Learning in Acron: Attack of the Squirrels!

Our Approach

As game designers and research scientists, we are interested in exploring patterns in emerging media and technology.  We’re always looking for how to make better games, and when it comes to our impact goals like learning and behavior change, we take a lot of inspiration from research as well. Here we'll think together about how those worlds overlap.

What We Played

Developed by Resolution Games, Acron: Attack of the Squirrels is an asymmetrical multiplayer and multiplatform party game. The game is simple: a player in VR takes on the role of a tree battling against a team of opposing squirrels trying to reclaim lost golden acorns and return them to the squirrels’ home base.  Between 2-8 players are able to play as squirrels, which are controlled via iOS and Android smart devices. 

How We Played

Kim:  In my experience, I played the game with three of my colleagues using the Quest. An additional AI was created by the game to give a total of four squirrels and one tree. We all took turns playing the tree.

Dan: I played several times, with different group sizes, both in-person, before the pandemic, and remote. Most people wanted to try the tree role, but not all. Bigger groups worked much better. 

Kim: And then both our labs played together through Zoom. That was cool!

A Good First VR experience

Kim: Acron is an easy game to pick up and play and has a short learning curve. In our lab of researchers, we have several non-gamers that we often try to rope into gameplay now and then. This game was easy to explain and have them join in with little instruction. Acron is also a great first introduction into VR, especially for those that may not yet feel comfortable or confident with the controls. The player is stationary, which is also a good first experience in VR without having to worry about movement or moving out of bounds, bumping into things, body awareness, etc. Additionally, because one of my colleagues does not tolerate VR well, she was able to play as a squirrel for most of the game, which allowed her to still be able to play the game with us but not be forced to be in VR.

Dan: I especially liked that players can transition from mobile to VR. It’s a much lower-pressure situation. A few of my testers started as squirrels and were reluctant to try VR, but after playing on mobile and getting a sense of the experience, they asked to try the tree role. It reduces the cognitive load during their first plays in VR, because they’re not also trying to figure out the game rules at the same time. It also takes a lot of pressure off the VR player; whereas normally everyone is watching the VR player flail around, in Acron, other players are focused on their own screens. I started off casting my headset to a big screen, but I stopped when I realized no one was paying attention to that. 

As you mentioned, the tree being a stationary role is great for first-time VR. It fits naturally in the theme of the game, as people don’t expect trees to run around, and the activity of monitoring squirrels and throwing things at them feels satisfying without travel. The throwing feels a bit assisted, which is great for novice VR players but a bit maddening for squirrels.

Kim: I agree. Being a tree (with or without squirrels running around) is a lot of fun as a first introduction to VR with a very small learning curve.

Dan: Speaking of learning curves, there is also a lot of great peer learning here. Usually, I was introducing the game to friends. I’d generally start as the tree. There’s no squirrel tutorial, so I’d let them experiment in the game a bit with the controls before starting to throw anything at them. I also gave them an explanation of the key features of the game, like goal and character classes. After the first or second round, I’d ask both for reactions and strategy ideas. I’d often add my own strategy suggestions; in a longer learning experience, I might let them discover the strategies, but I didn’t expect my testers to play for more than half an hour. 

For a party game, I think I like that there isn’t an extensive single-player tutorial. You jump right in the social game and it encourages friends to help you out. If there was a long tutorial, I might say, do the tutorial, but then the room would probably get quiet. I can imagine the game having more of a multiplayer tutorial, though, with sequenced levels with different types of challenges introduced over time - new character classes, throwable objects, etc. This would smooth out the learning curve a bit.

Kim: I agree. I am not a patient person when it comes to learning how to play games. Party games like Jackbox Games are a great example of games that you can jump right into with little instruction and yet the experience is often highly engaging and fun for everyone. Nothing kills a party faster than having to take a lot of time and energy learning a lot of rules before you can play a “fun” game. 

Dan: You know, my experience playing Jackbox Games is that, depending on the group, it can be pretty quiet. The game does so much of its own talking and making funny noises that the people sometimes take a step back. With Acron, I think the people are front and center, and that was true with onboarding as well. It got pretty lively at times, and felt more like a party. Because Acron is a bit more hands-off with filling the silence, it does leave space for people to step in. My role as tree was part opponent and part game master. I tried to modulate my performance to create a good experience for the squirrels. By the time the squirrels were good enough that I didn’t need to hold back, I was usually handing off the headset to someone else, so I rarely was playing full out as the tree. This was back when we were in the same space; now that we’re all virtual, I can only hand off to others with a headset at home, so I do end up staying in the tree role longer.

