Chapters * Title * Contents * Introduction * Place * System * Design * Using * Future * Bibliography
Sections
* Future * Empirical * Additional_Features * History_Display * Voice * MMUD
Better Empirical Studies
Due to practical considerations, the initial pilot study was shorter than would have been ideal. A longer study would have
allowed students to spend more time with MarketPlace--letting them experiment more widely with some of the game's more complex
features such as Laws and Pollution. A longer study would also give us the opportunity to track how students' ideas about
markets change as they play.
To keep the games manageable, the groups were kept small. The MarketPlace design, however, can support groups of up to ten
players in size. Larger groups of players allow the game to better demonstrate some kinds of economic behavior. A greater
degree of competition between suppliers, for instance, might increase the pressure to pollute. The geographic differentiation
of the game would become more complex.
Greg Kimberly/gregkimb@gak.com