Comments on Learning Science Meets Game Design: What Educational Games Offer

I believe that comes under the same distinction as...

2010-03-04T10:23:38.845-08:00

I believe that comes under the same distinction as good teacher. Just because it is teaching, or a game, doesn't mean it's all that educational. More than that, the standard games are not intended for real life oriented learning, which an educational game is specifically designed for. It also happens to be a big place for designers to foul up the design, but that's another matter.

Sometimes I think the word "educational" in this c...

2010-03-03T14:25:23.300-08:00

Sometimes I think the word "educational" in this context is similar to the use of the word "very". Nine times out of ten, you don't need to say "I'm VERY sad" or "I'm very sorry you broke your leg". Usually, games don't need the word "educational" in front of them - the educational aspect is inherent to the game (at least the good ones!)

I think the important part to note is that good te...

2009-01-14T16:24:33.864-08:00

I think the important part to note is that good teachers use this, not most teachers.

Most learning video games are not well done, or so I've found over the years.

As for the commodification, there is a distinct trend towards making sure it doesn't ruin the efforts. So I have hope for the future.

Kia oraThe 'game' as such has been utilised approp...

2009-01-14T15:31:08.625-08:00

Kia ora

The 'game' as such has been utilised appropriately as an approach to teaching and learning. There is nothing new in this idea. Good teachers have been using the idea for centuries.

So-called digital educational games have used this approach and simply followed the logical evolution that came with the advent of elearning.

Where it all goes to mush is in the commodification of the digital educational game. The reusable learning object (RLO) got the commodification disease and within much less than a decade, what could have been a useful teaching device became scornmed (sic). RLOs became expensively useless.

The same is likely to happen with digital educational games and for the same reasons.

Catchya later
from Middle-earth

@Michael: Personally I'd use a skateboard game for...

2009-01-09T11:08:44.431-08:00

@Michael: Personally I'd use a skateboard game for projectile physics. Knowing the angles that give the best height, distance and other such projectile physics would be helpful. Grinding offers another set of physics. Practical knowledge of relevant physics makes it more robust.

@higgypiggy: It is possible. Content, access and usability combine to become easily remixable. I currently don't know of an operating set-up like that. That's part of what I want to accomplish with the content module I'm building, in the long run.

I think that the original post on why not to build...

2009-01-09T08:49:14.130-08:00

I think that the original post on why not to build an educational game is vastly oversimplified, and assumes a homogeneous notion of what is an educational game. That being said, one of the big challenges that I've found with educational gaming, or what I've seen offered as an educational game in the past, is that I've yet to really see a good balance between production costs and pedagogical benefit. Some of Chris Dede's work, for example, is very interesting, but is so resource intensive as to make it grossly out of reach of what most of us are doing. The work going on at the University of Wisconsin Madison, from the little I know of it, seems to suffer from the same challenges. Most of the rapid development models that I've seen people present on over the years seem to emphasize drill and kill, behavioristic learning. Is there a way to develop rich, interactive gaming environments that allow instructors to teach robust, conceptual knowledge and that allow students to explore and construct meaning and build complex schemas that *doesn't* require a prohibitively huge investment? Perhaps I'm being naive in asking...

Regardless, thank you for the thoughtful discussion. Much to chew on.

I hate the term "educational games" because I thin...

2009-01-06T14:32:42.655-08:00

I hate the term "educational games" because I think all learning should be game-like. I also hate the term "serious games" because that seems to suck the fun out of the interaction. However, I don't have a better nom to proffer.

I love the idea of using games to teach:
* They are fun. Lectures are rarely fun.
* You can do things you can't do in real life (or do easily; or do without life-threatening consequences).
* They encourage trial and error and failure without penalty. The only way you learn a game is to fail.
* Every instance of a game (at least in a MMOG) is unique, just as every real-world issue is unique.
* Game modding is a constructivist activity.
* Online gaming is communicative and social and a truly connectivist implementation.
* The most popular games are built on a strong narrative thread and embed users (learners) in problem-based environments.

At the same time, creating a skateboard game to teach trig (angle the ramp to make the jump) seems somewhat trivial; what's worse are the "educational games" that require the learner to answer a question in order to move to the next level. What we need to do is deconstruct the big ideas of a discipline and then construct multiplayer online game environments that allow learners to explore those ideas among themselves. I'm not necessarily in favor of eliminating the role of the academy; perhaps novice players are assisted by mentors (although these might simply be more advanced learners/gamers). This is how I see my own children doing their homework anyway: a dozen IM windows open: a debate on a local band in one window; helping someone with a History assignment in another; receiving help on a Calculus problem in yet another.

I'm so careful about that too. Oh well, time to ed...

2009-01-06T11:06:40.444-08:00

I'm so careful about that too. Oh well, time to edit for typos.

It's 'Stephen'. With a 'ph'. Thanks.

2009-01-06T05:41:50.672-08:00

It's 'Stephen'. With a 'ph'. Thanks.