Hawai'i Physical Geography (Landsat, Dew Point, Precipitation)
Hawaii.jpg
 Lightning in the San Francisco Peaks (Cloud-to-ground Lightning, Landsat, Air & Ground Temperatures, Precipitation)
LIghtning.jpg
Grand Canyon Microclimate (NDVI, Winter Temps, Summer Temps)
GrdCynMicroclimate.jpg
 Grand Canyon Formations & Topography (USGS Geology, Landsat)
GrdCynTopo.jpg

Interactive Geovisualization "Video Games" &
Materials for Physical Geography, Geomorphology, Weather & Climate Classes

by Ryan.Heintzman@asu.edu  and RONALD.DORN@asu.edu
School of Geographical Sciences & Urban Planning
Arizona State University
last updated May 20, 2022

ABSTRACT:


Big Island of Hawai'i: Landsat Composite, Dew Point temperature, and Isohyets Overlaid on Topography
https://gamejolt.com/games/2BC_bigIslandofhawaii/469026

Hawai'i Faculty Powerpoint File


Hawai'i Overview and Tutorial Prerequisite for Labs
Prerequisites: Welcome & Start Here
  • Complete All Items
Published. Click to unpublish Hawai'i Overview and Tutorial Prerequisite for Labs.


 Hawai'i Geovisualization Labs
Prerequisites: Hawai'i Overview and Tutorial Prerequisite for Labs
  • Complete All Items
Published. Click to unpublish Hawai'i Geovisualization Labs.


Cloud-to-ground lightning in the San Francisco Peaks of northern Arizona

Lightning in the Peaks: Overview and Prerequisite Tutorial for Lightning Labs
Prerequisites: Welcome & Start Here
  • Complete One Item
Published. Click to unpublish Lightning in the Peaks: Overview and Prerequisite Tutorial for Lightning Labs.



Lightning in the Peaks Geovisualization Labs

 Lightning in the Peaks Geovisualization Labs
Prerequisites: Lightning in the Peaks: Overview and Prerequisite Tutorial for Lightning Labs
  • Complete All Items
Published. Click to unpublish Lightning in the Peaks Geovisualization Labs.

Grand Canyon Geology Overlaid on Topography

Geovisualization:  https://gamejolt.com/games/2BC_GrandCanyonRocksAndTopo/461813

Grand Canyon Geomorphology: Faculty Powerpoint File1
 Grand Canyon Geomorphology: Faculty Powerpoint File2
Prerequisites: Welcome & Start Here
  • Complete All Items
Published. Click to unpublish Grand Canyon Geomorphology: Overview and Tutorial Prerequisite.


Grand Canyon Geomorphology Geovisualization Labs
Prerequisites: Grand Canyon Geomorphology: Overview and Tutorial Prerequisite
  • Complete All Items
Published. Click to unpublish Grand Canyon Geomorphology Geovisualization Labs.

Grand Canyon Microclimates and Vegetation: NDVI, Summer Surface Temperature and Winter Surface Temperature Overlaid on Topography

Geovisualization: https://gamejolt.com/games/2BC_GrandCanyonMicroclimates/465635

Grand Canyon Microclimate Faculty Powerpoint
  
 Grand Canyon Microclimate/Vegetation: Overview and Tutorial Prerequisite
Prerequisites: Welcome & Start Here
  • Complete All Items
Published. Click to unpublish Grand Canyon Microclimate/Vegetation: Overview and Tutorial Prerequisite.
 Grand Canyon Microclimatology Geovisualization Labs
Prerequisites: Grand Canyon Microclimate/Vegetation: Overview and Tutorial Prerequisite
  • Complete All Items
Published. Click to unpublish Grand Canyon Microclimatology Geovisualization Labs.
 

 Synthesis Essays
Prerequisites: Hawai'i Geovisualization Labs, Lightning in the Peaks Geovisualization Labs, Grand Canyon Microclimatology Geovisualization Labs, Grand Canyon Geomorphology Geovisualization Labs
Published. Click to unpublish Synthesis Essays.
FUTURE UPDATES AND ABOUT TWO BENT COPPERS:
      Two Bent Coppers has plans to increase true gaming aspects in the geovisualizations, as well as add in continuously improved visual effects and data readouts. The Gamejolt website links, provided above, provides 2BC the chance to semi-regularly post updates to the games.  So the games will only get better over time.

FUTURE GEOVISUALIZATIONS LABS:  We have plans for additional geovisualization labs.
          In addition,  2BC is open to developing labs for your study areas also.  Please email RONALD.DORN@asu.edu and he will put you in touch with 2BC. However, please realize that data used in these games must be in the public domain, or that the intellectual owners of those data must be able to give 2BC permission to use those data for commercial purposes.


WHY VIDEO GAMES?
           A  problem faced by many students is a complete dislike of science, often due to bad experiences in high school or other college science courses.  Science should be fun and interesting, just like it was when we were six years old. The joy of learning about the natural world should never be crushed.
            To handle all of these, we have worked with a local Tempe game developer, Two Bent Coppers, who created geovisualizations that look and play like video games.  We are geographers who study climate, weather, landforms, plants, soils, hydrology and other components from a spatial perspective, to understand the processes of the redistribution of matter and energy that create wonderfully varied landscapes. Before computers, these labs involved interpreting distributions on maps. With computers, these distributions can now be displayed in a video game format to promote exploration and interaction.


WHAT IS THE COST?
           Each game costs $15 USD.  A typical student will play 4 of these games to earn a top grade in our semester-long physical geography lab.  Thus, the total cost to our students is similar to our on-ground  lab paper manual.
           As academics, we are making our laboratories available to you and your students freely and with the only goal of helping the community in a great time of need for high quality online laboratory experiences. We stress to our students that the only cost in our class are these games.
           Please do not post the game to your university server or via something like drop-box. Doing such a thing would be illegal, and such an act of software piracy would be cause for termination of our employment at Arizona State University.

ASSESSMENT APPROACH USED IN LAB DEVELOPMENT

            These labs do not use a traditional percentage-based grading system, and so we thought it best to explain. If you use a percentage approach we still think you can easily adapt our materials. However, we have greatly impressed by student response to accrual grading. Sebastian Deterding's article [ Deterding, S. (2013). Gameful design for learning. T+ D, 67(7), 60-63.]  explains accrual grading as follows.

"In typical grading, students either score the average grade of their performance, or start out with an A and then see their grade degrade from there with every suboptimal performance. Motivationally, this is madness. Either you receive continued punishment for any glitch at the beginning, no matter how much progress you make after that, or you are put into a constant fear of less right from the get-to. In contrast, everything you do in games only gets you further. Challenge by challenge, you accrue 'experience points' that add up to 'levels'."

Thus, all of the lab materials involve the accumulation of points.  Our grading scales for the class are based on our experience in the effort and learning of students doing these labs over several semesters, and we can send you our syllabi if you wish. However, we think that you will be able to adapt the scoring to whatever approach works best for you.