There’s a lot of peer learning in this style of play. It’s an example of Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development, where with the right scaffolding and guidance, we got new players up to a level where they could have fun relatively quickly. As I held back from knocking out beginning squirrels instantly, I was modulating the difficulty to keep them in that zone where it’s fun and feels learnable with a bit of help. In this sense, I was acting as Vygotsky’s More Knowledgeable Other when introducing the controls, game goals, or sometimes simple strategies. 

There was also a lot of Piaget’s Discovery Learning going on, with squirrels taking on new classes and experimenting to see how it worked, uncovering some of the rules for themselves. They would then often share that knowledge with teammates. Since squirrels could deepen their understanding of different roles, they could each be expert in something early on. So the pool of more knowledgeable others quickly expanded to pretty much everyone playing. 

Kim: Yes, you can witness a lot of this discovery learning happening in the conversations during gameplay as players talk through their experiences with different squirrels. I would often adapt my own strategy and choices based on what I was hearing from others. 

Cross-platform VR party game

Kim: I like that friends can play together, in VR but not be in VR.  I also liked that the game does not have to be played locally, though I do think there is added value to being able to strategize with other players, which means players either need to be in the same space together or find a way to communicate during gameplay (i.e. discord channel). The multi-platform allowed anyone to join in (as a squirrel), even without access to VR.  This meant that no one was necessarily excluded from the game.  Also, not everyone has to be in VR to play together. One headset was enough.  

Dan: The voice channel is critical, as you say, and that’s something people have to set up outside of the game. It’s also a great way to increase co-presence, which is so important these days with everyone home. Without it, you’d lose a lot of the strategizing and party atmosphere.

Dan: Acron is a good example of how the cross-platform, party genre has evolved with VR. It shares some elements with other cross-platform VR party games, like Covert, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, Black Hat Cooperative, The Playroom VR, Ruckus Ridge, Mass Exodus, and Tiltasaurus. It builds on asymmetric patterns from before VR, including Wii U Nintendo Land and Savage. Changing roles at respawn is a nice touch. 

Kim: More multiplayer, multi-platform games, please. There aren’t too many VR party games out there that utilize both VR and a second platform (i.e. phone app or web-based play), and I’m excited to see more games added to this genre. I would like to see more multi-platform games that introduce VR.  In terms of my research, I think this genre has a lot of potential for learning and behavior change games.  

Dan: This genre does come with its own challenges, including potentially navigating the same space with different controls. This is one area where Acron really struggles. The squirrels are running around a 3D environment without camera control. This leads to falling off the world, running into walls, and generally awkward movement. Combined with instant death from above, it can at times make squirrels so frustrated they want to give up.

Kim: I would agree. It took me a while to adapt to playing as a squirrel. I can’t tell you how many times I got turned around in the 3D environment or fell off ledges and into crevasses. But playing as the tree in VR was satisfying and fun.

Dan: It’s been said the best thing to do in VR right now is introduce other people to VR. Since this genre has some advantages in that use case, I think it’s a great fit for the current moment.

Kim: I think the multi-platform approach also encourages inclusivity, which is important for those that do not particularly like to play in VR or prefer non-vr options, and for those that perhaps are just not comfortable with the technology yet.  Inclusivity is an important consideration when designing games, especially when thinking about games for learning or behavior change that will be used in an educational setting (schools, programs, etc). Not every player can be, or wants to be in VR, but most players feel comfortable enough using mobile apps to play games. For players that don’t want to play either role, they can still be a part of the conversations and gameplay strategy. 

Dan: Yes. It’s nice that it’s inclusive and accessible for people who don’t want to wear a headset for whatever reason, and there are a lot: hairstyles, face marks, large glasses, makeup, insecurity being watched while shut off from the world, comfort and ability levels standing and moving arms, difficulty getting the headset to rest comfortably on the head, neck strain from the weight distribution, lack of comfort with game controllers with lots of buttons, etc.

Kim: Such important things to consider when creating games, especially for learning! In terms of adaptability for individuals with other limitations, there may be even more to consider here. For instance, perhaps having a player take on the role of “coach” or “leader” for the squirrels outside of the gameplay may be a different solution to include those that want to play along, but don’t necessarily want to play in-game. 

