Educational Gaming: Issues and Solutions

Chmiel, M. (2012). Learning about the game: designing science games for a generation of gamers. Cultural Studies Of Science Education, 7(4), 807-812. doi:10.1007/s11422-012-9428-9

The above article is an excellent read on the fine line between educational gaming and how it can become, dare I say it, too fun and thereby becomes too  much of a game. There is a line, and as game makers, there is a certain obligation to make sure that it stays educationally relevant. In this paper, the game makers created a roller coaster based video game that, after a certain amount of time, became so fun that gamers were looking to try and find a weakness to exploit. Of all things, Google may the weakness easily exposed and therefore allowed gamers to exceed common expectations.

So, why does this matter, and should I really be worried about it with my own research into the gaming world?

Of course it matters to me, even with second graders. Currently there seems to be an influx of technology berating children on a daily basis and making technology faster, more readily available and far more advance than it was even in "my day". Granted, the only real technology available to me in the second grade was ... I believe Windows 95 and my family did not own a computer, let alone half of the stuff my nieces and nephew have come to play with. 

As a game designer, I face the same problem that teachers face: kids are getting smarter and more manipulative as the technology advances. It astounds me at how quickly kids can find loopholes into everything. I believe this is why I have decided to go by way of a board game, and by first assuming they are at least somewhat innocent for the first test. After the first test, the exploits and main loopholes can be found and resolved.

I found this article to be extremely useful for how I plan on carrying out my plan to design and define my game. I don't want some crappy boring flash card sort of game, but I also want it to hold the educational aspects that teachers and parents are going to want for their children. Hopefully it will find that border, stay there and still be relevant, at least for a bit before the kids end up getting too smart.