Task/Activity
Discuss the complexity of walking the fine-line of developing a mobile game that is educational, while at the same time ensuring it is entertaining and engaging for students. Highlight some strategies developers might use to get the learner “hooked” while simultaneously satisfying educators. Explore the characteristics that truly make an educational mobile game successful. (please use this blog page to make your comments and add to the discussion below using ‘reply‘)
The problem with games in education until very recently is that designers have leaned too far towards making games educational rather than entertaining and engaging. The result has been the Jepordification of learning, where most educational games resemble some sort of format of Jepordy. People will learn nothing from an education game, mobile or not, unless they actually feel compelled to play it. Mindshacks, profiled here, reaches a balance between cognitive learning and entertainment. A lot of hours must have gone into the development of this app. It is easy to pick up, you can play it any time you have a few seconds, and there is incentive to learn. To develop a game development strategy, we should ask ourselves why Angry Birds has been downloaded over 500 million times. David Kelly identifies these characteristics of the game that makes it successful ( http://www.mindflash.com/blog/2012/04/what-angry-birds-can-teach-us-about-instructional-design/):
1) You can pick it up and begin exploring and playing immediately.
2) There is no single right answer
3) There is opportunity and incentive to practice
4) It is mobile
5) It scafolds
6) There is incentive for better performance
By focusing on what what makes a games compelling to play, rather than learning content alone, it may be possible to design games to “hook” learners while they actually learn.
Thanks for breaking ground Chris. I think you bring up a really good point, when you discuss how game designers, until recently, focussed too much on the education and not enough on the engagement. As educators, it seems we cling to tradition really tightly and the evolution of education is a slow process. Reminds me of the story David Vogt mentioned from Neil Postman that “if you took a surgeon from the year 1912 and put them in a year 2012 operating room they wouldn’t even recognize their workplace, let alone be able to operate, while if you took a teacher from 1912 and put them in a year 2012 classroom they’d pick up the chalk and get right to work.” Maybe we are finally starting to get the point.
David McInnes (BTW thanks for providing the link)
I really agree, that there should be no single right answer or at least the game should create several different outcomes if the player goes through the game more than once.
I would suggest to that the game for mobile devices engage the learner physically and mentally.
Thanks, Chris. Following your link to the Angry Birds article made download the newest version of Angry Birds Space and I have not been able to get any work done since. Why is it so additive and why is it that the birds make me more angry than the pigs?
I agree that educational gaming has leaned too far toward the educational part and not far enough towards the entertaining aspect of game playing. Luckily, there have been great strides taken with all the Apps that have been created lately and the push for students to learn something while they play. I think some of the responsibility lies on the teachers and parents, still, as they encourage learning and need to restrict game playing for entertainment purposes only. I see far too many kids that play games with no educational value into the night and then struggle to make it to class in the morning or complete homework assignments. The worlds of education and entertainment are becoming more and more interconnected as time goes on just as the work-home relationship is.
As we create technology that is increasingly human-like we don’t mind using it in all aspects of our lives.
Dennis
Great points, Chris. I agree – a game can have great educational content, but if no one plays it, then no one learns from it.
Janet
Hi Chris,
I’ve already seen evidence of all of these characteristics of successful games at work with my three-year old. While she can’t read, she can make extensive use of games for literate children if the design is such that it promotes exploration and trial and error.
So-called education games, on the other hand, can be completely counter-intuitive and too restrictive to engage learners. Last semester in ETEC 510 we had to ‘test drive’ some academic games and discuss them. One of the games (Contagion! a computer game, not mobile) was the prime example of poor interface, complicated (non-existent) instructions and lack of incentive for performance. It was one of the worst games I have ever attempted to play in my life, and sadly, it was an ‘educational game’.
Thanks for the link to the David Kelly article. I’ve never investigated Angry Birds in the past but was more curious than ever after reading your post. I installed a couple of Angry Birds apps on my iPad and as the article said, began play right away. There is definitely something to be said for this type of trial and error game. Spending time exploring Angry Birds was an excellent reminder that for educational games to be appealing they have to focus more on entertainment and less on education.
