Learning Maze Game?

Something like a choose your own adventure book? Answer questions, and depending on your answer, it will take you on a path of different questions and answers?

Actually, I was thinking more of an e-learning PowerPoint platform. Simple in the mechanics but sophisticated as to the knowledge content and the story line. Mechanics like in Tim's Escape Tower but maybe with more than one right track to finish; and instead of an adventure story it would contain a real-life situation like
- leading a job interview
- delegating tasks to a team of employees
- selling something to someone
- etc.

I think I wouldn't want to distribute it free of charge, but maybe it's an idea for in-company trainers to develop something like that of their own for their company purposes.

I think a pure maze game would be tricky for a group activity as you need just one person to guide the cursor through it.

However, as an e-learning platform, PowerPoint could be quite easily used as a way to progress through a case study scenario.

I made this picture up just now as an example of a 'Management Coaching' case study. The next step would be to click on the chosen character and the story would continue for that character with further situations and problems to solve along the way - with positive and negative outcomes. 

John - you're sooo quick! That's the idea! I kept calling it "MAZE" because to me it is - in fact - a maze. If you tried delegating to the wrong person, no matter what you'd do and what choices you had made - after a while you'd be sent back to this screen anyway to start with another person. Just like backtracking in a maze when you found yourself on a dead end trail. It's just a question of how long to mislead.

With the added versatility of PPT the learning - through gameplay - could be enhanced tremendously. I'm thinking of additional interaction. Imagine, that before you select a person to delegate to, you'd be smart to click on a notebook on the desk where you find a list of checkpoints to go through; or you click on the phone and make a call to someone who will give you more insight on an individual, thus reducing the amount of backtracking. And so on. 

Performance could be measured on a scale of the amount of steps (activities?) taken till the end and the time it took. The fast players will probably do more backtracking. The thinkers will probably use less steps. PERFORMANCE = No.STEPS x TIME(minutes or seconds). Alternatively, each choice could "cost" a duration in time; at the end those with the shortest overall duration win. So clicking senselessly on everything would add to the duration and not necessarily be the solution to winning the learning maze game.

Ok, I understand what you mean now by the term 'Maze'. I was thinking of the common type of PPT game where you need to keep on a certain track or avoid certain moving objects.

I agree there is so much that can be done with the type of learning gameplay. As you'll know, it would need some clear objectives for the learning and a clear plan of action. It would be a lot of work, especially at the front end to establish the stories and the content required.

You're right and right again John. The amount of tedious (pre)work can take away the fun that we're having right now in other areas. Let's just keep this in the back of our minds in case one day someone gets effervescent with exhilaration over the idea 

Agreed!!!

I'm sure you and I have no problem with hard work (you can't produce a good PPT game without it). There has however got to be a fun element as well, or at least a feeling that you want to put the effort into it too.

From what you've said before, I think you know the Zen-like feeling of 'You' and 'The Task' becoming 'As One' - like when you start working on something at 6 in the evening and the next time you look up it's 2 in the morning (as our wives will point out later in one way or another!)