Title: Typerush
Developer: TypingMaster Inc.
Platforms: PC, Mac
Goal: The purpose of this project was to see what kinds of educational games are currently available. In addition to doing that, we are asked to think critically about what makes an educational game good. For Critique 3, I choose to look at Typerush.
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Description:
Similar to my previous critiques, the reason I decided to select this game is because I had played this quite frequently during high school with friends during our free period. When I played it recently, it was much harder than I remembered. The goal of this game is to race with your typing speed by typing as quickly and accurately as possible while playing with 4 other cars.
Starting off, players are asked to create a profile to track their results by creating a name. They may connect their profile with social media like Facebook and email. Afterwards, users are able to start playing right away.
In order to play the game, the player types a phrase that is shown on the screen. The typing speed controls the speed of a car. The user is competing with four other computer generated players. The car accelerates when the player’s typing speed increases. The car breaks when the player makes a mistake. When a mistake is made, players are able to see the error on the screen by having a red mark on the letter. Players are required to fix the typo before moving on to the next word.
After completing the phrase, the player receives money and league points based on their ranking. Throughout the game, players can purchase cars using the money obtained while playing. This is an interesting factor that players are able to utilize to use more in the future.
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Learning Objectives
There are a few things that users needs to know in order to play properly. The main skill needed is knowing how to type on a laptop. Another prior knowledge that players must know is how to spell using the alphabet. In addition, they must know where each letter is on the keyboard. Adding on, they need to know other keys such as “shift” for capitalization and different punctuations. If players do not have this prior knowledge, it will be very difficult for them to rank highly since they will not be able to move on in the race which is a key component to playing.
Adding on, from an anticipated learning perspective, players would practice typing faster and more accurately through this game. Through this game, they will be able to easily find the alphabet letters on the keyboard at a faster pace, but they will also be able to smoothly type better from letters to symbols such as commas, apostrophes, and question marks.
These learned concepts can be applicable to any task that involves typing on a computer. One good example is that players will be able to communicate more efficiently by writing reports and sending emails which is an example of how a potential transfer would work through this game. Another area their skill could be applied to is transcribing.
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MDA
Mechanics
The mechanics of this game is about the player’s typing speed. The visual design of the game helps with creating indications for expressing movement. When a player types faster than the car accelerates which is visually indicated by the white streak that follows the car. When the player makes a mistake, the car brakes and makes a screeching sound, while also displaying where exactly the error was made by indicating a red flag at the letter the typo was made. The player must fix the mistake before moving on to the next word. In other games similar to this, players were required to “delete” the incorrect letter(s) by using backspace, however, this game does not require so which made it slightly difficult. Personally, I am so used to pressing backspace when I make a typo and because I was so used to doing that, I would do that while playing which would slow down my car.
The game ends when it detects a lack of activity for fifteen seconds. A pop-up displays that there has been an error which is seen through the lack of activity. This is an interesting mechanic, because other games that are similar to this one does not do so. Many of the games I have played do not consider lack of activity as pausing the game. Afterwards, players are given the option to play again by joining another race.
When the game starts, the player must wait until the street light turns to green. The stop lights are displayed at the left bottom. As the race goes on, the player can visually see how much of the phrase they have left to type. There is a yellow arrow under the text display that helps indicate how much of the phrase a player still has left. Once the player finishes typing the whole phrase, the game is over. You may have to wait a while to get the other players scores. In the end, the player receives money and league points, which depends on their typing speed, accuracy, and place in the race. After finishing a race, players are able to increase their XP points, which is used to upgrade their levels. There are many benefits for players to save up money and points. It is like money, so players will be able to use those points to purchase things later.
With the money earned, players are able to purchase cars which have different car designs. There are some cars that have restrictions because players need to reach a certain XP level. Even though a player might be able to afford a car. The visuals seem like a typical car dealer website. Players are given the opportunity to freely design and choose their car if they have enough points. This is an interesting attribute since it gives players the authority to deal with money.
Dynamics
In order to make the game more engaging and competitive, the game designers added time pressure. This is evident by players having the ability to see other cars go faster to motivate themselves to type faster to try to place better than the other players. After finishing a race, players are then able to see their rankings through a global board and league board. There are many pieces of information given and one includes the top speed.
Adding on, players are able to deal with the economics of owning a car. When the player first starts playing the game, they race with a rental car. However, as the player acquires more money and XP points, they can purchase cars and keep them in their garage. If they decide they don’t want a car anymore, they can sell it for a lesser value. This choice that players get to invest in their own cars is an example of balance of costs and products. This is an interesting aspect that the developers added since it does not have anything to do with the main intended goal which is typing.
Lastly, players are able to choose between two views of the text display. One of the options is seeing one line at a time while the other option is seeing two lines at a time. This is an interesting attribute for players to decide from. The one line of text would be helpful for new learners who need to look at each letter individually and not have to quickly look through a lot of text. The two lines of text option would be for those who have experience in writing and can easily understand the letters just by reading the word. At first, I was not aware of this option, but after I was playing around it was found. Personally, I am a fan of the two lined version so that I am aware of what I need to type next.
Aesthetics
There is some expression in this game which is seen through how players have the ability to choose the car that they want to purchase. Adding on, cars range from size to color to even model. This option of letting players choose helps player express themselves.
Players are also able to have a feeling of community through the league board and global board. Players are automatically placed in the league based on where they are from and their rank. This sense of community is helpful so that players do not feel alone and have more fun when having other real players.
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Learning Principles
Metacognition
Learning principles support games in its learning objects, by adding insights as to how people learn most effectively. In this game, metacognition is used to engage the player in their own learning experience through self-correction and self-reflection. Players practice self-correction when they correct their typos through immediate feedback. After the race is over, players are shown their statistics, which shows their speed and accuracy, are a good way for them to have self-reflection. Personally, I think it is extremely helpful to have this principle. One thing that I faced was continuously pressing backspace to correct the letter that I typed wrong, but the game did not care and just wanted you to type the correct letter.
Goldilocks
Most of the time, people seek challenges, so that it is more satisfying and fun. They also do not want to waste time trying things they cannot accomplish. When it comes to an educational standpoint, teachers should not do tasks that require students to do repetitive tasks that are boring or else children will not be able to continue to focus which causes frustration and distress.
Immediate Feedback Timing
Immediate feedback helps the player know exactly where they made a mistake. This is a great way for players to correct their mistake and learn from it. During the game, players are notified they have made a mistake. The game shows a red exclamation flag and makes a tire screeching sound to represent a brake. The game also gives hints to correct this mistake. They do so by having phrases like “Please turn off your CAPS lock key.” This notion of allowing players to correct their mistake while playing is important for players to truly improve.
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Synthesis
In conclusion, I had a good time rekindling memories for an old childhood game that I played frequently. Now coming back and looking at it from a educational game designer standpoint, it was interesting to see how much my view of this game has shifted. Before, I thought that this game was extremely easy and did not practice any skills. I assumed that there was no high-level instructional objective to it. However, looking at it now, there are many aspects of the game that the developer carefully thought out. I believe that Typerush is overall a good educational game, but definitely has room for improvement. I wish that the game was able to talk more about the purpose of owning multiple cars. There could be more that players learn while playing this game especially with finances. Overall, I believe that Typerush is a fun game that teaches players to type faster and accurately. I do not think that there are necessary big changes needed for this game, but I think some tweaking will make the accessibility of the game easier to play.
