Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Guiding Questions for Game-Based Learning

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Second Handbook of Information Technology in Primary and Secondary Education

Part of the book series: Springer International Handbooks of Education ((SIHE))

Abstract

The primary goal of this chapter is to identify the main questions and tensions for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to navigate when considering why, how, when, who and whether to use and design games for learning. The chapter reviews elements related to using games for learning, such as motivation, problem-solving, and story, as well as guiding questions such as “what are the goals?” and “who is the audience?” Finally, future trends in games and learning are considered.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 549.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 799.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Bartle, R. (1996). Hearts, clubs, diamonds, spades: Players who suit MUDs. http://mud.co.uk/richard/hcds.htm.

  • Bogost, I. (2015). “Fun” UX week 2013 talk. http://vimeo.com/74943170.

  • Boyd, D., & Crawford, K. (2012). Critical questions for big data: Provocations for a cultural, technological, and scholarly phenomenon. Information, Communication, & Society, 15(5), 662–679.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brom, C., Sisler, V., Slussareff, M., Selmbacherova, T., & Hlavka, Z. (2016). You like it, you learn it: Affectivity and learning in competitive social role play gaming. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 11, 313–348.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, M. (2016). Appendix: Game development tools, platforms, and resources. In K. Schrier (Ed.), Learning, education & games: Bringing games into educational contexts (Vol. 2). Pittsburgh: Carnegie Mellon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, D., Tanner-Smith, E., & Killingsworth, S. (2014). Digital games, design and learning: A systematic review and meta-analysis (executive summary). Menlo Park: SRI International.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, D. B., Tanner-Smith, E. E., & Killingsworth, S. S. (2016). Digital games, design, and learning: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 86(1), 79–122.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Consalvo, M. (2007). Cheating. Gaining advantage in videogames. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crocco, F., Offenholley, K., & Hernandez, C. (2016). A proof-of-concept study of game-based learning in higher education. Simulation & Gaming, 47(4), 403–422.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow. New York: Harper Classics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Darvasi, P. (2014). Gone Home as an English text. In K. Schrier (Ed.), Learning, education & games: Curricular and design considerations (Vol. 1). Pittsburgh: Carnegie Mellon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dede, C. (2009). Immersive interfaces for engagement and learning. Science, 323, 66–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ESA. (2016). Essential facts about the computer and video game industry. http://essentialfacts.theesa.com/Essential-Facts-2016.pdf.

  • Eseryel, D., Ge, X., Ifenthaler, D., & Law, V. (2011). Dynamic modeling as a cognitive regulation scaffold for developing complex problem-solving skills in an educational massively multiplayer online game environment. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 45(3), 265–286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eseryel, E., Law, V., Ifenthaler, D., Ge, X., & Miller, R. (2014). An investigation of the interrelationships between motivation, engagement, and complex problem solving in game-based learning. Educational Technology & Society, 17(1), 42–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Farber, M. (2015). Gamify your classroom: A field guide to game-based learning. New York: Peter Lang Publishing.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Farber, M., & Schrier, K. (2017). The strengths and limits of using digital games as ‘empathy machines’. UNESCO working paper. http://mgiep.unesco.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/The-limits-and-strengths-of-using-digital-games-as-Empathy-Machines.pdf.

  • Fullerton, T. (2014). Game design workshop (3rd ed.). Burlington: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gee, J. P. (2003). What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gee, J. P. (2012). Big “G” games. http://www.jamespaulgee.com/node/63.

  • Gibson, D., & Webb, M. (2013). Assessment as, for and of 21st century learning. In International Summit on ICT in Education (p. 17). Torun: EDUsummIT 2013.

    Google Scholar 

  • Groff, J., McCall, J., Darvasi, P., & Gilbert, Z. (2016). In K. Schrier (Ed.), Learning, education & games: Bringing games into educational contexts (Vol. 2). Pittsburgh: Carnegie Mellon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Habgood, M. P. J., & Ainsworth, S. E. (2011). Motivating children to learn effectively: Exploring the value of intrinsic integration in educational games. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 20(2), 169–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Higgins, E. T. (2012). Beyond pleasure and pain: How motivation works. New York: Oxford University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Inkpen, K. (1994). Gender differences in an electronic games environment. In Proceedings of the ED-MEDIA 94 world conference on educational multimedia and hypermedia, Vancouver, Canada, 25–30 June 1994. Charlottesville: Association of Advancement of Computing in Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins, H., with Purushotma, R., Weigel, M., Clinton, K., & Robison, A. (2006). Confronting the challenges of participatory culture. MacArthur Foundation/MIT Press, Chicago, IL. https://www.macfound.org/media/article_pdfs/JENKINS_WHITE_PAPER.PDF.