I see mobile games as an area with lots of room for growth and engagement with students across the grades and curricula. However, there needs to be a balance of complexity, overt education, scoring, and choice.
To get players hooked, the learning or education component should be an under current rather than blatantly obvious. The user should be attempting to achieve a goal or outcome which is both complex enough to make the player have to work to succeed, but not so challenging that they are thwarted. Providing learners with choices and consequences (player dies) can also provide further engagement.
Since a large contigent of todays learners expect to interact social over media a component to either play simultaneously with peers or against peers, or also a scoring system which has them in competition with peers if game play is solo, may also create hooks and engagement.
For games to be successful, the educators need to perceive value in the games and work to create opportunities to discuss the learning, which is happening in the games.
Dave
There are so many possibilities with educational mobile games. However we need to be careful to keep in mind the goal behind the game. Mindless entertainment may keep students occupied for a short period of time and games that are too text booky will turn students off. I think we need to keep in mind the educational goal behind the game and then immerse students in an interactive environment, solving a mystery or creating solutions to problems.
Strategies to hook learners:
• Games should be strategy based/goal oriented
• Should include problem solving with multiple options
• Interactivity between the player and the game environment
• Immediate feedback /hints embedded in the environment
• Ease of use
• scaffolding
Hi Valerie,
Great points! Especially on problem solving! It would be ideal if learners are collaborating in the game to solve the problem in competition with other players. I think this adds to the success of MMORPGs. Educations needs to tap into the success of these games.
Danielle
Good point Danielle. Collaboration and competition would add to the success of the game.
Great presentation Week 6 Group!
I think the keys to a successful educational (mobile) games are that include the following:
– free! Who is going to download a learning game that costs money?
– connected to learners’ interests as this activates intrinsic motivation
– goal oriented which challenges learners to gain both competence and control
– to add the the last point, as competence and control is achieved, a points or level system enables learners to challenge each other, also improving motivation
– influence over the course of the game to give the learner a sense of control. However, the influence cannot be too easy – a certain amount of tension is required to keep their interest.
– elements of surprise! Monotony will bore learners!
Humans were made to have fun – it is built into our genes. Learners will apply themselves if they are curious, interested and enjoying what they are learning (regardless of whether they are playing a game or not). Having fun is a basic human need and the more often learners have fun, the more likely they are to apply themselves. Educators and administrators must therefor stop underestimating the value of “fun” and “games” in learning.
Danielle
Danielle, you mentioned an important factor in educational game design – tension. It is on the point of being uncomfortable and ‘on the edge’ that makes video gaming so effective. That sense of ‘will I make it?’ along with the knowledge that there are infinite ‘do-overs’ that make it challenging in a safe environment.
Helen
Hi Danielle,
I had not thought of integrating elements of surprise – that would make it fun and motivating at the same time! And it is a good point that if the game is fun participants are more likely to apply themselves.
Marie-France
I love the points you make, Danielle. I think we all remember and engage more when we are having fun. They have found a way to make video games interactive and a source of exercise, there is no reason that we can’t find a way to make educational games fun and fun games educational!
Janet
Educational games that effectively teach can be any games designed to be:
• open ended, allowing for multiple possible conclusions
• creative, allowing for building or creating elements of the game (eg. Little Big Planet)
• social, allowing networking and communication to occur while playing
• surprising, allowing humour, mystery, adventure to engage the player
• has a compelling story, allowing for purpose to drive the learning
The ultimate power in applying games to learning, in mobile, game stations or board game formats, is in allowing children to create their own games. Taking a familiar and well played game as a basis for creating something new and unique, is an effective learning tool. Taking the idea of a ‘quest’ and merging it with ‘where in the world’ then adding a new twist, such as ‘where in the school?…. is ?’, will have students creating their own real life game within familiar settings with familiar game progressions and stories.
