time than I anticipated on one game in particular, called Forge of Empires.  It's a mix between Settlers of Catan and the Sims, if you're familiar with either of those.  I really enjoyed my time and found it to be easy to navigate from the beginning.  Forge of Empires is a continuous game and, therefore, doesn't need to be played multiple times.

There were some performance indicators that can be detected by students playing this game.  The first is problem solving as players would show their reasoning and decision making as well as their gaming strategy.  The next would be storytelling.  In Forge of Empires, players are involved in a narrative that is flexible and reactive to their moves. In essence, their using their skills to tell a story, which is an essential skill in language learning.  The final indicator is their creativity, as gamers are tasked with developing an empire using their imagination and skill set.

The teacher can monitor the progess of students in these games and the students will, of course, be actively involved in the gaming.  For Forge of Empires, the game comes with a walkthrough that makes navigating extremely easy.

Instructors would be able to assess the performance indicators of the game based on the students progress in developing their empire.  There are stages with awards that can be assessed for understanding of the language as well as concepts.  I look forward to implementing this game in my language instruction!