SUMMARY

In this OER, looked at the past, present and future of Game-Based Learning by focusing on select games and design strategies through GBL’s short life, and its trajectory of transformation. The discussions in our activity discussions showed that our classmates have not only an affinity for past games, but a desire to include new ones through a variety of approaches. There was a spirit of optimism among the class that GBL will continue to increase in educational value through design and course integration into the future.

Final Thoughts on Activity 1

The comments indicate that the overwhelming game of choice was Lemonade Stand. Maybe we have lots of marketing people in our class. Many of the users who played this game attested to how good it would be to use it as a "hook" or intro into financial literacy or business courses.

Lemmings was the second game of choice and its game merits seem to show it was a good game to play for increasing problem solving and critical thinking skills.

Math Blaster Plus brought up the rear and was nicknamed "mad minutes" by one classmate.

All in all the class found Lemmings difficult to play since there was lack of instructions, but others who were exposed to it in the past, just breezed through it and thought it had many merits. Lemonade stand, although the interface was antiquated, had one classmate introduce it to the class. Good initiative there. Math Blaster showed us that if you are accustomed to a mouse going backwards and can only play with a keyboard, makes the game less appealing.

Our survey showed that the class was split on whether they were exposed to Apple II of Commodore 64 games-52% to 48% respectively. Our classmates preferred ever so slightly the Logo game(56%) to Odell Lake (44%). The comments showed that our classmates thought these 2 games showed problem solving and trial and error were the types of learning best described for these games. An overwhelming 60% of our classmates have GBL in their line of work and 76% think GBL has merits within the workplace. 88% think GBL has pedagogical value and 76% think they would incorporate GBL into their teaching. Comments for the last question in the survey were varied but all in all thought GBL brings better engagement to the class.

Survey Results

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Final Thoughts on Activity 2

Responses to the discussion questions seem to cover a variety of experiences with Game Based Learning. Those who have incorporated Digital Game Based Learning have commented that most of the games and simulations they have tried have been well received by both students and educators. Many commented on how games effectively increased motivation, engagement, creativity, problem solving and achievement. There was much discussion regarding coding games like Scratch and Hour of Code. It seems that there is an increased interest in this type of gaming where students are able to create games and stories while learning algorithms and computer programming at the same time.

A major barrier around Game Based Learning is the lack of built in assessment. As discussed in the OER and discussion. Game Based Learning is still in its infancy and the need to change assessment and testing in schools is apparent. While educational games thrive in areas such as Science Math and Global Citizenship, our classmates commented on the lack of higher level games for writing. This is definitely an area that could use further research and development This gap in educational tools is most likely related to the difficulty of incorporating assessment into Game Based Learning.

There were mixed feelings on incorporating games in the workforce. Some thought that the use of badges would be motivational and simulations would allow students to engage more deeply with the information needed to learn. However, some thought gaming would not be well received as many would not buy into the idea as readily as children in school.

Final Thoughts on Activity 3

Only two classmates participated in this optional activity and one tried playing with it just for amusement. With the new trend in integration of mobile learning, game mechanics and story telling, story-based learning games with teaching contents makes learning more engaging and fun. Based on the comments, some agreed that there’s a good deal of potential value in digital games for education because it involves developing strategy, creation of and complying with complex rule systems, imagination, eye-hand coordination, cooperation and collaboration, and achievement of goals and objectives like a comment suggested. Some indicated they would be willing to try for their classes. Another comment was supportive of the idea because it allows more students to see the other side of gaming and how much effort it would take for even a small task to be accomplished.

One critical problem identified in the comments was that it was only available in IOS. So those who do not have an IOS device would not be able to try using this tool. Another comment also suggested that the level of complexity, effort and time commitment could discourage learners from trying this tool. One comment suggested that this game might not be suitable for students below Grade 7 because it takes a long time to pick it up and the editor of the tool was not very visually friendly. I believe that with technological advancement, this platform will continue to improve and become more hands-on and user-friendly; also, more people would have a chance to try it when Android/PC alternatives become available. In conclusion, this platform is just one step forward in the direction for more variety of different types of educational technologies to be used in future classrooms.

This Open Educational Resource was created by:

Craig Brumwell, Christie Hui, Roma Kohutiak, Brittany Reid and Catherine Steeves

We give the final word to Scot Osterweil, research director of The Education Arcade at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for his take on games.