Doing a Master's study on videogames and social learning....little help if poss!?

[Escape-To-88]

Morning ladies and gents,
Just gearing up to complete a second (mandatory,ugh) MA research project for my PGCE course.

While still sketching out what I'm doing it will, more or less, be focused on social gaming's influence in the secondary classroom, and on achievement/attainment. And if the social logic students' apply to games can be transferred into the classroom, applying the same thinking to English work!

As such I have to set up an 'experiment' with a number of students, and was going to do something like: select 4-8 students and give them some sort of adventure game (s) - setting it up so one player plays the game, one guides for a time period. Next the two players work cooperatively. Finally the players work against each other - although I am unsure about this last bit! I also thought I then might get all 4-6 to work co-operatively on a game.

So....I was wondering if anyone might have any suggestions for games (Any format - although the cheaper the better)???
I need something 'appropriate' i.e. NOT GTA! I was thinking Zelda -Four Swords or something like that (but have never plkayed it!)? Or maybe Bomberman? But ultimately would welcome a selection of games where pupils have to think logically to overcome problems etc. and one that can be played with 4-players (if poss!)

Also any recommended reading would help! Although I have some done already - Cheers!!

[charlesr]

Crystal Chronicles (GC)? Long winded though.

How about PacMan GBA/GC linkup? 3 Vs 1.

[Escape-To-88]

Cheers Charles - yeah looking for something, where something can be acheived in around 30 minutes - not a completed game, but a decent series of tasks.

Perhaps GC/Wii is the way to go?

[briareos_kerensky]

Crystal Chronicles is a lot more about cooperation, there's very little challenge between players and it's not easy to pick up and play.
Four Swords has coop events like boss battles and where players literally kill each other to get rupees, it's fun and easy to play...you'll need a GC and four GBAs, though.

[Dirty Sanchez]

Does it have to be a videogame?

Would Monopoly be of any use, players can team up and buy/sell property with each other with the aim of completing the sets quicker. Ganging up on a single player or just being all out greedy/ruthless is part of the appeal of the game.

Cheap as chips too.

[Escape-To-88]

you'll need a GC and four GBAs, though.

Ah nuts, that's going to cost too much. Perhaps 4 player MarioKart on the N64? Although it's not exactly co-operative. Is there any option to play 4 swords with 4 control pads or do you definately need 4 GBA's?
Cheers

Does it have to be a videogame?

Yeah, 'fraid so mate. To kind of prove my 'theory' - which is probably crud anyhow And many of these are students who think a boardgame belongs in the triassic period; and while I could spend hours explaining and demonstrating why they don't, it needs to be a study with as least resistance as poss - good idea though!

[ETC]

Rock Band or GHWT, instantly accesable all can play together then can have face offs? Or a football game (cant really guide someone on either of them though)

[Escape-To-88]

Yeah I thought about Rockband - a great idea - but it's too hefty to lug into school!
Probably should have mentioned needs to be fairly contained! And it can be somethign from pretty much any era (due to the joys of emulation).

[ETC]

Guardian Heroes on Saturn allows for 4 player if i remember rightly (then you could have them all fighting over the health powerups)

**my memory is hazy on that one mind**

[noobish hat]

What about a scrolling shooter like R-type? One person could play and the other could remind them what's coming up.

Or Sonic 2? One person plays as Sonic and the other as Tails, collecting rings and killing badniks.

[charlesr]

monkey punch or whatever it is in SMB. Still struggling for coop suggestions though.

[Nijo]

I've done something like this on some corporate training blah.

We had copies of The Getaway running in some free-roam mode - I never played the game otherwise so I don't know whether SCEE released a special version for this or whether you can access it in the normal game.

Anyway, one person had to drive while another had a print-out of the map and had to give directions, plus there were objectives of some kind (what is the name of the pub on this corner, etc). To confuse matters we had to swap jobs every 30 seconds.

In my opinion it was the most revealing (and memorable) training exercise we did over the entire weekend.

[abigsmurf]

Zelda 4 swords?