One of the passionate defenders and researchers of games and game-based learning is Dr. James Paul Gee. Dr. Gee, now retired, was a linguist with a specialty in discourse analysis, who ended up finding a passion for analysis of games and their capacity as a means of learning. With a background in discourse and sociolinguistics he looks at the exchange of information, and the use of language to exchange culture, knowledge and meaning. This led him to study a lot about education and his concept of “new literacies” which looked to expand the concept of literacy to include newer technology and communication, to include digital skills beyond just reading and writing. This includes the role and use of literacies in their social context and practice, which leads inevitably to dealing with the massive popularity of video games and their influence on digital society and skills. Especially in education (see our article “Games in the Classroom”), or in workplace training (see our article “How to Succeed in Training and Assessment with Video Games”).
Dr. Gee, in his book “What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy”, came up with a list of principles for best practice in creating educational experiences in games. Recognizing how video games were incredibly successful at motivating players, helping them learn about the systems and components of the game, practice skills in game, attain knowledge about the game world and attain mastery of skills he sought to systematize the keys to their success. He came up with 13 Principles that he ordered together in three clusters – Empowered Learners, Problem Solving or Problem-Based Learning, and Deep Understanding.
Empower Learners
The first cluster of principles is Empowered Learners. This category of principles relates to how the experience integrates the player/student.. How they relate to the game/learning. How they interact with the game/learning experience. Users feel empowered when making meaningful choices, have a sense of agency, can see the value of outcomes, and can have a sense of what their decisions and participation could lead to.
The principles under this cluster are:
1. Agency / Co-Design – a player has input to shape the experience
2. Customization – they can adapt the experience to their tastes/ideas
3. Identity – they can see the value of the experience to their future self
4. Manipulation – they can influence the experience world as an extension of self
Through empowering learners good educational experiences help the learner see themselves as part of the process, they engage, shape, reimagine and value the experience. They choose to be a participant, and see themselves as part of the system/experience. These principles create the buy-in for change making that underlies the growth process and ego development.
Problem Solving or Problem-Based Learning
Games are about solving problems, whether it’s high level (aliens are invading earth, the rival gang kidnapped your girlfriend, how to make it through life without your family noticing you’re actually an octopus posing as the dad), or low level (how do I open this door, how do I beat this boss, how do I get from A to B fast enough for this challenge). Games can range from very action-oriented to very thinking-oriented, but both rely on problem solving, they simply change the types of problems and methods used to attack them. The word “problem” is an inherently negative connotation for people, but they’re more critical and useful than this gut reaction makes us feel. Problems are critical to games for a few reasons
They:
- provide a goal/focus,
- give a sense of victory/success,
- provide a basis, target or area for action/changes,
- provide a limitation or barrier to overcome,
- give something to measure success and skill against
- create a narrative flow and/or impetus,
- give the brain something to think about.
Without a problem, what would be the point? What drive would there be? What would you do? Problems provide focus and a reason to act and engage. Without problems you end up with a sandbox, which are fun, but rely on the user to create goals and purpose. By including problems we create focus that can direct and support learning, where a sandbox is purely at chance what will happen or be gained by it. The principles in this cluster are:
5. Well-Ordered Problems – the experience provides scaffolded learning
6. Pleasantly Frustrating – the challenge level creates Flow at the edge of the users competence
7. The Cycle of Expertise – Challenge causes Practice creating Knowledge allowing Mastery
8. Info – Information is presented and learned because it’s Just in Time and On Demand
9. Fish Tank – interactions and complex systems are highly visible
10. Sandboxes – the user can explore, invent and take risks
11. Skills under Strategies – strategy gives meaning and purpose to drive understanding, practice and mastery
These principles are focused on the core actions taken in the game. They highlight the best practices in the active participation in the learning experience. Where the Empowered Learners principles are means for an experience to convince players to participate, these are the critical notes to hit within the gameplay – the actions and mechanics of the experience. Having the participants already bought in to the process, these are the means of change, the actions that explore the means of change and the way to ensure learners practice them and are resilient in their learning – that they will continue through the process.
Deep Understanding
The final cluster is around deep understanding, the most profound learning outcomes that can come from an experience. While only two principles they are about ensuring the learning experience has the deepest impact possible. The two principles cover the width, depth, and relevance of learning gained through the experience. The principles of this cluster are:
12. System Thinking – see the complex base and emergent systems of interactions
13. Meaning as Action – contextual and tacit understand of how theory, symbol and action relate
By taking the learning experience to this level we see the most possible impact of the learning. Systems thinking reveals deep patterns of understanding and cognition that can translate across subject matter. Getting to appreciate emergent systems in particular is a tremendous skill for deep analytical understanding regardless of subject. To ensure this deep learning is possible the final principle is Meaning as Action, which is a bit harder to understand. This refers to the concepts of immersive or situated learning. Understanding isn’t simply being told, or reading something, it’s the comprehension from seeing the concept in action, as it applies change or value. By immersing in the learning experience and being able to manipulate, explore, and experiment the outcomes (thanks to the Empowered Learners principles) become apparent. Values, influences, and outcomes are seen (thanks to the Problem Solving principles). This allows the fullest comprehension of the factors, processes, influences, exchanges, and transformations of the full systems in action. We move the learner from a fact-listener, to a creator-designer-explorer. They can learn and know the fundamentals of systems, dig to their core, analyzing, understanding, predicting and changing them. They go from playing within a system to having the knowledge required to redesign the system or build new ones. This is the fundamental change in the learner, achieving a higher level of cognition and development.
The Bottom Line
The Gee Principles of Educational Game Design is just one framework to explore games as learning, but it’s one I highly recommend. His insights from discourse theory and learning are great insights for game designers, helping view the player as a learner. This can help game designers ensure their game is helping the user progress through it by viewing a game in light of the learning paths involved.
Game designers are definitely used to thinking about a lot of these terms. Though not necessarily with the comprehensive and holistic approach provided by the principles. For educational and promotional games specifically, the principles are critical for success (see our Testing and Polish for Education and Promotional Games article for more tips). Massive Corporation applies these principles to design its promotional and educational games for learner success and accessibility, ensuring that users achieve success through its game design. If you’ve got the need for a game for education, promotion or marketing and you need to ensure that it’ll succeed by serving the user, drop us a line (email “info” at this URL). With our decades of experience in game development and education we know these principles inside and out and build the kind of projects that succeed on their basis. We’ll be happy to talk about your project and see how we can put good learning design principles behind it.