Beyond Edutainment : A New generation of game-based learning Assistant professor, PhD Simon Egenfeldt-Nielsen IT-Universitet København CEO Serious Games Interactive 28. November 2006, Copenhagen Most of what goes under the name "edutainment" reminds me of George Bernard Shaw's response to a famous beauty who speculated on the marvelous child they could have together: "With your brains and my looks..." He retorted, "But what if the child had my looks and your brains?" (Papert, 1998: 88)

9 appetizers on learning games… Games used for education since 18th century Learning games used profesionally since 1960s Electroicn learning games used since 1970s Increased motivation and interest in a given subject Create positive and active learning environments Dynamic presentation of information Most succesful learning game in 2006 had +4 mio. downloads US army use around $4 mia. yearly on simulations/games 60% of all people play computer games sometimes

Agenda 1.Maturing: Quick browse through games 2.Edutainment: A buzzword gone bad 3.Serious Games: The new hype 4.Case 1: McDonalds by Molleindustria 5.Case 2: Global Conflicts-Palestine 6.Working: What’s the evidence

Quick browse through games... Yes, there are many different genres (action, simulation, strategy, adventure, RPG).. On different platforms (pc, consoles, mobiles) With different complexity level:  Singelplayer -> multiplayer  2D graphics -> 3D graphics  Small universe -> large univers  15 minutes -> 50 hours playtime Everybody might play games, although many still don’t and games are played very differently. Latest US survey find average gamer is 33 years...

What is edutainment… Matematik i Måneby (Bitfrost) Pixeline (Krea Medie ) Magnus & Myggen (Ivanoff) MathBlasterI (Knowledge Adventure) Straight shooter (Games2train) Titles within eduation sector most wellknown

This is not about edutainment… Little intrinsic motivation: Extrinsic motivation through rewards, rather than intrinsic motivation. No integrated learning experience: Lacks integration of the learning experience with playing experience - learning subordinated play experience. Drill-and-practice learning principles: Rely on drill-and-practice rather than understanding – training above learning. No teacher presence: No demands on teachers or parents. Simple gameplay: Built on a simple gameplay from classic titles. Small budgets: Produced on limited budgets with limited technology.

The new hype on serious games... In principal, any game Games with an agenda Educating, enlightening.. Not only entertaining  Edutainment  Advertainment  Business games  Military games  Political games  Satirical games

Same topics - different game... Sales training Fona 1.Quiz show: The player must get all the answers right and compete with other colleagues. 2.Treasure hunt: The player must explore different web- sites and sources in competition with colleagues to answer the most questions 3.Virtual job: The player explores a virtual universe with different sources, people and methods for making the sale in competition with other colleagues. Edutainment Next-gen

Case 1: McDonalds Player part of the environment & making relevant actions Aimed at understanding the underlying dynamics of the corporation Challenging, engaging & appealing Have to understand elements of the corporation to win the game Learning goal: to make people aware of the evil empire McDonalds’ methods Inspiration can be found in strange places

The large case: Global Conflicts - Palestine

Create the world’s best computer games with an agenda beyond entertainment What is Global Conflicts: Palestine Vision

Global Conflict : Feel and understand the tense atmosphere and problems in Palestine You as freelance journalist will draft a way out of the conflict The game What is Global Conflicts: Palestine

 Private market: People that are intellectual curious & not afraid to try new things.  Educational market: years social studies in Western world Target groups What is Global Conflicts: Palestine

“I learned more history in one day than the last 6 months” Student, 16 years Play trailer What is Global Conflicts: Palestine

Freelance journalist Get the best article Find informants Gain their trust Get their story Dig out best quotes Put together article Highest journalist level Gameplay What is Global Conflicts: Palestine You Goal Means Winning

What problems did we try to solve  Perspective: Provide different perspectives on a topic  Involvement: Provide involvement in a topic  Engagement: Make the player feel they make a difference  Realism & atmosphere: Develop realistic atmosphere  Curriculum ties: Fit it in with some curriculum What is Global Conflicts: Palestine

Setup Sample: 51 Danish High school low-middle class students ( years) after a one-week course Traditional lecturing 4 weeks on theme Play missions 2 students (note taking) Group discussion 4 students (Poster w. timeline) Plenum discussion all students Survey Video observation Interviews Test & evaluation Empirical study

Different rooms for learning styles Group work Reflective observation Active experimentation GC: Palestine Lecture Abstract concepts Concrete experiences Kolb’s cycle covered with different teaching forms in the course. The teacher is crucial to facilitate a full learning experience. Empirical study

Qualitative feedback “Global Conflicts: Palestine is a fun and different way to receive learning” (Female student, 18 years) “You had a greater desire to learn about the topic from Global Conflicts: Palestine” (Male student, 16 years) ”You learn a lot about how Israelis and Palestinians respectively look at the conflict, because you talk to different persons... I think it is good that the stories derive from reality, providing the stories with a realistic tone.” (Female student, 18 years) Empirical study

 90% students find it the be an interesting course  88% Students find it to be an interesting educational material  59 % of students find they learned more  90% of students wants to try a similar course again Students want more... Empirical study

Other support for effiency  More motivated & engaged  Activity perceived as more challenging  Rention is often better Most research say you learn from games - at least the same as other teaching methods. Below overview of studies that support learning from games YesMaybeNo 2012

Closing  Next generation of game-based learning is in the making.  Research suggest that game-based learning is very effective  Team needed to build next-gen game-based learning more complex  Nordic learning approach gaining ground Contact: