British Journal of Educational Technology Vol 38 No 3 2007 387–393

Editorial: Play and learn: potentials of game-based

learning

Maja Pivec

Games and learning: an introduction

Many of us have grown up playing games, and in primary education games have a high
presence in nonformal and informal segments of our learning. Unfortunately, in formal
education, games are still often seen just as an unserious activity, and the potentials of
games for learning often stay undiscovered. Digital game-based learning is a novel
approach in the area of universities and lifelong learning, and the search for new
positioning of the universities in the changing setting of education; gaming is becom-
ing a new form of interactive content, worthy of exploration.
As early as the 1980s and 1990s, many scientists stated that computers, and later,
hypermedia could be used as a cognitive tool for learning. More recently, Brown (2002)
suggested that learning comes as the result of the framework or environment that
fosters learning rather than as a result of teaching. He maintains that today’s students
look upon technology as an integral part of life and a tool that they take for granted; for
many of them computing has been part of their learning since early childhood. Hence
there is a need to offer a variety of different knowledge presentations and to create
opportunities to apply this knowledge within a virtual world, thus supporting and
facilitating the learning process. To achieve that, it is necessary to provide a complex
level of interactivity stimulating the users’ engagement, and to apply different interac-
tivity concepts such as object, linear, construct or hyperlinked interactivity, nonimmer-
sive contextual interactivity as well as immersive virtual interactivity.
Despite many decades of research, the present e-learning solutions still focus on tech-
nology instead on instructional support and support of learners’; needs. Educators
often compare video games to the act of teaching and do not always embrace the
cognitive learning that modern commercial computer games can offer. Yet being an
e-learner means often being confronted with boring and poorly structured learning
materials in the form of pdf files and PowerPoint, learning within learning manage-
ment systems where interactions prove to be complicated, and where the entire
e-learning process is, in most cases, still focused on the replication of facts and data
instead of challenging the learner and enabling active interaction with the knowledge.
So, do modern e-learning technologies really support learning or does game-based
learning provide a more appropriate platform?
Digital game-based learning can also be applied as an additional option to classroom
lecturing. The intention of digital game-based learning is to address new ways of
© 2007 The Author. Journal compilation © 2007 British Educational Communications and Technology Agency. Published by
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388 British Journal of Educational Technology Vol 38 No 3 2007

ICT-based instructional design and at the same time to provide learners with the pos-
sibility to acquire skills and competencies later required in the business world. There are
specific educational domains where game-based learning concepts and approaches
have a high learning value. These domains are interdisciplinary topics where skills such
as critical thinking, group communication, debate and decision making are of high
importance. By means of digital games and especially of digital educational games,
learners should be able to apply factual knowledge, learn on demand, gain experiences
in the virtual world that can later shape their behavioural patterns and directly influ-
ence their reflection, etc. More details on aspects on game-based learning and educa-
tional games are provided in Dondi and Moretti (2005), Pivec and Dziabenko (2004)
and Pivec (2006).

When introducing digital games in learning, some research questions emerge: how can
we improve the game-based learning? Under which circumstances is a game or the
game-based learning a good and efficient instructional strategy for supporting knowl-
edge acquisition? How can we support cognitive processes within the virtual environ-
ments? These are only few of the questions worth exploring through research in the
near future. The answers to these questions will be fundamental for the new generation
of human-centred addictive (in terms of ‘highly motivating’) learning solutions.

Let us consider, based on the model of game-based learning by Garris, Ahlers and
Driskell (2002) how and when learning occurs when learners interact, eg, play a game.
The main characteristic of an educational game is the fact that instructional content is
blurred with game characteristics. The game should be motivating, so that the learner
repeats cycles within a game context; Garris et al termed this persistent reengagement,
where the player returns to the task unprompted. While repeating, eg, playing a game,
the learner is expected to elicit desirable behaviours based on emotional or cognitive
reactions that result from interaction with and feedback from gameplay.

In Figure 1, one can see the debriefing process between the game cycle and the achieve-
ment of the learning outcomes. Debriefing provides a link between simulation and the
real world, draws a relationship between the game events and real-world events and
connects game experience and learning. This part of the model corresponds, as Kolb,
Rubin and McInTyre (1971) have written, to the ‘doing, reflecting, understanding, and
applying’ process of study in a game.

Figure 1: Model of game-based learning by Garris et al (2002)

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 Editorial 389

Let us reflect upon this learning model based on an example of an adventure game. The
purpose of an adventure game is entertainment or edutainment. In adventure games
there are very complex environments, ie, microworlds, with no deterministic problem
representation. An example of a typical edutainment game is Chemicus (by Heureka-
Klett publisher; or TIVOLA for the US market), a puzzle-adventure game for self directed
learning of chemistry. Similar to Chemicus one can find an entire series of titles, eg,
Physicus, Hystorion, Informaticus, etc, by the same publishers built upon the same game
concept.