Dan: I could see that going well or terribly. Could be like a backseat driver, “go here, no not there, don’t get hit, oh you got knocked out.” Might be the last party you get invited to.

Teamwork and Strategy

Kim: The multi-player aspect of this game encourages teamwork and strategy (as a team of squirrels). Cooperative games that encourage strategy and teamwork provide opportunities for players to build skills that can translate into other parts of their lives.  Players can become leaders, followers, innovators, and problem-solvers in the game. Learning can - and should be - a cooperative experience. 

In Acron, conversations are happening before, during, and after the gameplay. Players are able to discuss their pre-game strategies, their successes and failures, and then plan ahead for the next gameplay. Players, as squirrels, can also discuss the tree’s strategy and point of view, which adds a new layer of perspective-taking.  While this isn’t idea isn’t new to the world of cooperative or multiplayer gameplay, in the sense of learning and behavior change games, there is a lot of value in the discussions being had about the gameplay. 

In terms of behavior change, attitudes, knowledge, and perceptions spread through peer interactions. Social, multiplayer games that encourage conversation, perspective-taking, and cooperative play may be ideal platforms for spreading healthy attitudes and correcting misinformation and misperceptions.  

Dan: I do like cooperation in general, especially for learning experiences. So much of our learning in schools gets set up as a competition, so this is really refreshing. Also, because it’s a new context where no one feels they really need to master it to survive in the real world, the stakes are a bit lower. It’s a safe space for people to admit they don’t know stuff. Your mileage may vary depending on your friends, though.

Kim: While playing as the tree, there doesn’t seem to be much strategy. The player basically throws different items at the incoming squirrels to slow them down, knock them over, or knock an acorn out of their possession.  There is a lot of chaos and not much time to consider strategy as the tree. It can be satisfying to knock acorns out of squirrels’ hands, especially when they are very close to reaching their goal. Throwing your squirrel colleagues is also quite satisfying, if you can catch them.  

I like that the squirrels each had special abilities such as welding protective shields, the ability to dig tunnels underground, or the ability to build ramps and bridges.  The first few gameplay sessions as squirrels can feel chaotic if you haven’t figured out that you should be playing with your teammates and not trying to go rogue. The tree will win nearly every time at first.  But once you and your teammates learn how to play off each other’s strengths and abilities and to communicate with each other, the game becomes more enjoyable, especially when you begin to see how working together as a team can lead to a win.

I also like that squirrel players learn very quickly that communication, strategy, and cooperative play is the key to overtaking the tree and winning the game. I like the local multiplayer aspect where players can talk to each other while they are playing, and can have discussions after gameplay about their failures and successes. 

Dan: Totally agree. There’s a steep learning curve for squirrels relative to trees, which is something the game could do more to address. Communication is indeed critical, though it doesn’t need to be local. That’s especially important while we’re all stuck at home - this is a game you can play with remote friends, even if they don’t have headsets, as long as you set up a separate audio channel. I expect some groups of squirrels would take their strategy seriously, mapping out game plans between rounds and assigning roles, while others would take a more casual approach with less reflection and discussion. It’s interesting having all team communication monitored by the tree. I sometimes held back as a squirrel, wanting to tell teammates I’m hiding behind the tree, but not wanting the tree to hear.

As the squirrel, you get knocked out quickly in a way that could feel confusing, surprising, and unclear. This is the same issue lots of PvP action games have - how to make it clear to players why they failed. This is especially important in cross-platform VR, with the inherent disconnect in perspective, context, and action, to build obvious connections within the game. Possibly slow-motion replays of getting knocked out could help, with longer respawn times to watch those replays. But it would still be frustrating how hard it is to avoid surprise knockouts in future plays. The game might need to make tree throws more dodgable by slowing throws or making them easier to anticipate and track. Seeing the windup does help in this regard. I do wonder how many squirrels successfully dodge or even try to dodge; that could be a number to track when balancing. You want the squirrels to feel like they could have dodged - sometimes they do it successfully. Maybe 50% success or higher would feel good for a skilled player? What number would frustrate the tree? Even winning as a squirrel can feel surprising if you’re still playing at the end. I might want to see a reply of a teammate bringing an acorn to the flag, or all the squirrel cameras pull back to show the winning score as it’s happening. This is also an onboarding issue, since new players will have lower literacy about what’s going on in the game and more trouble making sense of the action. As a party game, it should welcome less experienced players, so that would seem to be a major flaw. The green sticky tree sap, on the other hand, is quite clear when you walk into it as a squirrel, so you know why you slowed down, though some squirrels I played with didn’t realize that was coming from the tree. That’s something they can learn over time without much consequence, though. Similarly, the large bombs the tree throws can slowly roll into a squirrel, and those you can see coming and potentially dodge or understand why it got you. Falling off a ramp or running into a barrier is also obvious. I did appreciate getting another chance as a squirrel when carrying an acorn - getting hit just knocks it out, but doesn’t send you back to start.