  • Jonassen, D. (2000). Toward a design theory of problem solving. Educational Technology Research and Development, 48(4), 63–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Juul, J. (2005). Half real: Video games between real rules and fictional worlds. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kafai, Y., & Fields, D. (2009). Cheating in virtual worlds: Transgressive designs for learning. On the Horizon, 17(1), 12–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ke, F. (2016). Designing and integrating purposeful learning in game play: A systematic review. Educational Technology Research and Development, 64, 219–244. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-015-9418-1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kirriemuir, J., & McFarlane, A. (2004). Literature review in games and learning. A NESTA Futurelab Research report - report 8. https://telearn.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00190453/document.

  • Klopfer, E., Osterweil, S., Groff, J., & Haas, J. (2009). Using the technology of today, in the classroom today: The instructional power of digital games, social networking, and simulations and how teachers can leverage them. An Education Arcade white paper.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koster, R. (2004). A theory of fun for game design. Sebastopol: O’Reilly.

    Google Scholar 

  • Malone, T. (1980). What makes things fun to learn? A study of intrinsically motivating computer games. http://cci.mit.edu/malone/tm%20study%20144.pdf.

  • Malone, T. (1981). Toward a theory of intrinsically motivating instruction. Cognitive Science, 4, 333–369.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGill, M. M. (2012). Learning to program with personal robots: Influences on student motivation. ACM Transactions on Computing Education (TOCE), 12(1), 1–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • McGonigal, J. (2011). Reality is broken: Why games make us better and how they can change the world. New York: Penguin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nolin, M. (2016). Development platforms: An overview of major programming languages, engines, and frameworks. In K. Schrier (Ed.), Learning, education & games: Bringing games into educational contexts (Vol. 2). Pittsburgh: Carnegie Mellon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Papert, S. (1980/1993). Mindstorms: Children, computers, and powerful ideas. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Radoff, J. (2011). Game on: Energize your business with social media games. Indianapolis: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ravyse, W. S., Blignaut, A. S., Leendertz, V., & Woolner, A. (2017). Success factors for serious games to enhance learning: A systematic review. Virtual Reality, 21(1), 31–58.

    Google Scholar 

  • Richard, G. (2014). Designing for the audience and inclusive considerations. In K. Schrier (Ed.), Learning, education & games: Curricular and design considerations (Vol. 1). Pittsburgh: Carnegie Mellon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roussos, G., & Dovidio, J. F. (2016). Playing below the poverty line: Investigating an online game as a way to reduce prejudice toward the poor. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 10(2), 1. https://doi.org/10.5817/CP2016-2-3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: Classic definitions and new directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25, 54–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salen, K., Torres, R., Wolozin, L., Rufo-Tepper, R., & Shapiro, A. (2011). Quest to learn: Developing the school for digital kids (John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Reports on digital media and learning). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schrier, K. (2014). Designing and using games for history and social studies. In K. Schrier (Ed.), Learning and education games volume one: Curricular and design considerations. Pittsburgh: ETC Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schrier, K. (2016a). Designing role-playing video games for ethical thinking. Educational Technology Research and Development, 1–38. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-016-9489-7.

  • Schrier, K. (2016b). Introduction. In K. Schrier (Ed.), Learning, education & games: Bringing games into educational contexts (Vol. 2). Pittsburgh: Carnegie Mellon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schrier, K. (2016c). Knowledge games: How playing games can solve problems, create insight, and make change. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shaffer, D. (2006). How computer games help children learn. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Shum, S. B., Aberer, K., Schmidt, A., et al. (2012). Towards a global participatory platform: Democratising open data, complexity science and collective intelligence. European Physical Journal Special Topics, 214, 109. https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2012-01690-3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simkins, D. (2014). Assessing video games for learning. In K. Schrier (Ed.), Learning, education & games: Curricular and design considerations (Vol. 1). Pittsburgh: Carnegie Mellon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sitzmann, T. (2011). A meta-analytic examination of the instructional effectiveness of computer-based simulation games. Personnel Psychology, 64, 489–528. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2011.01190.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Song, H., Kim, J., Tenzek, K. E., & Lee, K. M. (2013). The effects of competition and competitiveness upon intrinsic motivation in exergames. Computers in Education, 29(4), 1702–1708.