Helen
Hello Helen,
You mention several important elements an educational game should have . . . I think games should integrate various elements of creativity, encouraging participants to change scenarios, characters and so on. This I believe allows a student to ‘own’ the game and as such ‘own’ their learning.
Marie-France
Hello,
I believe it is complex to find a balance between a mobile game that is both educational and engaging. Here are some strategies I think could work:
– Making sure the game is free
– Making sure the game can be played on many different devices
– Adressing a particular age group instead of trying to please ages 8 to 16 – which in my own mind does not work
– Games need to be attractive visually – so graphics are important to a certain degree
– Using themes students are already familiar with (t.v. characters, heroes, trends etc.) will immediately attract attention – but I know there are copyrigts involved here
– Testing your game on various audiences (this includes teachers and students) and then adjusting according to comments made
– Having different levels of difficulty to your game – so users are encouraged to challenge and surpass themselves
– Having the possibility to play with partners or in groups
– Advertising and marketing the games through schools, colleges, universities etc.
– Developing partnerships with existing games or entities so you start off with a targeted audience
Marie-France
Marie-France
Hi Marie-France
I think that is a good point about having games targeted to particular ages group rather than trying to hit an entire group. With the development of games in partnership with existing game entities would you envision the gaming entity creating the game with input from educators or would you see it rather as educators designing content and game with backing from the entity?
Dave
Hi all
This site looks very interesting. It encourages students to
use their critical thinking skills to solve issues relating to conservation. It is intended for Junior high and High School students.
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Education/ConservationCentral/challenge/index_broadband.htm
Valerie
Hi Group!
There are such a wide variety of mobile games that I have seen learners getting hooked to without anything educational behind it and these kids spend hours on games per day. However, there are some that I have come across that serve very useful purpose in building of computer literacy in an enjoyable, non-threatening manner. I think though for an educational market the games must be related to instructional goals and objectives. I do think they should be educational based that can be used as rewards for completing assignments or to reinforce a topic just taught. Students think they are playing but are actually re-learning the concept.
In the past three years, mobile technologies have dramatically evolved, promoting the interest in m-Learning systems. Such evolution has brought new mobile devices with higher computing power, affordable and pervasive Internet connections and high quality displays which can render complex learning contents. This technological evolution comes along with a great reduction in the prices of the devices the cost of the connection services. Although the discussion on games in education is still open to debate, the academic community is beginning to accept the educational benefits of this paradigm. To make mobile games successful, it should be:
Affordable
Motivational
Interactive
Both educational and entertaining
Supply some educational content
Situated reasoning and problem solving
Engaging
A process developed by game designers and educators/curriculum designers
~Shawn
Great points Shawn, I think the one thing that drives me nuts as a teacher is looking at ‘educational’ games and seeing a game that has a good design but is overlaid with a blatent educational goal. Kind of like not being able to pass a vilan without answering a factoring a trinomial. I don’t think that these games have the advatage of being engaging and entertaining for students. The games that I found the most fun growing up were those that didn’t try to make you learn, it was just part of the game. As mobile games improve, I am certain that we will see problem solving skills increase in our students, but I think as teachers we are going to have to stress to students that those skills can be applied to their learning inside the classroom.
My apologies for being so late to reply.
Kenton
Great week Team 6!
My Late Reply:
Games allow us to create problems that may have never existed before. We can simulate problems to be solved that may find real life connections in the future– especially in the area of Science and Math.
So great educational games may have unparalleled problems that challenge beyond conventional wisdom. Problem based learning is already a staple in successful medical programs across the world.
Brian
I was intrigued by the Mind Snacks Game. I teach French and Spanish and enjoyed seeing the Spanish presentation. It would really be interesting to be able to incorporate some language games into my classes so that the students could access them on their handhelds. What would be interesting would be to have the students sort of compete against each other in an informal, fun way to try to motivate one another to learn new vocabulary etc.
Donna