Most of us prefer to walk backward into the future, a posture that may be uncomfortable but which at least allows us to keep on looking at familiar things as long as we can. - Charles Handy By now, the news that a game can be a useful medium for education has reached almost everyone, and it is hard to find a single education or professional development conference that does not include a track on games. We are told that games are motivating (Marsh, 2010) and that games are even good for us (McGonigal, 2011). Hardly a week goes by that one does not find an article on games in newsfeeds devoted to education, formal schooling, and professional or corporate training. Everyone, it seems is now in the business of building games for learning. However, designing an educational game involves much more than simply wrapping a game around instruction. A game cannot be thought of as merely a vehicle for the delivery of instruction. We tried that in the 80’s (the “Edutainment Era’) and it didn’t work. Game design is a highly complex process and to undertake the design of a game for learning without understanding game design is like trying to write the next Broadway hit without knowing anything about theatre. Game designers complain that the “ed guys” suck all the fun out of games, and instructional designers accuse game designers of sucking all the learning out of their games. So what should we do? How can we build a game that is both a good game AND good instruction? This talk will highlight some of the issues involved in the design of games for learning and offer an approach to the design of such games that combines key design elements from the three foundational disciplines: education, games, and simulation.

1. 1Educational Game Design - 2012Katrin Becker
Educational Game
Design
Getting it Right
This Time
Katrin Becker
“If we teach today's students as
we did yesterday's, we are
robbing them of tomorrow.”
— John Dewey

2. 2Educational Game Design - 2012Katrin Becker
Today….
• Who do we need to design games?
• What do we need to design games?
• Intro (mine)
• What makes a game
good?
• Are We There Yet?
• Afterthought…
What About
Gamification?

3. 3Educational Game Design - 2012Katrin Becker
Who Am I?
Katrin Becker, PhD

4. 4Educational Game Design - 2012Katrin Becker
Background (mine)
• ~30 yrs Higher Ed (teaching - CS)
• PhD Educational Technology (
Game Design) 2008
• 20 years school hatching program
(teacher support)
• 3 kids, all gamers

5. 5Educational Game Design - 2012Katrin Becker
What am I
Playing Now?

6. 6Educational Game Design - 2012Katrin Becker
Inception When gamers
make games we
often get hollow
games.
Skinning a game
with ‘learnin’

“edufication” ????

7. 7Educational Game Design - 2012Katrin Becker
Inception When educators
make games we
often get
“edutainment”
Wrapping a game around
instruction

“education (is) a bitter medicine
that needs the sugar-coating of
entertainment to become
palatable” M.Resnick

8. 8Educational Game Design - 2012Katrin Becker
Is Focused Design Necessary?
Game Designers:
All we need is sound
game design.
Instructional
Designers:
All we need is
sound ID.
*Accuracy applies to
some aspects only.
AND:
The need for
accuracy*
necessitates the
incorporation of
simulation design
principles.
NEITHER are sufficient.

9. 9Educational Game Design - 2012Katrin Becker
Experiential:
All (Digital) Games are Simulations
Experimental:
Answer a
“What If?”
question.
Provide an experience

10. 10Educational Game Design - 2012Katrin Becker
Is Focused Design Necessary?
Game Design:
focus is on
experience
Instructional
Design:
focus is on
content
Simulation:
focus is on
accurate
model
implementation

11. 11Educational Game Design - 2012Katrin Becker
Synergy
Each one alone is not
enough.
We need them all.

12. 12Educational Game Design - 2012Katrin Becker
Designing Instruction
A.D.D.I.E.

13. 13Educational Game Design - 2012Katrin Becker
Designing Instruction

14. 14Educational Game Design - 2012Katrin Becker
Designing Simulations
1. Describe the Model
2. Gather Data
 Create Conceptual
Model
3. Validate
4. Create Operational Model
5. Verify
6. Translate into Simulation
7. Test

15. 15Educational Game Design - 2012Katrin Becker
Simulations

16. 16Educational Game Design - 2012Katrin Becker
Designing
Games
Jesse Schell, Art of Game Design, 2009
1. Choosing a goal and a topic
(Objective and Premise).
2. Research and preparation.
3. Design Phase
1. Input Output Structure
(Interface)
2. Game Structure (Gameplay
and Game Mechanics)
3. Program Structure
4. Evaluation of the Design
4. Pre-Programming Phase
5. Programming Phase
6. Playtesting Phase
7. Post-Mortem The Art of Computer Game Design (Crawford)

17. 17Educational Game Design - 2012Katrin Becker
Designing
Games
Why are we
playing?
Where are we
playing?
How are we
playing?

18. 18Educational Game Design - 2012Katrin Becker
Synergy:
Serious
Instructional
Design

19. 19Educational Game Design - 2012Katrin Becker
Synergy:
Serious Instructional Design
Design
Team
Game
Design
Instructional
Design
Simulation
Design
Subject
Matter
Experts

20. 20Educational Game Design - 2012Katrin Becker
Thanks!
Katrin Becker
The Guide to
Computer
Simulations
and Games