    Google Scholar 

  • Squire, K. (2011). Video games and learning: Teaching and participatory culture in the digital age. New York: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Squire, K., & Barab, S. (2004). Replaying history: Engaging urban underserved students in learning world history through computer simulation games. In Sixth international conference of the learning sciences. Santa Monica: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Squire, K., & Durga, S. (2006). Productive gaming: The case for historiographic game play. In R. Ferdig (Ed.), The handbook of educational gaming. Hershey: Information Science Reference.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steinkuehler, C. A. (2007). Massively multiplayer online gaming as a constellation of literacy practice. E-Learning, 4(3), 297–318.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steinkuehler, C., & Oh, Y. (2012). Apprenticeship in massively multiplayer online games. In C. Steinkuehler, K. Squire, & S. Barab (Eds.), Games, learning, and society: Learning and meaning in the digital age. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Takeuchi, L. M., & Vaala, S. (2014). Level up learning: A national survey on teaching with digital games. New York: The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop. http://joanganzcooneycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/jgcc_leveluplearning_final.pdf.

  • USDOE. (2010). Learning powered by technology: Transforming American education. Educational technology. Washington, DC. https://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/netp2010.pdf.

  • Vandenberghe, J. (2012). The 5 domains of play. Paper presented at the Game Developers Conference 2012, San Francisco. Retrieved from http://www.darklorde.com/2012/03/the-5-domains-of-playslides/.

  • Weitze, C. (2014). Developing goals and objectives for gameplay and learning. In K. Schrier (Ed.), Learning, education & games: Curricular and design considerations (Vol. 1). Pittsburgh: Carnegie Mellon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weitze, C. (2016). Minecraft with second graders. In K. Schrier (Ed.), Learning, education & games: Bringing games into educational contexts (Vol. 2). Pittsburgh: Carnegie Mellon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weitze, C. & Ørngreen, R. (2012) Concept model for designing engaging and motivating games for learning - The smiley-model. Electronic proceedings in Meaningful Play Conference 2012, Innovation in Game Design, Michigan State University. http://meaningfulplay.msu.edu/proceedings2012/mp2012submission148.pdf.

  • Werner, L., Denner, J., & Campe, S. (2014). Using computer game programming to teach computational thinking skills. In K. Schrier (Ed.), Learning and education games volume one: Curricular and design considerations. Pittsburgh, PA: ETC Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitton, N. (2009). Learning with digital games: A practical guide to engaging students in higher education. New York, NY: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wouters, P., van Nimwegen, C., van Oostendorp, H., & van der Spek, E. D. (2013). A meta-analysis of the cognitive and motivational effects of serious games. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105(2), 249.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yee, N. (2006). Motivations for play in online games. Cyberpsychology and Behavior, 9(6), 772–775.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yee, N., Dicheneaut, N., & Quantic Foundry. (2016). Gamer motivation model. http://quanticfoundry.com/reports/.

  • Zimmerman, E. (2008). Gaming literacy. Game design as a model for literacy in the twenty-first century. In B. Perron & M. J. P. Wolf (Eds.), The video game theory reader. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marist College, Dutchess County, Poughkeepsie, NY, USA

    Karen Schrier

Authors
  1. Karen Schrier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Karen Schrier .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Joke Voogt

  2. University of North Texas, Denton, Texas, USA

    Gerald Knezek

  3. University of North Texas, Denton, Texas, USA

    Rhonda Christensen

  4. University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

    Kwok-Wing Lai

Section Editor information

  1. Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia

    David Gibson

  2. Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan

    Hiroaki Ogata

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Schrier, K. (2018). Guiding Questions for Game-Based Learning. In: Voogt, J., Knezek, G., Christensen, R., Lai, KW. (eds) Second Handbook of Information Technology in Primary and Secondary Education . Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71054-9_59

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation