What is Game based learning?

Game based learning can be defined as a part of the web 2.0 experience. The most games (especially commercial online games) are collaborative activities.

Game based learning is learning by playing games. These games are designed to teach people about a certain subject, expand concepts, reinforce development, understand an historical event or culture, or assist them in learning a skill as they play. Corporate and non-profit sector are using games more and more. For serious learning projects. 

We can use game to reach different learning objectives like knowledge, skills or attitude.

Board games

In 1933 Charles Darrow invented a board game called Monopoly. It was a big hit and players were engaged and were playing the game for hours and hours.

Since that moment people started to re-use the set of rules and the presentation of the rules but they used new content. This way Monopoly was used in a lot of learning situations. It became a learning tool!

The subjects within these educational games vary from economics, to languages, to music.

Learners enjoyed playing the strong game and they where learning at the same time.

Simulations

For decades all kind of simulations are used for training/learning purposes.

Within s short timeframe (e.g. 1 – 3 days) the processes from a longer period of time were represented through a simulation.

The simulation was a model of the reality and players had to learn the model and used the implicit rules. All kind of actions happened. Telephones were ringing, mail was coming in. A 1 year process could be a 10 minute event in the simulation.

Game design elements

An educational computer game can be defined as an electronic medium with all the characteristics of a gaming environment that have intended educational outcomes targeted at specific groups of learners.

Game based learning can use also different pedagogical approaches. It can be:

• a simple drill-and-practice game based on instructivistic ideas;
• a very open simulation where a learner has to explore the world (based on a constructivistic approach).

Educational games can be put in categories based on many variables. Let's take a look at some of them:

Nine important ingredients

There are 9 important ingredients to design a successful learning game: