Vol. 38, No. 18

3-17-2009
By: Adam King

WOSU, ACCAD bake up a computer game to teach 2nd grade economics

At first it’s just one or two customers, but soon seven or eight are lined up at your counter, all wanting a delicious snack. Now, who ordered what? Did you remember to buy enough ingredients to make the donuts, cupcakes and brownies these hungry patrons want? Can you bake quickly enough to keep everyone happy and still make a profit at the end of the day?

These are the decisions that confront the second graders who play The Bakery Shop, an educational video game created through a collaboration between WOSU Public Media, Ohio State’s Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design (ACCAD) and the Ohio Council on Economic Education (OCEE). It’s a fun way to teach students basic economic principles, and the end result was a perfect marriage between WOSU’s outreach, ACCAD’s game-design prowess and OCEE’s knowledge.

“We found there was a real lack of materials about economics in the lower grade levels,” said Marcelita Haskins, director of educational services at WOSU Public Media, which hosts the game’s Web site. “And what was out there wasn’t affordable; school districts just weren’t able to buy them. So we were looking to give them something free and well done.”

Haskins sought the expertise of then-ACCAD Graphics Researcher Brian Windsor and OCEE President Abbejean Kehler to help flesh out a $200,000 grant proposal that WOSU was submitting to eTech Ohio for funding, which they received in late 2007 to develop the game. Work began on the concept and design in January 2008 after Peter Gerstmann, who teaches a video game production course at ACCAD, came on board as the project lead.

He worked with undergraduate student programmers Warren Francis and Morgan Goose; graduate student Tyler Ayres, a graphic artist; and graduate research associate and concept artist Iuri Lioi, whose thesis is in the area of character design — another perfect fit.

“We just tried to come up with concepts that would support the learning goals, and, most importantly, would lend themselves to a fun game with high replay value,” Gerstmann said. “Learning comes from repetition, so we needed to attract players to return to the game if we wanted them to take anything away from it. In some respects, we had it easy, because economic principles are at the foundation of almost every game — a player wants to reach a goal but has limited time or opportunities to do so.”

The game, which can be found at thebakeryshop.org, takes place on a single screen with an angled view from above of the shop. It was specifically designed this way, Gerstmann said, to increase its visual appeal but also to give players greater control while also feeling slightly overwhelmed with so much happening.

As customers filter in, their food desires pop up in thought balloons that can be seen when the player scrolls the mouse pointer over them. The player’s job is to fill customers’ orders by directing bakers to make the food. Ingredients are used up as each item is made, so ordering new ingredients must be done during the workday, which is completed in minutes rather than in real time.

Customers will only wait so long to get their order filled, however, and their straight mouths turn to frowns the longer they wait. At some point, they will walk away without a purchase, even if the player has baked the item. Orders fulfilled, however, earn bonus money and allow players to move up levels, which add extra bakers, items for sale and customers.

Before design began, the team reviewed other games to come up with their pros and cons and had three solid ideas on what type of game to create. They went with The Bakery Shop idea simply because, they decided, what kid doesn’t like sweets?

Lioi developed the initial style of the characters and icons and Ayres created the three-dimensional images that appear in the final product. Gerstmann said the project was designed as a learning lab for the students rather than ACCAD acting as a contractor for WOSU.

“It was my first time as a concept artist, and the great thing about it was to experience the freedom to explore different possibilities and paths in which the game could have gone into,” said Lioi, who will soon be creating products that entertain millions of people with his new job at Dreamworks Animation. “But I think this project is very meaningful because it is educational. Being successful on the challenge of passing along relevant information to generations coming behind us is always something very rewarding. And I hope to be able to keep practicing that in all the projects I am involved with.”

Not every idea made it into the game so that it would stay simple and on message about what economics is: Supply and demand, limited resources to service unlimited wants, a marketplace and money. Gerstmann said the team has a wish list of enhancements if any future versions can be released.

“I love games because of the connection they can make with people at an emotional level,” Gerstmann said. “A fun game experience is a powerful memory, and a force for good, I think. Seeing someone having fun playing a game you created is a great feeling. I also saw an opportunity to make something for students that would provide a highly engaging form of learning and maybe help them appreciate concepts by presenting them at a practical level they could relate to.”

Practical or not, all admitted the game is addicting and is able to reach beyond a second-grade level. Haskins noted one teacher who viewed the game at the eTech Ohio conference in February said it would be perfect for her special needs fifth graders. A co-worker of Haskins said her 5-year-old is having fun with the game too.

“I think the game is evidence of the success of the collaboration and we learned a lot in making the project,” said Maria Palazzi, ACCAD director. “ACCAD would be happy to collaborate with both WOSU and OCEE again.”

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