Finding the learning moments in games
Two stories to illustrate the potential of Games for Learning
Defining the Games for Learning market
As I help to define the vision for Kizzu and our products, I’ve been looking to apply a rigorous definition to our corner of the e-Learning market, which is growing rapidly:
The global market for education is $4.4 trillion, and poised to grow significantly over the next five years. — IBIS Capital, London investment bank
Our positioning within that market is to be the leading publisher of Games for Learning, an emerging market in which revenues are predicted to double by 2017 from 2013.
Games vs. Lessons
At the start of the week, I asked the question Are you publishing ‘Games for Learning’ or ‘Edutainment?’
I believe this is an important distinction, because historically, educational games have floundered – and Games for Learning are a very different animal. It is a market defined by:
Games-literate adults making apps for games-literate children.
This is a games-first approach to the educational industry. Educational goals sit equally alongside other important features, such as gameplay, narrative, sound design, level design – and all the criteria we would use to review a mainstream game.
Or as I put it on Twitter more succinctly:
If a gamer wants to play it, it’s a game. If a student will play it, primarily to better understand something, it’s a lesson.
Games for Learning as anecdotal evidence
There is not a strong body of ‘prior art’ when it comes to Games for Learning.
Instead, there are two stories I like to use as illustration.
Story 1: The Accidental Medic
Paxton Galvanek, a self-confessed ‘online videogame dork’, was playing a popular online game called America’s Army, and as with many online multiplayer games, he was looking for any way to improve the skills of his game character.
As you do in these games, completing a quest results in a reward that provides you with bonuses and attributes which further your progression through the game.
One such quest involved mastering ‘medic skills’ – which Paxton dutifully learned in the game. He was rewarded and continued playing without a second thought.
Until one day, when he witnessed an accident – and realised he knew how to assist the injured.
Paxton was able to perform the basic first-aid skills that he learned from the game without realising they had a practical application in the real world.
Story 2: Facilitated Déjà Vu
When I was working with an outsourced development company in St. Petersburg on a project, I would occasionally visit the city to discuss requirements with the team.
After a day’s work, we took advantage of the ‘white nights’ in order to do some sightseeing late into the evening.
On one of these occasions, we made our way into Palace Square.
I was immediately struck by an odd sense of déjà vu. Not in the usual sense of vague familiarity– I could remember very specific, minute details. The ornamentation of the palace windows. The grid pattern of the tiles in the square.
I was completely dumbfounded until I remembered something:
In 2002, five years prior to my visiting St. Petersburg, I had been an avid player of a game, Hitman 2. It was a stealth game that required a keen attention to detail as you found hiding spots and moved from place to place, hoping to remain undetected.
Needless to say, I would typically fail my missions and have to play them repeatedly until I discovered the path to success.
So I had, without realising it, done extensive study on the architecture and ornamentation found in the city of St. Petersburg.
Learning moments
These two stories illustrate a key feature of Games for Learning– learning moments.
Learning moments are elements of a game that require the mastery of specific information through the natural course of gameplay.
Key to understanding the difference between games and lessons is this– Paxton Galvanek would not have played a game about first-aid training, nor would I have played a game about the architecture of St. Petersburg.
Because that would be boring.
Instead, we both played robust, complete games. These games fit into well-defined genres such as online multiplayer and stealth first-person shooter. No one asked us to play these games.
We play these games because they are fun!
However, whether or not it was the intentional act of the game designers,or if they unwittingly imparted their own knowledge acquired through research for the game design — we learned something.
That, by definition, is a learning moment.
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