AI Role-Playing Game with Gemini (continued)

For those of you who read my original post (Build Your Own RPG with Gemini) about using Gemini to make a role-playing game, many things have changed since then (even though that was only October of last year). In one year, AI has came a long, long way and building RPGs with AI is no exception. I've played with Claude and continue to play with Gemini. 

I'm on a free version of Claude, so although it does a very solid job handling the rolling and general game play, I have noticed it is unwilling to go down some darker paths of storytelling. There is also some very interesting logic used to justify not allowing an action that seems quite contrary to sense given other things it was willing to allow. I "discussed" this fact with Claude and it basically told me, "You will not be able to convince me." LOL. OK, Claude. I'm guessing that is because I'm on a free version. 

Gemini, on the other hand, continues to have issues with legitimate rolling of the dice. As Gemini transitions from Gems to Skills, I have found it quite interesting that the AI can analyze its own weakness and attempt to correct for it. Here is an example of my new Skill explaining to me why it is struggling with rolling dice and how we can attempt to fix the issue. I actually do like the offer to have me roll for myself. I've been doing that for one game and it is more fun, not as fast for sure, but more fun.
 

Gemini AI Avatar

Very quietly, Gemini was updated recently and one of the new features is buried a little bit. The AI Avatar is now something you can create with Gemini. You use a QR code and enable your camera and microphone. You are recorded moving your head and reciting some numbers. You wait a few minutes and then Gemini is able to create videos of you. You need to go videos and then More Uploads to create it. Once it is created, it will be in the More Uploads menu. This is on Flash-Lite, not even one of the advanced models. To say the least, I was shocked... And you should be as well! Everyone should be shocked. It took a couple of seconds of video of me moving my head and reading some numbers. That's it! And now I can use it to create videos of myself saying anything (anything that Gemini will allow).

Korea's Basic AI Law for Educators

 

Build Your Own RPG with Gemini Gems

Everweave

This story begins with my love of Role Playing Games (RPGs) and I do love them. Growing up, I would purchase Dungeons & Dragons (D&D)materials all the time. I loved reading about the character classes and different races, about unique skills and abilities, about spells and monsters. It really captivated my imagination. Later as video games started developing, I enjoyed a variety of RPGs, but nothing really captured the feeling of world creation of old school table-top gaming. So when AI came along, I started wondering how RPGs would develop... And then I found Everweave. It is a great game and I highly recommend it, if you are into that sort of RPG (which I clearly am), but Everweave isn't cheap. Now I understand that building a game takes time and money and that developing an AI model is no easy feat and also requires money, so I'm not judging the Everweave folks. I get it, they need to make a return on their investment. I'm not here to bemoan the workings of our capitalist system. I paid; in fact, I paid twice. I purchased a chunk of 900 turns and then purchased a six month subscription with 1000 turns a month. I enjoy the game, but my wallet can only take so much abuse. Enter Gems.

After playing Everweave for a short time, it occurred to me that it is really just a slick AI model and that Gemini was offering the possibility to build my own version of the game. I went online and found a old, free version of the GURPS system. If you are unfamiliar, it is a generic gaming system that is meant to be adaptable to any sort of gaming world — fantasy, spy, space, etc. If you can think it, GURPS can help you make it into a RPG. It seemed like a good place to start. I created a Gem in Gemini.

RPG V1 prompt in Gemini Gems

I uploaded the PDF of the rules to Gems. Gave it title, a description, and then the prompt. Voila! A RPG was born. Now to be fair, Everweave is way more slick than mine, but mine is free and still fun. I can create as many new games and universes as I want by simply using the Gem and then renaming the new chat. After building this one, I was so happy with the results, I built three new characters all in different RPG universes. One was a typical fantasy adventure world where magic and monsters exist. Another is a modern day world where psionic powers exist. The third one is a pirate adventure in space. The options are really limitless... But, the GURPS rules are different from the old school D&D rules, so I continued to experiment.

RPG V2 prompt in Gemini Gems

I found some old, free D&D rules online to build from for the next iteration of the RPG. I used the D&D Basic Rules (2018) and the Dungeon Master D&D Basic Rules 0.1 as the core of the world creation, but I also added a photo of a map of a land called Caprona to give some context. This latest version is very true to the D&D rules, which is something I was really hoping to achieve. I'm going to begin trying to provide my DM with more guidance on how to play, but it is responsive to my instructions and questions about game play, which is amazing to see in action. I asked it about some calculations it did to arrive at a certain point in the game and it explained, in great detail, how it rolled the "dice" and I failed, but because my roll was close (I needed a 10 and he rolled a 9) he gave it to me because my characters background as a life-long criminal made the story odd to not be successful on this particular attempted roll. I found that fascinating. It really is "thinking" through the game play. Another time I recommended something and it said, "That is a great idea. Moving forward, I will adjust the game accordingly."

So get into Gemini Gems and build yourself an old school RPG game, you won't be disappointed with the results.

