Engagement Through Praxis in Educational Game Design

Abstract

Background. Engagement in praxis, the process of acting and reflecting in a cyclical fashion, fosters the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills among educational game designers. Resulting from this process, designers can apply their learned skills to create highly engaging educational games. Aim. This study examines the game development process of 22 international game designers from business, government, and academia as they describe their engagement in praxis when designing educational games. Method. Building upon research on reflective practice, this article provides insights on how engagement in praxis can be framed as a tool for educational game design that naturally promotes learning and motivation during gameplay. The researchers examine common threads that illustrate the process that educational video game designers use to create games. Results. Four common threads or themes were pulled from in-depth interviews with each designer. In this article, we focus on engagement in designing and applying game mechanics, engagement in content and context in educational games, feedback as an indicator of motivation and engagement, and working within project constraints to create engaging experiences.