by

Games Create Emotions

Learning Objectives

  • Lesson objectives
    • Identify emotions while playing games
    • To understand the importance of emotions in games and how they contribute to the overall experience
    • To introduce strategies for managing strong emotions during gameplay
  • Socioemotional learning objectives
    • Cooperative
    • Responsible
    • Planful
    • Welcoming

Materials

Instructions

  • Gather campers, trying to split groups from the main lesson
  • Cooperation debrief
    • As cooperative gamers, sometimes we have to work in groups but it's not always easy. When working with your group earlier,
      • What emotions did you feel?
      • What was difficult?
      • How did you communicate with your partner?
      • Did you experience any conflicts or disagreements? If so, how did you overcome them?
      • Is there anything you wish you could have done or said but didn't? Why?
    • End the discussion on a positive note by asking each person to share something they liked about working with their partner. Note that we are welcoming of the chance to work with and get to know others.
  • Emotions in games
    • Ask them what emotions they feel when playing games and list them in their notebook
      • What emotions do you typically feel when playing competitive games?
      • What emotions do you typically feel when playing cooperative games?
      • Why do you think emotions are important in games? (e.g., making the game more interesting, helping us imagine different roles)
    • Point out that even negative emotions, like fear, are OK to feel in a safe environment
    • Discuss how different people have different emotional reactions to games based on their interests and personalities
  • Managing emotions
    • Ask what happens if you feel a strong emotion but don't manage it well. How might other players be affected? As responsible gamers, we have to think about how our emotional reactions affect others. We can be planful and think of strategies for managing our emotions in advance, so we're ready when we feel them.
    • What do you do when you’re feeling a strong emotion?
    • List some strategies in their notebook
    • Being planful and responsible helps us to respond to positive emotions and control the negative ones, which us welcoming and cooperative gamers.

Notes and Discussion

Discussion

  • Throughout camp, ask campers to reflect on the emotions they feel while playing.
  • When emotions get high, call attention to the strategies they wrote down.