Gameplay:Overview
Zon - The Gameplay Guide
In Zon, a new player assumes an avatar who arrives as a tourist in Customs at the Beijing Airport. With little more than some traveler’s checks, a passport, a backpack, and the clothes on their back, the player must first pass through Customs, then navigate the Airport on the way to their Hotel. Throughout each new scene, players are presented with various learning tasks and ongoing assessments that teach them about specific Chinese language concepts and cultural information about the context of the scene.
A new player begins as a Tourist, and can progress to Resident and Citizen levels by accomplishing various tasks in the environment.
For Tourist level players, the game is focused on exploration. A player can follow their curiosity about Chinese myths and legends, investigate famous temples, and shop in public markets. A sense of mystery surrounds the Tourist level as players learn language in a living encyclopedia of Chinese culture, replicated to provide a virtual context that is both authentic and interactive.
As players progress through Zon, they can become Resident and eventually Citizen level players. At these levels, they can rent apartments, buy a car, or even own their own business. Where the Tourist level supports exploration, the Resident and Citizen levels allow players to learn specific language, behaviors, and customs in a deeper, more complex way. For example, a player who becomes the owner of a tea house must learn much more than simply how to order tea in Chinese. Beyond the broad Tourist level of new experiences and environments, Zon gives players the chance to extend their learning and enhance their understanding.
Zon provides players with social and environmental interactions designed to support their learning of Chinese language and culture. The game is designed to scaffold individual progression while allowing for endless variations on gameplay through open-ended activities and situations. Players cannot only participate in learning games, but they can also create their own games to upload and share. As a multi-media online platform, Zon allows developers, as well as players, the opportunity to contribute to the environment, and the game itself, in interesting and transformative ways.