Leveraging Game Design to Enhance Motivation and Learning

Brian Grey, Ali Alkhafaji, Peter Hastings

DePaul University, CDM

Introduction

• Importance of Problem• Overview of Human Learning• Overview of Motivation

– Features which Intrinsically Motivate• Game Design Methodologies/Practices• Design Example

Importance of the Problem

• Students frequently lack motivation to learn• Games are motivating and require learning• Teaching through games is potentially very

powerful• Educational games tend to be poorly

designed• A better understanding of learning,

motivation, and design is needed

Overview of Human Learning

• Tabula Rasa vs. Constructivist Paradigm• Contextualization of Knowledge• Learning is Hard• People have limited cognitive capacity• Experts vs. Novices• The Problem of Transfer

Extrinsic vs. Intrinsic Motivation

• Two reasons we do things:– Extrinsic: “Because we have to”– Intrinsic: “Because we want to”

• Extrinsic possible by rewards & punishments• Features of Intrinsic Motivation:

Intrapersonal

Challenge

Fantasy

Curiosity

Control

Interpersonal

Competition

Cooperation

Recognition

Challenge

• Oft-tested because of ease of manipulation• Related to flow

– Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1975).

• Players enjoy games most when they are difficult but possible to win– Piselli, P., Claypool, M., & Doyle, D. (2009).

• Overcoming challenges leads to self-worth– Malone, T. W. (1980).– Orvis, K. A., Horn, D. B., & Belanich, J. (2008).– Piselli, P., Claypool, M., & Doyle, D. (2009).

Fantasy

• Games can act as escapism and fill needs• Motivation enhanced by indentifying with

characters through similarity, salience, or admiration

• Identification varies greatly, even simply by gender– Asgari, M., & Kaufman, D. (2004).– Heeter, C., Lee, Y. H., Magerko, B., & Medler, B. (in press).

• Character customization is effective

Competition, Cooperation & Recognition

• Related to individual motivators by “significant others.”– Deen, M., & Schouten, B. A. (2010).

• Examples:– Competition, Recognition, and Challenge

interact when checking online player rankings– Collaboration, Challenge and Control intersect

when players form guilds in MMORPGs– Recognition extends Fantasy in social games

like FarmVille (“My neighbors are so nice!”)

Where Learning & Motivation Meet

• Humans are wired to enjoy learning• Modern educational system may be

incompatible with more “natural” learning methods (like experimentation)

• These methods are similar to learning to overcome obstacles in games

• Games should be an effective medium for presenting content

Design Methodologies/Practices

• Exogenous vs. Endogenous• Identified Regulations & Context Transfer• Issues regarding Capacity-Constraint• DPE Framework

Exogenous vs. Endogenous

• Methods of integrating content into fantasy and/or game mechanics

• Exogenous– Environment where the skill effects the

environment but the environment doesn’t effect the skill

– Example: An “end of level” math quiz– Seems layered on top of the game– Difficult to go deeper than “Application” on

Bloom’s taxonomy

Exogenous vs. Endogenous

• Methods of integrating content into fantasy and/or game mechanics

• Endogenous– Environment where the skill effects the

environment and the vice versa– Example: Determining the card needed in

Blackjack– Deeply embedded in fantasy/mechanic– All levels achievable on Bloom’s taxonomy

Identified Regulations &Context Transfer

• Transfer may be inhibited by “Magic Circle”• Identified Regulation

– Consciously valued rule, procedure, or goal– Should be made central to progress in the

game– Should support learning the desired content

• Because the player is aware of and values the regulation, and the regulation supports content, this could assist in context transfer

Capacity-Constraint

• Learner attention should be focused on content as much as possible– See Identified Regulations

• Reliable feedback should be provided• “Discovery Learning” may be immersive,

but lack appropriate curricular cues• Worse for novice learners of the content• Worst for novice learners and game players

DPE Framework

• Design, Play, Experience Framework• Iterative game design framework

Design Play Experience

LearningContent andPedagogy

Teaching Learning

StorytellingCharacter,

Setting,& Narrative

Storytelling Story

Gameplay Mechanics Dynamics Affect

User Experience

User Interface

Interactivity Engagement

Technology

Example: Tic-Tac-Math

• Story– A young magician who catches wind of an evil,

mad (semi-) genius who plans to take over the world. The young magician battles the evil wizard throughout the land by matching wits with him and battle and solving puzzles to unlock treasure troves. As the player advances through the game, the young wizard moves from town to town learning about the evil wizards plot, helping locals, and learning spells from the town’s local wizard.

Example: Tic-Tac-Math

• Basic Mechanics– Battles are on a grid of spaces– Each space has an elemental type– Elemental enemies defeated by casting the

spell of the same type at the appropriate level– Victory is achieved if the player acquires a

pattern on the board (i.e. tic-tac-toe) before the opponent

Example: Tic-Tac-Math

• Pedagogical Content– Basic arithmetic (addition, subtraction,

multiplication, division)– Will be learned in some manner when learning

a new spell– Will be practiced through the battle mechanic– Difficulty will be based on standards for typical

second grade students

Example: Tic-Tac-Math

• Content Integration– No Content

• Content will not be integrated into the game.

• Battle mechanics function like a typical, damage-based RPG.

Example: Tic-Tac-Math

• Content Integration– Endogenous

• Spell types are associated with an operation.• Enemies attack based on that operation.• Player must chose the proper level of spell to

repel enemy attack and defeat the enemy.• Failure results in damage and loss of turn.

Example: Tic-Tac-Math

• Content Integration– Endogenous Example

• Orcs are Earth creatures and are associated with addition.

• Orcs attack by calling more orcs.• 5 orcs on the space call 3 additional orcs.• Player must cast the Stone spell at level 8.• If the level is too low, orcs get through.• If the level is too high, spell goes haywire.

Example: Tic-Tac-Math

• Content Integration– Exogenous options

• One option is show an explicit math problem–(5 + 3 = ?).

• Another is to run battle like the endogenous version but to “lift the curtain” on how the spells actually work.

Future Work

• Choose between Tic-Tac-Math and several other potential game designs

• Once chosen, implement a game where the strength of features of motivation or content integration can be parameterized

• Study how different features of motivation contribute to motivation individually and in combination

• Study how the integration of content affects motivation and how to minimize negative effects

Questions?