Fix 3-4

More Satisfying Work

I begin this week with a quote from Mcgonigal, "Compared with games, reality is unproductive. Games give us clearer missions and more satisfying hands-on work" (P. 55). I understand the point. More often than not, I have found myself workeing in an unproductive atmosphere and I needed an outlet. Production issues were usually out of my control. Even if I implemented a plan of action to remedy the issue and save the company money, it went mostly unnoticed. That sort of corporate back and forth can become a pretty frustrating reality at work. In that respect, I agree that people can have more control and get satisfaction from gaming. I usually work on client projects or a class I'm teaching to be satisfied with work, but I understand that is not true for some people. I also agree that satisfying work is essential to well being. We all really do crave it.

Leveling Up - I am at level 28 in the Settlers game. I have to admit that I am struggling at this point and I am not enjoying the game as much as I did at first. well, i thought it would be an easy game to master. how warong I was. My process for the game is to go in daily and make buffs, then I buff friends and other people in the guild, then myself. I am always adding people to my army. They get cut down in every battle. Once I get beaten or I win, the process starts again. The goals are outlined in the quests. I am trying to beat all bandit camps without much luck. Some goals are attainable in the level you are in, some require higher levels to achieve, and some you can’t perform unless you have resources.

Clear goals and actionable steps – Clear goals are outlined in the quests. I have tried to keep up with them until this point in the game. Now I am not able to do so without putting a lot of time into the game. For me, unclear goals include the requirements to be fulfilled in order to level up in the game. There are handy tips I have used, but that’s not enough. Of course I use the help IM, but sometimes I don’t get the help I need. Another thing I would like is a log of buildings and the levels they are at, like an inventory of my property. I would also like to trade off my extra general for a geologist. So far it has been a regrettable purchase. The game doesn’t allow you to use 2 generals to attack a target. If I could make troops faster, on could be on an adventure and one could be clearing the island. Maybe I will figure this out. Again, doing this is not how I want to spend my day.

Leveling up is easy at first. As you finish quests, other quests pop up and some trigger the next level. At my point in the game, the goals have changed a lot. I have to establish resources and beat bandit camps. I suppose if I advanced the levels of my buildings I would perform better, although I am not sure of that.

Feedback – When you open the game there are a few notes in the load screen that are useful. The feedback method for quests is the town mayor avatar (I think that’s who he is) who is spurring you on about how to complete quests. Also rewards help motivate you to complete quests. More feedback would be good at first in the game. Perhaps some subtle pop ups like “are you sure you should do that” or “this will happen if you do that”. Initial training might be a good approach. I think that’s why some people struggle with the game at first. There isn't much direction or clear goals outlined in the beginning. McGonigal asks, "what if we have a clear goal, but we aren't sure how to go about achieving it? Then it's not work, it's a problem" (P. 55). I have felt that way in Settlers and it can cause me to lose interest. I think as a result of this issue in the game, my guild is launching a big brother program to help newbies. I do not see any fun failure events in the game.

Mastery - I am following the rules, and helping my fellow settlers, but am not making much progress this week. I am low on resources and people, and can’t build any more until I beat a camp. I can’t beat the camp because I am low on resources. I am hesitant to look around the web for help, so I stay within the guides provided by the game and Dr. Lambert. I disagree with the point made in the text, that "the more we fail the more eager we are to do better" (Mcgonigal, P. 66). Even if failing was a hystrically funny and entertaining event, I doubt I would enjoy it after working for many hours in order to afford a building upgrade. Maybe if failutre was incorporated as a part of a quest, that would be more interesting.

Security. I have recently seen a warning on Settlers about people putting hacker website links in the game. I assume this is true. The site trades real cash for gems that can be used in the game. It stands to reason that there will be hackers. There are websites out there with information on how to level up, but I don’t feel that I can trust the websites. If my antivirus is not good enough, or my computer isn’t configured well enough to defend against infection, I can get a virus from a hacker site. I am a bit paranoid that my computer is vulnerable, and I can’t afford an issue. Yes, I am good at setting up PC security, but there is a way around everything.

So I will go back to my own goal, to beat Dr. Lambert and be excused from posting one of the blogs. This is a BHAG; a Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal, but I have gotten this far and I do want a reward.   ;  )