Introduction to the Theory of Game Elements
Following from my recent posts about games (and simulations) in education I came across this wonderful presentation by Aki Järvinen. Although written 3 years ago, it still seems relevant to the theory behind a game , especially if, like me, you are just starting out on creating games / simulations in an educational setting.
Introduction to the Theory of Game Elements
Interesting stuff.
Also worth a note is this post I found through Tony Karrer on “Games and Simuations” where Karl Kapp is interviewed about everything from “video games to virtual 3D worlds, their cognitive advantages and future trends in online learning.”
Karl says;
“As learning professionals, we need to leverage 3D virtual immersive environments for real, contextual-based learning. These virtual environments are great learning tools but are not being used properly.”
Hi David-
There sure are a lot of conceptual books and presentations about game design out there, huh? This presentation makes some great points. But now, I sure would like one that says: “If you’re building a game to teach such-and-such subject, your best approach is this…” In the ILS and educational sim biz, we need pragmatic tips for speedy development that result in motivating, interesting, and most importantly effective sims . Here are a couple of mine:
– If you want to teach cognitive subjects that have a procedural application, such as analyzing a crime scene to track down a killer, use the Hero’s Journey template for the narrative.
– Beware the temptation to make the simulations too gamey. While helpful in the motivation to play, too much gaminess adds many, many hours to the development time and can potentially dilute the learning. Don’t get me wrong though – gaminess is good, but we instructional designers often have to reel game designers back in to finish the sims-with-some-game-elements done in time and on budget.
Just some food for thought.
As always, keep the great information coming!
Brian
Brian
Thanks for this, very useful
Kind regards, David.