Introduction
Game-based Learning (GBL) is the use of actual games to achieve specific learning goals. You’ve probably heard the term before, along with “learning games” and “serious games”. The truth is they’re all basically the same thing; people playing these games will either learn something, or be able to do something, after playing them.
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Benefits of GBL
Digital games have been shown to promote skills such as spelling, reading, domain-specific learning outcomes in physics, health, biology, mathematics, medicine, and computer science (Van Eck, 2015). They can improve cognitive abilities such as divided attention, knowledge mapping, and spatial visualization. digital games allow the player to acquire “the skills and thought processes needed to respond appropriately under pressure, in a variety of situations” (Trybus, 2014) as well as “develop high-level thinking skills such as problem-solving, strategic thinking, resource management, planning and execution, and adaptation to changing work scenarios” (Shi & Shih, 2015). GBL also allows a risk-free environment to practice socializing through cooperation, competition, and conflict, developing skills that can be transferred to similar applications in “real life”. Finally, GBL allows for “graceful failure”, where learners can develop a growth mindset that shows them that failure can be a positive opportunity to try new things.
The Essence of GBL
So we know that GBL helps people learn or do things, but what makes GBL “tick”? How do these games provide such benefits, and what’s the “magic” that makes them so engaging, so addictive, so useful for learning?
Unfortunately there is no “general theory of GBL”, as games themselves can apply virtually any model of learning in any combination. However, all successful GBL experiences have something very important in common: great design.
Just like in the video game industry at large, poorly designed GBL experiences will fail. Most users need to be engaged by your game in order to learn. The developers of the most successful games know they must design their games in such a way as to ensure affective, behavioural, cognitive and social/cultural engagement through a carefully-balanced “challenge-response-feedback” loop (Plass, Homer, & Kinzer, 2015). This extreme care taken to craft a quality learning experience results in an experiment few other learning environments can achieve.
Unfortunately there is no “general theory of GBL”, as games themselves can apply virtually any model of learning in any combination. However, all successful GBL experiences have something very important in common: great design.
Just like in the video game industry at large, poorly designed GBL experiences will fail. Most users need to be engaged by your game in order to learn. The developers of the most successful games know they must design their games in such a way as to ensure affective, behavioural, cognitive and social/cultural engagement through a carefully-balanced “challenge-response-feedback” loop (Plass, Homer, & Kinzer, 2015). This extreme care taken to craft a quality learning experience results in an experiment few other learning environments can achieve.
The Nitty-Gritty of Engagement
The design elements above are quite general, even vague, for the uninitiated. What do these elements actually look like within a game? See below for some common examples.
Story |
Story can reinforce learning objectives and add an additional level of learning.
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Game Mechanics & Interactivity |
Interactivity keeps learners engaged.
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Rules |
Rules can help deliver learning objectives, often through “soft” failures, where incurring a penalty from breaking the rules can help learners to change their behaviour and learn from their mistakes.
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Immersive Graphic Environment |
A game’s graphics game should help represent and reinforce the learning objective.
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Challenge / Competition |
Allowing learners to challenge each other.
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Risks / Consequences |
GBL tends to be risk-free, allowing learners to practice essential skills in virtual environments before potentially applying them in high-risk scenarios.
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Optional Viewing - "Why GBL Engages Students" (4m51s)