Choice Board Generator with MagicSchool AI

 

MagicSchool AI has a great tool for creating choice boards that is super simple to use. You only need to input the grade level, the learning goal, and any additional details you want for your choice board. Bam! That simple. I created one for Grade 7 ELA about similes and metaphors and asked for it to provide multiple modalities. The output is the second photo. Even if you don't want to use the exact ideas given from the generator, it is a great way to start to get your ideas flowing. You can then use the Rubric Generator to help you come up with how to assess your choice board options. I'm not 100% satisfied with the output, but the output always helps me develop better final products for my students.

MagicSchool Rubric Generator

I came across MagicSchool quite by accident and was immediately intrigued due to the Rubric Generator. One thing I'm not great at is creating rubrics, so finding an easier and reliable method for making them is something I'm always on the hunt to find. I have used it for a couple of Project Based Learning assignments now and I'm happy with the outcomes. It is easy to use and can be exported to Google. You can select the grade level, add the standard, provided the title and description of the assignment, select a point scale, and add any additional information. After that you click generate rubric and — BAM! You have your rubric. Here is a sample one from my class about Short Answer Responses.

Using Bard in Creating Grammar Lessons for ELA

I'm back in an ELA classroom part-time at ASP for G6 and G7. I'm loving being with students everyday in the role of teacher, rather than principal. I enjoy the challenges and struggles of administration, but being in the classroom is always more fun. Our current textbook for ELA is from HMH and it is a good book, but sometimes I feel like not doing certain work online. Grammar is something I feel works better offline for me. Giving students time to practice reading examples of sentences and then creating their own examples without the distractions of the online world can be a good break from digital life. The grammar lesson for this particular unit is dealing with Simple, Compound, and Complex sentences. The HMH lesson was good, but I thought — let's see how Bard handles the idea.

I typed in the following prompt: Explanation for 7th grade students about simple sentences with 10 examples of simple sentences. The results were this lesson about Simply Sentences. I was pretty happy with the results and the style, so I used the prompt two more times, but changed it to Compound Sentences and Complex Sentences. I'll be teaching these lessons next week, so I will return to provide my experience with the students.

Update 12.19.23

I used the lessons with both of my middle school classes and it went quite well. Students asked many questions about how I used AI to create the lessons. It lead to natural discussions about ethical use of AI technology. We wrote our practice sentences together in class. We will be working on Argumentative Essays after the holiday, so they will be expected to use Simple, Compound, and Complex Sentences correctly in the essay.

The Difficulties of Opening New Private International School in Daegu, Korea (according to ChatCPT)

A few weeks back, I wrote a blog post about the difficulties of opening new school in Daegu, Korea. It focused on the specific challenges we were facing in doing it, but I was curious to see what ChatGPT thought the difficulties would be. Overall, ChatGPT was right on the money, but I feel that it is because new schools face similar problems everywhere, so it was easy for the AI to "answer" the question. Here is the answer it provided:

Opening a new private international school in Daegu, South Korea can present various difficulties that need to be overcome to ensure success. Some of the significant challenges are:

Competition: Daegu is a competitive market for international private schools, with many established institutions offering similar programs and services. New schools need to differentiate themselves to attract students and also compete with online education options. (This was interesting, because there aren't actually many international schools in Daegu. I'm very interested in how this part of the answer come out. I'm guessing ChatGPT was working of a general source of information about opening international schools in general and it applied it to Daegu without checking to see if that was the case locally. As this technology evolves over time, it will be able to give specific information from a location.)

Cultural differences: South Korea has a unique culture, language, and educational system that can be challenging for those unfamiliar with the country. Schools must understand and be inclusive of these cultural differences to build a supportive community.

Regulatory compliance: International private schools in South Korea must comply with a complex set of regulations and standards at the national and local levels, including obtaining necessary licenses, permits, and certifications, and meeting student safety, curriculum, and teacher qualifications standards.

Staffing: Recruiting and retaining qualified staff is crucial, but can be challenging as the pool of qualified international educators may be limited and competition for top talent is fierce. Schools must offer competitive compensation and benefits and have a supportive workplace culture.

Marketing and enrollment: Marketing and enrollment are major challenges for any new school, and schools must effectively communicate their unique value proposition, build a strong reputation, and align their programs with changing demands and expectations.

Infrastructure and facilities: Developing necessary infrastructure and facilities can be costly, especially in a city like Daegu with high real estate prices, and schools must consider the long-term maintenance and operational costs.

Curriculum and program development: Developing a quality curriculum and educational program is critical and schools must adapt to changing needs and expectations of students.

IT infrastructure and technology: Schools need robust IT infrastructure and technology to support operations and meet the needs of students and staff, which can be a significant challenge for new schools.

Financing: Obtaining sufficient financing to cover the costs of opening a new school can be difficult, especially in a competitive market like Daegu. Schools may need to secure loans, grants, or partnerships with investors to secure funding.

These are some of the difficulties that a new private international school in Daegu may face. Overcoming these challenges requires careful planning, effective communication, and a commitment to providing high-quality education.