A learning game… er… taxonomy?

I’ve been focusing a lot of time and energy over the past several months on games. Not games like Guitar Hero, Monopoly or even general shenanigans (although I enjoy all of those). Serious games, rather, and the myriad of ways in which they can be crafted to address learning needs. Most of my recent efforts have involved designing, writing, reviewing, and recommending games for various learning purposes. (Some of my favorite titles for recent game designs include Role Play Roulette, Heroes and Villains, Fortune Teller, and Screen Writer among many others)

In this post, I’d like to share some of the thoughts and strategies that have gone into my design decisions, and hope to generate a discussion where you can share your thoughts as well!

Games for learning can take on many forms with different mediums/delivery mechanisms, structures, and can be used to achieve varied desired outcomes.
• Learning games can be used as a strategy in and of itself for an individual learning event, or incorporated as a smattering of one or more smaller activities within an event.
• They can provide learners with opportunity for practice, and they can also be used as the culminating event of any learning experience, as a wrap-up or even an assessment.
• Learning games can be designed to be single or multi-player, to be played live in the real world (like ARGs and workshop games), with or without technology like mobile devices, GPS, or computers, and range from the simple (think omnipresent Jeopardy knock-off) to the very complex (like 3D war games that teach combat skills).

In a sense, determining a game strategy should not be all that different than the design of any other mechanism used to create a learning experience. It is another tool in the toolbox, albeit a valuable one, that should be considered as an option where it makes sense. As with any learning design strategy, it is essential to identify what it is that you want your learners to accomplish (all roads seem to lead back to those learning objectives, eh?).

Bloom’s taxonomy is a popular classification for different levels of skills and knowledge when crafting learning objectives. Desired behaviors and outcomes are organized into levels from lower order thinking skills to higher order thinking skills. If we think of our learning objectives in this manner, then it should follow that game strategy should mirror a similar pattern. That is, there should be a strong link between what we want learners to be able to do upon completion of the learning activity and the design of the game. Think about what type of game experience is suited to the goal. Just a few examples:
• If it’s important for learners to quickly recall data points, create a speed-timed game that requires fast recall (ever play Brain Buddies on Facebook?).
• If evaluation of information is a critical skill, create a storyline and characters (perhaps a courtroom scene?) who present their case with descriptions, data, counter-arguments, etc. and the learner is tasked with determining which is most appropriate to the situation.
• If it’s important for learners to determine when and how to call on others for information, data, and or involvement, allow for a multiplayer structure or an experience with multiple characters.

P.S. Creativity is critical! OK, the whole taxonomy thing might be bit academic. That is not to say that learning games can’t be fun. In fact, that is a requirement if you want people to play it and you actually want to call it a game. What’s a game if it’s no fun to play? Don’t limit yourself to traditional simulation-type designs that incorporate a score. Think beyond what you have already seen in corporate training. Think about games you actually play for fun and how you can be inspired by the structures of those games. Spend some time playing Wii, Nintendo DS, and poking around on sites like Kongregate (just log it as “research” on your timesheets. It is valuable time spent, I swear to you).

These of course, are not the only considerations for determining game design strategy. Many other factors besides desired skill level come into play, like target audience preferences, technology requirements, re-playability options… I could go on. But I think I’ll spare you for now and save it for another post.