The Killer Application
The development of a new genre of learning game that avoids the pitfalls of teacherization by incorporating
learning seamlessly into an engaging, challenging game is problematic because it will require a change ofboth approach and mindset to accommodate the sometimes conflicting values of educators and gamers.
As a recent British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) research report notes:
Gamers claim that playing is educational; it familiarizes you with ways of being and doing that you would
otherwise not know about. It is sometimes laughingly conceded (by gamers) that much of this learning has
little relevance to ordinary life. (Cragg, Taylor, and Toombs 2006, “What's to like? The appeal of video
games,” ¶10)
At the same time, educators insist that video games must be embedded in an educational structure to ensure
that effective learning does happen:
But this does not mean that anything goes, or that educators should simply turn learners loose in interactive
environments and wait for the results. And it certainly does not mean that there is no need for teachers.
These, too, are bad theories of learning. They are the progressive, though equally limited, counterpoints to
the traditionalists' skill-and-drill approach to learning. (Gee 2005, 5)
The question arises, then: What if a game could have relevance to ordinary life? How can one build a game
that both engages students in relevant learning and entertains enough that gamers want to play outside of
school? Such a game would combine sound pedagogy with superior entertainment value, seamlessly
integrating learning into the world of the game.
Real learning does happen in games, and the learning engaged by gamers shares many attributes with the
pedagogy of problem-based learning. Players must solve problems to progress through the game; they can
only solve a given problem by accumulating the necessary tools and experience in lower levels of the game.
As Warren Spector has said, “Give players tools and information enough to make and execute a plan in
response to problems you set up. In the end, that's what gaming is all about“ (Saltzman 2000, 64). That is
also, to some extent, what problem-based learning is about: giving students the tools and information to solve
a given problem.
Successful learning games, then, will invoke a purposeful pedagogy akin to problem-based learning; the
structure and narrative of the game provide the purpose for learning, meaningful problems to solve, and an
immediate motivation for pursuing the knowledge required. The problem may be embedded in a game, but
the education is no less real.