1. 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)

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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...

5. 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

6. 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.

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. The large case: Global Conflicts - Palestine

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

12. 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

13.  Private market: People that are intellectual curious & not afraid to try new things.  Educational market: 13-19 years social studies in Western world Target groups What is Global Conflicts: Palestine

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

15. 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

16. 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

17. Setup Sample: 51 Danish High school low-middle class students (16- 20 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

18. 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

19. 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

20.  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

21. 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

22. 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: sen@seriousgames.dk