Adventure games use intrinsic motivation of the player to explore the game world.
Intrinsically motivating games incorporate learning activities in their game world. To
increase the immersion of the player, the game offers an extensive story at the begin-
ning, often related to some murder or mystery. Game characters have to solve the
mystery by solving a number of interrelated problems. In each case the problems are
part of the game and players are motivated to seek knowledge to provide a solution in
order to continue with the game. In the described game, enjoyment is strongly related to
the learning activity, which can be viewed as a desirable outcome.

Why do we choose games for learning?

Why do we play games in the first place? Usually it is to have fun, to immerse into an
imaginary world, to take the challenge and outsmart the opponents and/or win, etc.
There are probably as many slightly different reasons to play games as there are
players.

When we have a look at the games within the learning context as opposed to the activity
only for the leisure time, we have the learners’ and the teachers’; perspectives of using
games for learning. From the learners’ point of view using a game for learning can have
various meanings, eg, learning and having fun, taking the challenge and achieving
better scores, trying out different roles, being able to experiment and seeing what
happens, being able to express the feelings and to reflect about certain conflict situation,
etc. ‘My knowledge of English comes from playing Monkey Island and not from English
classes’, claimed one of the students of Information Design when discussing game-
based learning and possible benefits. ‘I could not imagine learn that much of English,
playing just an educational game, it would be more like “learning” and less “fun.”
Playing adventure games fostered development of my observation skills and problem
solving skills’, was the experience of his colleague.

From the teachers’ perspective, we choose to use games for learning to reach a new
generation of learners with a medium they are used to interact with from their child-
hood. We can offer a game for introducing a new learning topic thus raising the
learners’ interest for this topic, or as a complementary activity for many other reasons,
eg, to create a complex learning opportunity, to increase the motivation of learners and
to offer another way of interaction and communication.

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390 British Journal of Educational Technology Vol 38 No 3 2007

In some cases, games can help to establish dialogue and break social and cultural
boundaries. Games can also be used for personal development and to improve self
esteem of the player, ie, learner (Pivec, Dziabenko & Kearney, 2005). For disabled people,
digital games can offer the opportunity to experience the world in a way the majority of
us take for granted. In a study of cerebral palsy students completed by Kearney (2005),
it was found that the participants interviewed were not interested in learning games, or
games specifically designed to help them to learn or to adjust to their environment.
Rather, they wanted to play computer games that simulated the environment that
others take for granted.

Most researchers conceptualise learning as a multidimensional construct of learning

skills and cognitive learning outcomes such as procedural, declarative and strategic
knowledge and attitudes. The game-based learning model is used in some areas of
formal education very successfully, in particular, in military, medical, business, physi-
cal, etc, training. In many cases, application of games and simulations for learning
means an opportunity for learners to apply acquired knowledge and to experiment, get
feedback in form of consequences and thus gain experience in a ‘safe virtual world’.

Teachers can define their own learning tasks and quests using games and game-like
learning environments such as Thinking Worlds from Caspian Learning, thus enabling
the adaptation of a game to different educational contexts. These solutions are based on
the constructivist learning approach and collaborative learning. The major character-
istics of the constructivist approach are, among others, interaction, coping with prob-
lems, understanding of the whole, etc. From the constructivist point of view, learners
are active participants in knowledge acquisition, and are engaged in restructuring,
manipulating, reinventing and experimenting with knowledge to make it meaningful,
organised and permanent. In a game-like learning environment, learning by doing,
active learning and experiential learning step into the foreground.

There are many different off-the-shelf games that can be used in a learning context.
Several off-the-shelf products have parts of curricular information, thus making it
easier to integrate in the classes. According to Gee (2003), players often get motivated
by the current game they play to explore background knowledge and context of the
game. There are also possibilities of using low-tech solutions for playing games like
e-learning platforms, forums or chats. But which game to choose and how to use the
game in the correct context? The first question that has to be answered is ‘What do we
want that learners learn?’

A symposium titled Game-Based and Innovative Learning Approaches: A Symposium

in conjunction with SIG-GLUE (Special Interest Group for Game-based Learning in
Universities and lifElong Learning), held at ED-MEDIA 2006 in Orlando, FL, USA, was
a forum to highlight current research, developed solutions and the context of the
application of games for learning. Suzanne de Castell and Jennifer Jenson from Canada
presented Contagion, a role-playing adventure game targeted at children 10–15 (de
Castell & Jenson, 2006). Health related topics of Contagion educate players by means of

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 Editorial 391

‘serious play’ about diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), West
Nile Virus (WNV), Avian Flu, and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and
possible preventive behaviour. Nora Paul and Kathleen Hansen from the University of
Minnesota presented the results of modifying the game Neverwinter Nights to teach
journalism (Paul & Hansen, 2006). The contents of the textbook Behind the message:
information strategies for communicators, which is used in one of the core courses, are
transferred into a game. Here, the reporter must decide on the type of story angle they
will cover in response to a railroad accident and chemical spill. The aim of this game is
that students learn to organise, interact, question and evaluate information from dif-
ferent resources. Aysegul Bakar and Kursat Cagiltay from Turkey reported on their
study conducted to identify the opinions of prospective teachers on the use of games in
classroom, based on playing three commercial games Quake, The Incredible Machine and
Age of Empires (Bakar, Inal & Cagiltay, 2006). Paul Kearney and Maja Pivec (Kearney &
Pivec, 2006) presented research using eye-tracking technology, on how games create
the immersive environment that is often seen as necessary for learning.

