Running head: GAME-BASED LEARNNG

Game-based Learning and Intrinsic Motivation

Kristi Mead
California State University, Fullerton
IDT 520, Section 09
April 15, 2011
Mr. Jim Schools

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2
Abstract

In an address to students at TechBoston Academy, a public technology and college prep

school in Massachusetts, President Obama declared, I'm calling for investments in
educational technology that will help create...educational software that is as compelling as
the best video game. I want you guys to be stuck on a video game that's teaching you
something other (than) blowing something up (Huffington Post, 2011) Game-based
learning is inherently engaging. The instructional designer is charged with the task of
developing games that not only compel and entertain the learner, but also teach through
role play and other techniques that tap into the intrinsic motivation of the learner. The aim
of this paper is to explore the possible effects on intrinsic motivation of students who use
computer-based games as a learning tool.

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The Implications of Game-based Learning in Education

Introduction
Technology has swept through education at the speed of light, and much to the chagrin of
many educators. Surprisingly, there are still teachers who believe that the delivery of classroom
instruction should remain as it was before computers entered the educational arena. It is
understandable that some educators feel unable to keep up with all of the changes that the new
generations bring with them. However, students are growing up in a world that is vastly different
than that of their teachers, and it's vital for the educational success of students that the delivery of
instruction be relevant to the world outside of the classroom.
Game-based learning is a natural evolution from traditional methods of teaching, which
include static, non-interactive elements, such as textbooks, chalkboards, and lecturing at
students rather than exploring with students. Games in education provide a vehicle by which
students can explore, solve problems, attempt challenges, make decisions, and educational games
contribute to learning broadly. The author posits that students who use digital media, in the form
of educational games, will have a deeper content understanding and a longer retention rate of the
course material than those that employ traditional methods of lesson delivery.
Game Design for Project-based Learning
Games are an interactive way to compel players to take a deliberate role in their learning
experience. Project-based learning (PBL) is a key element in games, whereby students can step
into the roles of characters as they navigate through the game scenarios. Students are challenged
to solve problems, think critically, make choices and face consequences. Project-Based
Learning has been heralded by some as a major development in education (Gijbels, Dochy, Van
den Bossche, and Segers, 2005). Though much of the research is conducted in the context of

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higher education, and, indeed, in medical schools, with students who are more sophisticated
learners than the K-12 population, it seems reasonable that some of the basic principles would
apply. Waks and Sabag (2004) compared traditional methods of instruction with a PBL approach
incorporating technology to examine the influence on student achievement finding that students
employing the PBL approach outscored their classmates using traditional methods, supporting
the principle that the more students are engaged, the better they understand the course content,
and that better understanding translates into higher test scores. Group dynamics may be another
important consideration in designing a successful PBL module, but there does not seem to be
much in the way of a clear picture in the literature. For example, Song, and Grabowski (2006)
looked at how design and implementation affected student motivation, while Goldstein and
Puntambekar (2004) examined the role of gender in technology rich collaborative learning
environments, but neither study was able to produce significant differences between groups.
Lastly, Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) seems to offer promise especially to instructional designers
(van Merrinboer, J., and Ayres, P. 2005), as it details how a buffer memory, with limited
capacity to absorb new information, and a long-term memory, essentially unlimited, work
together to create expertise in an individual through the creation of cognitive schemas. Such a
model can be used to make predictions about how students learn best, opening the door for an
intelligent use of technology to reduce the cognitive processing load, with the payoff of making
some previously impossible tasks now possible, while turning other tasks into easier ones.
Yet, studies show that caution must be used in employing technology in an undisciplined
way. Schnotz and Rasch (2005) considered how animation improves learning. Among other
things, they found that animation can have a negative effect on learning, especially if it reduces
essential processing required for a student to make deeper connections. In fact, interactivity, too,

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added haphazardly, may actually inhibit learning. Moreno and Valdez (2005) found that the
addition of an interaction component (where participants had to arrange a random sequence in
the correct order before going on to the next step) did not help participants score higherthere
was either no significant effect or a negative one where students with interaction scored lower
than their non-interaction counterparts. The interactive component did not engage students, it
was simply a distractor.
Personalized Learning
Games allow a learner to work at his or her own pace in safe environments. Even failure
can provide feedback and motivation for the learner to master difficult tasks. Role-playing
games are a powerful way for students to view the different sides and nuances of circumstances
that tend to be linear and one-sided in textbooks. For example, Mission U.S. - For Crown or
Glory (http://www.mission-us.org) is an interactive game in which the player takes on the
persona of Nate Wheeler, a 15 year old print shop apprentice in Boston, Massachusetts during the
time preceding the Boston Massacre. The main character interacts with a variety of fictional and
historical figures in the game. Each interaction requires the player to make decisions and take
actions that determine where his loyalties lie.

