Instructional Game Design

Games are distinct from all other digital and mass media. They share qualities with many other forms to be sure, but also have other qualities that set them apart (Egenfeldt-Nielsen 2004). While most, if not all of the qualities that make a computer game “good” (i.e. popular, engaging, entertaining, etc.) can also be found in other media, there have been few, if any, other entities that have captured the attention, time, and money of an entire generation the way games have. Given their popularity, it would seem reasonable to conclude that there is some thing or combination of things that make this medium distinct. In his seminal work on “intrinsic motivation”, Thomas Malone names four essential characteristics of good games: control, challenge, fantasy, and curiosity. (Malone, 1981, 1980a, 1980b)

If games are distinct from other forms of media, then instructional design (ID) for games is also distinct from ID for other media. The central argument of this work is that ID for games must come out of games design, rather than being imposed on top of it. And the synthesis of such an approach must come from a combination of understandings of how to design games as well as how to design instruction. This was not the case with “edutainment”, and some feel this is part of the reason why, in the words of the kids who have it inflicted upon them, most edutainment “blows”. People designing “edutainment” games (like MathBlaster) often just don't get that the learning must be integral to the game itself, not an add-on or plug-in. That means that the instructional objectives must be woven into the game design, not just the game application. With the possible exception of those few truly talented masters, it is not possible to see the possibilities and limitations of gaming without a thorough understanding of programming and software design, and it is not possible to design a game that will deliver on its instructional objectives while retaining that which makes it a good game without an understanding of learning theories, their application, and instructional design theories. There need to be people on an instructional games development team that know both, and if these are different individuals, they must be able to communicate effectively with one another.

Resources

Key Publications

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