THE HARD PROBLEM STUDIOS (中文)




In 2020 THE HARD PROBLEM STUDIO is founded at National Yang-Ming University, Taiwan, as a not-for-profit game developer focusing on the pedagogy for medical/dental education using electronic games.

We focus on the hard problem.

What is the hard problem?

The way of teaching medicine and dentistry is changing. A teacher's lecture may be placed by search engines and a surgeon's demonstration may be replaced by video streaming. Still, the nature of medical/dental practice is there - to approach humans. Interaction with patients and clinical teams will always be the fundamental element of healthcare. Can this 'human factor' be taught? We try to solve this hard problem by playing games. Let students learn about the world by gaming.


About us

As the founder and the designer of the studio, Dr. Chia-Shu Lin was a former dentist of general practice in Taiwan. He is now a teacher at a dental school and also a researcher of behavioral and brain sciences. Dr. Lin has been a dry-bone of PC games, witnessing the early days of SimCity, Civilization, and Might and Magic. All the games here are free to play by students and free to use by teachers for pedagogical purposes. All the games are made by Dr. Lin himself via RPG Maker. (Start to play here)


News & Announcement

[Award] 2023.3 Dr. Chia-Shu Lin's MOE Teaching Practice Research Program receives the distinguished award (Official Reports from the MOE)
[Publication] 2023.1 Research findings of the MOE Teaching Practice Research Program (Evaluation of a digital game for teaching behavioral aspects of clinical communication in dentistry) has been published by BMC Medical Education (Q2 in EDUCATION, SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINES)
2022.8 Dr. Chia-Shu Lin is granted Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) - Great thanks to the Center of Higher Education Accreditation for Teaching (HEAT), NYCU, for their help and support
2021.7 Dr. Doog, could you handle this for me? is founded by the Ministry of Education Teaching Practice Research Program: Teaching behavioral science and the humanities to dental students - a new model of context-based learning via electronic games


Teaching activities/Invited speech

2023.1.12 NYCU Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (CLTHE) Program: Design Interdisciplinary Courses
[International conference] 2022.10.26 QS Asia Pacific Summit (online) symposium speaker: Can the Issues of Doctor-Patient Relationship be Taught by Playing Electronic Games?
2022.10.22
Shuangho Hospital Teacher Training Course: Post-COVID-19 Innovation of Educational Technology
2022.10.20 2022 Online Learning Summit Taiwan: Brain, Behaviour, and Dentistry
2022.9.15 Cathay General Hospital Teacher Training Course Game-based learning of dentist-patient interaction in clinical context
2022.9.1 New Faculty Orientation, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU): Innovative Teaching Methods
2022.8.20 Far Eastern Memorial Hospital Teacher Training Course: Post-COVID-19 Innovation of Educational Technology
2021.11.21/28 NYCU Liberal Arts College: Student Workshop for Abnormal Games
2021.10.16 International Symposium of Medical Education Taipei Veterans General Hospital: Teaching behavioral science and the humanities to dental students - a new model of context-based learning via electronic games
2021.5.5 NYCU Teacher Community of SDG, Educational Tehchnology, and Innovative Teaching Stratgies: Teaching behavioral science and the humanities to dental students - a new model of context-based learning via electronic games
2022 Fall:  Graduate Seminar, Department of Dentistry, NYCU
2021 Fall:  Behavioral Dentistry, Department of Dentistry, NYCU


List of our games (just click and play!)

Scholar Things
An introduction to the role of research methods in dental research (more)

Onus Abit
(Beta release!)
A strategy game about teamworking in the university (more)

We Uni
A game about the value of university education (more)

Dr. Doog, could you handle this for me?
  A game of dentist-patient interaction in clinical scenarios for Behavioral Dentistry (more)

NEKO: Tale of an Apprentice
A short story about career planning of dental students (more)

 


Game 5
Scholar Things
PLAY



(20-30 minutes to play) It's the time to welcome our new graduate students! Three students from different backgrounds gather together to explore the mysterious institute: Ci-Eslin National Laboratory. What monsters and nightmare are waiting for them? Can they meet the challenge with supernatural power or scientific methods?


Game 4
Onus Abit
PLAY



(30-40 minutes to play)
You have a dream, don't you?
As a junior teacher in the university, you want to achieve something big. Will you work alone?
Or, will you work as a team?


Game 3
We Uni
PLAY



(10-15 minutes to play) In the year 2075, all the universities in Taiwan have been merged into a single university: the Planet Central University (PCU). The PCU is ranked as No.1 in the Earth and the whole galaxy, well, of course.

The students from the PCU are not ordinary students but 'supreme-dents'. Now, please help these supreme-dents to re-discover the true value of university education, which has been buried for many years.



Game 2
Dr. Doog, could you handle this for me?
  PLAY (educational version)



Well, no matter what you do, there are always some patients shouting at you. No matter what you try to do, there are always things screwed up. But no worry. Dr. Doog is watching you! 


Features

- A text adventure with stories and choices made by you.

- 30-40 minutes to play per run

- Try different choices for each run and see their influences

- 17 scenarios of true interaction with dental patients in a local clinic

- There is no cat but a dog!



Game 1
NEKO: Tale of an Apprentice
PLAY



What if everyone has the same superpower to be a good dentist?
Do you really think that you've got that superpower? What about telepathy to read patients' minds? If you're endowed with that kind of superpower
- Will that be a gift or a curse?


Features
- An electronic short story about the dental practice, ethics, and business.
- Very short length: just 20-25 minutes to play.
- A story that inspires students to think about their future career.
- There is no dog but a cat!