What Can Video Games Teach Us About Instructional Design?
What Can Video Games Teach Us About Instructional Design?
What Can Video Games Teach Us About Instructional Design?
ByJohn Spencer
July 03, 2018
Summary
When I was a kid, I used to spend hours playing Tetris. I would zone out everything else and hit a state of hyperfocus.
Intrinsic motivation
Video games are engaging because they are fun. But so is learning. Learning is fun when students get to chase their curiosity or geek on their favorite topics in a Genius Hour Project.
Incremental Success
The best video games have small successes that people go through. In some cases, this involves a series of levels . But in some cases, users move through the levels by creating something on their own. My son loves Minecraft and yet the success has been incremental, as he slowly learns the craft of Minecraft. What I've realized is that tasks are more engaging when success is incremental. There's some fascinating research that people will work harder when they are closer to reaching a goal .
Find the Balance of Challenge and Perceived Skill
One of the key lessons in Flow Theory is that people are more likely to hit a state of flow when there is a high challenge and a high perceived skill level. If a task is too easy, people get bored.
Embrace Conflict
Every great game begins with a challenge, a problem, or a conflict. Some of these are more narrative-driven and others are simply a nagging challenge that you want to solve Great conflicts can make us feel more alive. They can get us excited about what we are doing.
When you focus on conflict, you are able to create suspense in the classroom.
Make it Intuitive
Two years ago, when my middle school students were creating their Scratch Video Projects, we explored the idea of allowing someone to play a game without having to give them instructions. A student asked me, “What would it look like to make class assignments and class projects so that people could begin them without having to read directions?” I'm not sure what the answer is there, but it shaped the way I redesigned the classroom space.
Incorporate Instant Feedback
The best video games provide instant feedback. Players know where they have been, where they are, and where they are going. They don't have to stop what they are doing in order to see their progress. I wonder what it would mean to craft more assignments and projects in a way that students could articulate their own progress without having to stop what they are doing.
Reference
Spencer, J. (2018, July 03). What Can Video Games Teach Us About Instructional Design? Retrieved August 07, 2020, from http://www.spencerauthor.com/video-games/