Play-testing a video game prototype with low-SES college-bound urban high school students

Unrestricted This study identified five prevailing themes that emerged from observations of play-testing the paper prototype of a pending video game. The objective of the game prototype was to inform students about skills and knowledge needed to prepare strong college and financial aid applications. Study participants were high school students from low-socioeconomic (SES) backgrounds attending under-resourced urban high schools and represented a population with limited access to school-based counselors. In addition to observations of play-testing sessions, focus group discussions also provided insights into social networking among study participants and constituted a secondary focus of this applied research study. No theoretical framework was used to assess research findings given that the goal of the study was to supply raw qualitative data to a team of video game designers about students’ interactions with the game prototype and related themes which impacted study participants’ college prospects. The data from this study was to be used to refine the content and structure of a pending video game. Play-testing observation findings were, however, juxtaposed against three of Gee’s (2007) "Learning Principles Built into Good Computer and Video Games" which are: Empowering Learners, Problem Solving, and Understanding (new knowledge).