Mission U.S. - For Crown or Colony

2010. Produced by THIRTEEN

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Game-based learning also has the capacity to foster a sense of community and global
awareness. Games sites, such as Persuasion Games (http://www.persuasivegames.com/) have
designed activities to promote activism. The description for Persuasion Games is, We design,
build, and distribute video games for persuasion, instruction, and activism. One such game is
Points of Entry: An Immigration Challenge. In this particular challenge, players compete to
award Green Cards under the Merit-Based Evaluation System included in legislation recently
debated in Congress. There are numerous games that cover a wide variety of subjects having to
do with nutrition, science, economics, policy, and current events.

Persuasive Games LLC. All rights reserved.

Another game in which the player takes on the role of the lead character is
Multi-player Online Role-playing Games
The presupposition is that interactive learning environments cause learners to construct
meaningful knowledge by interacting with narrative content through any number of game genres,
including role-playing, strategy, adventure, and others (Dickey, 2006). Competition is a strong
intrinsic motivator, whether the competition is with other players, the computer or oneself.
However, role-playing games are considered highly social. An emerging genre in the gaming
world is massively multi-player online role-playing (MMORP) games for learning. In this type

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of game, many players participate simultaneously over the Internet requiring collaboration and
strategic planning. MMORP games for education are still in the research and development
stages, but most readers will be familiar with the concept as it is used in various popular games
such as World of Warcraft, Halo, and many others. It is expected that MMORP games will
appear in the education realm in 4-5 years (New Media Consortium, 2011). The highly
interactive learning environment of MMORP games provides many opportunities for critical
thinking, collaborating and strategic planning with other learners. The virtual environments can
be fantasy simulated reality. MMORP games contain elements that foster intrinsic motivation,
such as discourse with other characters or learners sharing the environment, a 3D rendering of the
characters and environment, choices (i.e.,character to role-play and discourse), interactive
challenges, and multiple genders and species, to name a few (Dickey, 2007). To successfully
construct knowledge, the player must have the opportunity to explore and manipulate objects in
the scenes. The social environment of an MMORP supports social negotiating, decision making
skills, and reflection.
Assessments
Lee Sheldon, a professor of game design at Indiana University, has stopped handing out
grades and instead is assessing students by experience points (xp). Sheldon uses the ideas
taught in his class to create a game environment. At the beginning of each term, he starts his
students at 0 xp. Students have opportunities to earn points by completing quizzes and solo
projects. The professor attributes the use of game terms to a highly motivated group because the
terms are associated with fun and not education (Toor, 2010). Another proponent of using games
to assess learners is Clark Alderich, a blogger for The Unschooling Rules. In his article,
Assessment + MMORPG + Real World Challenges: How the MESH Will Change Education

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(2011) he outlines the many benefits of assessing learners through the use of MMORPGs. By
using a similar method to the one used by Sheldon, Alderich believes that players should earn
points toward degrees and received detailed assessments outline the learners strength and
weakness, as well as industry preferences. Aldrich opines that assessments would be real and
dynamic, and would always stay current and adaptive. Assessing learning through games would
prove that a learner has constructed knowledge, regardless of the method by which a learner
gained that knowledge. Learning is scaffolded, and the days of regurgitating information from
rote memory would be eliminated. Learning would take place on a much deeper level.
Discussion
Additional research may pursue the traits of optimal game-based learning, the adaptation
of educational games to other subjects, or perhaps the differences in brain functioning between
gamers and traditional students. Game designers have been successful in creating games that are
not only intrinsically motivating, but some are down right addicting (Susaeta et al., 2010). The
implication of games in education is far reaching. Used in conjunction with brain-based
research, motivation theory, and instructional design expertise, games will likely change the face
of education. It may prove useful for educators and instructional designers to work together to
develop game-based, interactive learning environments that are engaging for all students. Gamebased learning will enable students to take ownership of their learning experience and connect
with information in a way that traditional methods simply cannot.

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