Educators, in an effort to win students over from the competition of game makers such as Nintendo and X-Box, have decided to tap into the popular video game market. You and your team have been selected to develop a new video game proposal for the upcoming educational game expo. The game will be based upon one of the following short stories:

• "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
• "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe
• "The Fall of the House of Usher" By Edgar Allan Poe
• "The Lady or the Tiger?" by Frank Stockton
• "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber

Your group will create a video game proposal that you will present to the executives in charge of the Educational Game Expo. Your proposal will be created in PowerPoint and must include the following slides.

• Title Slide - State the name of your game, what short story it is based on and name the creators of the game (You!)
• Character Slides - Include pictures and information about all the characters that will appear in your game - the protagonist (main character), antagonist (villain, adversary, etc.) and any other characters that appear in your game. Also include the goal of each character in the game and their status with regard to the main character - do they seek to harm or help them? You should make sure to cover all the characters in the story.
• Objective Slide - State the ultimate objective of your game. What is your main character's mission or strategy in the game? How do they know when they have won the game?
• Settings/Levels Slides - What are the different settings or levels of your game? Describe each level that your character will encounter. What will the character need to do in this level to move on in the game? Your game should have a minimum of five levels (settings).
• Obstacles Slides - What dangers or obstacles will your main character encounter in attempting to reach their goal? List each obstacle and what must be done by the main character in order to overcome it. There should be a minimum of six obstacles in your game.
• Reward Slide - What reward will your main character receive if they are victorious in the game? What will be the punishment of those they defeat?

• NOTE: It is important that all of the slides you create accurately reflect and represent the characters, settings, events, and conflicts of the short story they are based on. You may add (invent) some elements, but these should still reflect and stay true to the story.

The Process

Step 2: Before beginning to create your slides, you will first need to make an outline of your PowerPoint. Download the Video Game Proposal Outline form and complete it before beginning.

Step 3: You will each choose a role for this project. Each role will be responsible for creating a different section of your group's proposal. Below are the options and what is required of each.

Step 4: Visit the links under each role to gather needed expertise in your chosen role. Then create the PowerPoint slides for your aspect of the project.

Step 5: Assemble the PowerPoint slides together and give the presentation on your assigned day.

Role Options

• You have a very important role in your group. It is your job to make sure that the different elements of the game being designed stay true to the story they are based on. The setting, characters, plot, etc. of the original short story must be somehow included in the final product. This does not mean you can't be creative - you can! But just make sure all the important elements are there. You will also be responsible for creating three of the slides for your PowerPoint presentation - the TITLE SLIDE, OBJECTIVE SLIDE, and REWARD SLIDE.

• Go to the links below to gather needed expertise before beginning your task. Refer to your story link below when overseeing the accuracy of your group's work.

Research Links:

• Creating PowerPoint Presentations - Tutorial

• Creating Effective Presentations

• A Review of Short Story Elements

Story Links:

• "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
• "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe
• "The Fall of the House of Usher" By Edgar Allan Poe
• "The Lady or the Tiger?" by Frank Stockton
• "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber

• You will be responsible for creating the CHARACTER SLIDES for your group's presentation. Your game should include all the major characters from your story. You may also invent other characters that make sense to the story if you wish. You will need to have characters who will cause conflict and try to keep your protagonist from reaching his or her goal, so keep that in mind. You should have a minimum of six characters in your game. Your slides should include a picture of the character and list important facts about the character - what is their goal or mission in the game? What do they do?

• "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
• "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe
• "The Fall of the House of Usher" By Edgar Allan Poe
• "The Lady or the Tiger?" by Frank Stockton
• "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber

ROLE 3: Setting/Level Designer

Your group will be evaluated based on the following rubric, so read it over carefully before beginning.

Everyone loves a great story, whether it comes to them in the printed word, on a movie screen or even in the form of a video game.  After completing this WebQuest you have learned that the key element to any video game is the story that drives it. As you have seen, many of the same elements that make short stories exciting to read are what make video games exciting to play.

WEBQUEST PROCEDURES:

• This WebQuest works best as a culminating unit project after a unit on short stories. Prior to beginning the WebQuest, students should have read and studied at least one of the following short stories: “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell, “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe, “The House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe, “The Lady or the Tiger?” by Frank Stockton or “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber.
• Before going into the computer lab, the teacher should preview the project and roles, review the assessment rubric and discuss computer lab and Internet policies and procedures. Students should also be divided into groups at this time.
• Once in the computer lab students should access the WebQuest on the Internet and read it over completely.
• Students should first read and review the elements of fiction and short story they have chosen to base their video game on by going to the introductory links.
• The next step is to choose roles. Groups of fewer than four members may choose one role and then divide up remaining roles/tasks.
• Once roles have been chosen, each member will focus on researching information for their specific role using the Internet resources provided.
• Once research is complete, or ongoing, students will begin to create the PowerPoint slides based on the role they have chosen.
• Finally, students will present the video game proposal as a PowerPoint presentation to the class.

Language Arts Grades 9 & 10 standards covered in this WebQuest include:

Literary Response and Analysis - Narrative Analysis of Grade-Level Appropriate Text

• 3.3 Analyze interactions between main and subordinate characters in a literary text (e.g., internal and external conflicts, motivations, relationships, influences) and explain the way those interactions affect the plot.

Writing Strategies - Organization and Focus

• 1.2 Use precise language, action verbs, sensory details, appropriate modifiers and the active rather than passive voice.

Research and Technology

• 1.3 Use clear research questions and suitable research methods (e. g., library, electronic media, etc.) to elicit and present evidence from primary and secondary sources.

Writing Applications

• 2.2 Write responses to literature: a) Demonstrate a comprehensive grasp of the significant ideas of literary works, b) Support important ideas and viewpoints through accurate and detailed references to the text or other works.

Written and Oral English Language Conventions

• 1.3 Demonstrate an understanding of proper English usage and control of grammar, paragraph and sentence structure, diction and syntax.

Listening and Speaking Strategies

• 1.7 Use props, visual aids, graphs and electronic media to enhance the appeal and accuracy of presentations.
• 1.9 Analyze the occasion and the interests of the audience and choose effective verbal and nonverbal techniques (e.g., voice, gestures, eye contact) for presentations.

Credits

The WebQuest Page at San Diego State University http://webquest.sdsu.edu/webquest.html

California State Board of Education Language Arts Standards Grades 9-10 http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/enggrades9-10.asp

National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) http://cnets.iste.org/currstands/