Classifying Learning Objectives in Commercial Games, Proof of Concept

Abstract

An important step towards gaining an understanding of how a particular medium can be used most effectively in education is to study its outstanding examples, regardless of their original purpose. It is assumed that “good” games already embody sound pedagogy in their designs even if that incorporation was not deliberate. The work described here is intended as a proof of concept for a larger study in progress. The following paragraphs will examine two games: one a commercial and critical success and the other designed deliberately as an educational game. The commercial game will be viewed as though it had been designed as a learning object. Through this perspective, it is possible to identify and classify built-in learning objectives and from there to associate the mechanisms and strategies employed to teach them. A significant outcome of the final work will be to describe how the existing strategies used to promote “learning objectives” in commercial video games can be used in the design of educational games. An additional outcome will be a synthesis of the core requirements for instructional design of digital games for learning. Anyone who makes a distinction between games and learning doesn't know the first thing about either.