Kim:  Being a squirrel can be frustrating, especially when you just can’t seem to find a strategy to get to an acorn - or you are paired with a very aggressive tree player. Squirrels feel unbalanced (digger is perhaps best).  There seems to be very little strategy needed to play the tree. It would be interesting to see if there could be a way to add in more strategy (more mechanic options perhaps?)

Dan: For me, the tree strategy was all about attention management. If I got too focused on one squirrel, for example, I could lose others sneaking by with acorns. 

Kim: The game overall feels unbalanced at times, especially on different terrains.  Sometimes there seems no possible way to beat an aggressive tree player, no matter how much you and the other squirrels try to strategize.  More than once I would get completely turned around or confused in a terrain as a squirrel, which was interesting to me because as a tree the terrain didn’t seem complicated or confusing at all. I’m still trying to understand this more.  Is it just perspective taking (perspective from above vs perspective from the ground)?

Dan: I also saw a bunch of people getting confused with the terrain, so you’re not alone!

Kim: New terrains and more of a variety of levels would be a nice addition to the game. More squirrel types and abilities as well perhaps (though you can pay for upgraded squirrels, I just didn’t want to invest in them).  I also think it would be cool to have several trees in the game and to add in a second VR player in the mix.  That could become even more chaotic, but still interesting. Trees might be able to strategize together.

Dan: I like the idea of multiple trees, but it would increase the number of squirrels needed, I expect. Could be good for a large party. When organizing playtests, I had trouble getting enough people together to have all human squirrels, so needing more people would make it harder to organize. Adding a tree for spectating could be interesting, too. They could either try to direct the main tree’s attention to squirrels getting by or just observe. Given that this is a party game, having some way for people to watch while they’re not playing creates a more inclusive atmosphere. Spectating on a monitor is much better on squirrels, because the variety of things they’re doing is greater, the camera moves through space, and there’s less rotational camera movement than in VR. You can make a good VR spectating experience if the VR player limits head movement, but that would be a poor strategy in a game about tracking lots of squirrels who are trying to sneak out of your FOV. If I were in a party environment and wanted to show one player on a big screen, I might pick a squirrel, though people might be more curious to see the VR view for novelty. Bringing it back to multiple VR players, though, if there was a feature to be another tree as a spectator in VR, that could be interesting, or if there were a stationary camera like the respawn squirrel camera, I might put that on the big screen. If there were a way to cast multiple squirrels to a big screen, split screen, that might be best.

Kim: So maybe two trees wouldn’t work, but I do like the idea of a spectator monitor - this makes the game even more inclusive by allowing people to watch the gameplay without having to play at all.  A lot of people like to watch others play games.

Tech Issues

Kim: For us, the mobile app took a long time to download. There was some lagging for the squirrels, perhaps due to  wifi issues in our office. Playing as the squirrel, expect the battery on your phone to be sucked pretty quickly. For instance, one colleague’s phone was completely drained after one gameplay session. 

Dan: I saw the lagging squirrels, too. This is an issue any competitive game has, especially with fast action. You want response times to be fast if it’s the difference between getting knocked out or surviving. Acron may just not have the servers to handle that. It’s probably best to think of this as a casual party game, not a full esport.

Final Thoughts

Kim: Acron is a fun, multi-platform party game. It’s a great introduction into VR and provides ample opportunities for cooperative learning, strategic thought, and teamwork. I am interested to see how this genre might specifically be translated into a game focused on behavior change, where playing with peers may be key to influencing positive change.

Dan: I like it, too. I especially like it as a sandbox for peer learning, where people get a chance to learn how to play by watching each other, giving feedback, asking questions, and experimenting. The learnability and social aspects are things I often try to work into games I’m designing. 

Kim: What should we play next time?

Dan: I’ve been hanging out in The Climb. Want to try that?

Kim: Absolutely.