Gamification

[James Kerr]

My main concern about using gaming as a learning tool is the motivation for the game product itself; if the motivation of the game is to make money, as in Runescape, then it can be very easy for players to get sidetracked from the learning.  There are some lessons that can be tied to playing Runescape, but its use in a learning setting would have to be tempered.  Runescape is not a service made available for educational purposes; it is a business, and its model is to generate income from in-game purchases.

The game “Lost in the City” is interesting as an exercise in following directions and solving puzzles, but it, too, is an entertainment/business model, not primarily an educational tool.

The game “Notpron” is intriguing, but ultimately too frustrating to continue playing.  There was not enough ‘hook’ to keep me interested, nor did I really feel as though there were any learning opportunities there (beyond trivia questions).  There is potential for exploration of the mechanics of web pages, site construction, and client/server model, specifically in terms of HTTPD.

Finally, Strategy: Westward reminded me of The Oregon Trail, an old-school educational program that was very popular for many years. This game felt as though it wrapped entertainment around learning very well, and could present learning in an engaging way.

[Anna Warren]

Hi James,

If we are concerned with getting “side tracked” from the learning – are we saying that there is a prescriptive route that needs to be taken in order for learning to occur? The reason I ask this, other than to be slightly provocative (!) is that I was involved in running some teaching sessions in World of Warcraft. It was really quite striking how much “unintended” and additional learning took place that hadn’t been part of the intended learning outcomes of the sessions. Our choice of game was deliberate – we wanted to explore the educational / learning possibilities afforded by a commercial off-the-shelf  (COTS) game. As a massively multiplayer online (MMO) and  pervasive game, we lacked a fair bit of control over the environment and what events might transpire. Each session was markedly different whilst still having the same basic outline structure. It was a calculated risk not to use a “walled garden” and all the participants had already had a fair degree of experience of learning in and using Second Life prior to this. I think in general the benefits outweighed the problems.

There are some excellent examples of WoW being used in education for management purposes, citizenship, economics etc. Whilst, as you say, they are designed purely for income generation, I think it’s possible to harness the deeply immersive experience and seamless design to great effect.

As an aside – interesting to note that you also had a similar reaction to Notpron as Sue and I!

Anna

[AliSheph]

Wow Anna, that sounds pretty brave!  I’m teaching on a new module next semester that uses a tailored online business game (I teach in a business school) – it’s quite small scale but quite complex, so we think there will be elements of students going up blind alleys, but that’s part of the experience.  I think I will be sitting on my hands at times, trying not to interfere too much.  I think it should be an interesting experience for all concerned!

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