Games for learning vary from single player to multiplayer games. Different types of
games have different sets of features that have to be considered in respect to their
application for educational purposes. For factual knowledge, improvement features
such as content engine, assessment engine and increasing level of difficulty along with
time constraints are important. To acquire precision skills, games have to be session
based, where great attention is paid to the graphical details, thus enabling immersive
simulation. In the area of decision making and problem solving skills acquisition, there
is a necessity for the following features: narrative-based games where chance is a factor,
real-time games, game situations divided into scenarios and/or specific goals relatively
simple to reach, accurate problem descriptions, real-time monitoring of the other
player/opponents’ position and activities, open-endedness, background knowledge of
content vital to successful completion or victory, etc.

Part of the process of choosing games for learning also includes the consideration of
various constraints and opportunities in the learning setting, eg, size of the student
group, technical possibilities for students, the ICT skills of students (as well as the ICT
skills of the teacher), licensing policy, sustainability, etc. A systematic approach of
introducing game-based learning and/or implementing their own game ideas is
described in detail in the book Guidelines for game-based learning (Pivec, Koubek & Dondi,
2004).

Can game-base learning change acceptance of learning?—Reports from

the field
The aim of SIG-GLUE is the establishment of structured collaboration and research in
the game-based learning area, exchange of knowledge and experience in game-based
learning, monitoring of the quality and establishing a quality seal for game-based
learning resources, thus contributing to the innovation of European and worldwide
institutions and universities.

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392 British Journal of Educational Technology Vol 38 No 3 2007

SIG-GLUE is an open community where everyone is invited and welcome to participate,

contribute and organise an activity. Apart from discussions within the working groups,
SIG-GLUE offers also other resources, such as, eg, announcements, a bimonthly news-
letter, a library where members can find and/or contribute book reviews, good practice
examples, etc, and a glossary of game-based learning. Fostering the knowledge
exchange and creating possibilities for networking is the aim of SIG-GLUE national and
international events in form of symposia and workshops.

The last SIG-GLUE workshop was about game-based learning, it took place during the
end of June at the EDEN ‘06 conference in Vienna, moderated by Maja Pivec and Paul
Kearney. The workshop was aimed at practitioners, researchers and policy makers. The
discussed topics were focused on Pros and Cons of the application of games for learning.
The participants, trying to find answers to Why don’t we use games more often in class-
rooms?, pointed at the difficulty to find games that cover the curricular topics, the low
tolerance of the environment towards the games where the games are often perceived
as unserious activity, some lecturers fear that the learning objectives would not be
reached, and others might encounter difficulties with technical resources that schools
do not have. Another important factor is the quality aspect of the games for learning
where games should have an explicit learning purpose and can be used, adapted and
adopted for supporting, improving and fostering learning processes within formal, non-
formal and informal learning scenarios.

Further interesting discussions, software solutions and cases from the practice, were
presented at the Online Educa conference in Berlin (2006), where this year a special
games stream was introduced. The closing session of this special stream, organised by
the SIG-GLUE members, was a vivid and open discussion between academics, teachers
and industry practitioners, focusing on games and learning. One of the conclusions of
this discussion was that it is essential to educate teachers, by giving them tools, methods
and confidence to apply games in the classroom. National ministries for education could
directly support the work of practitioners in the form of creating better acceptance and
understanding of games by including game-based learning into curricula.

In this special issue on game-based learning, we reflect on why and how to choose
appropriate games for learning, we highlight some ongoing research agendas and
activities, and present reports from the practice that might spark practitioners towards
introducing them into their classrooms. The topics include problem-based learning,
applications in the classroom and some developments of games for teaching and learn-
ing, along with the issue of quality in games.

All observed movements and changes in recent years and the emerging field of games as
one of the methods of applying technology for learning indicate that there is need and
will to change the learning process and the learning environment. But we have still a
long way to go. However, each event, each report from the practice and research result,
brings us one step forward.

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 Editorial 393

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Maja Pivec
FH JOANNEUM, Dept. of Information Design, Graz, Austria
[email protected]

© 2007 The Author. Journal compilation © 2007 British Educational Communications and Technology Agency.