Designing Instruction
with Games in Mind
Dr. Yulia Piller, Dr. Jami Woychesin & Dr. Pamela Ponners
What is a Game?
What is a Game?
•  A game is a system in which players
engage in an artificial conflict, defined
by rules, that results in a quantifiable
outcome (Zimmerman and Salen, 2012)
•  …games are interactive simulated
systems that are rule-based, responsive,
challenging, cumulative, and inviting…
you are in a simplified world in which
things happen for a reason. (Mayer,
2014, p. 5)
Game is an interactive,
simulated system that is rulebased and in which players
engage in artificial conflict
to reach a certain goal.
Historically, play was often
considered a nuisance of
childhood and compared to
animal behavior, defined by the
extra energy that had to be exerted
if no more energy was required
for survival .
What is Game-Based
Learning?
Game based learning (GBL) is a
.
type of game play that has
defined learning outcomes.
It is designed to balance subject
matter with gameplay and the
ability of the player to retain and
apply said subject matter to the
real world.
Flow Theory (by M. Czikszentmihalyi’s)
When designing for a game based classroom, instructional
designers should be capable of creating environments in which
the flow is maintained while the learning objectives are met and
opportunities for knowledge application and transfer are
presented
Do’s
Dont’s
Set learning objectives
Select the game that does not fit
the purpose
Understand game mechanics,
integrated storyline and its
limitations
Select a game you are unfamiliar
with or the one with the steep
learning curve
Check game ratings
Forget to communicate with the
parents
Perform constant assessment of
learning, teaching and classroom
management
Start without setting expectations
(classroom contact)
Games for assessment
•  Games that can be used as
environments for assessment will fall
under this category.
•  Instructors should have a clear
understanding of what it is they are trying
to evaluate:
• 
• 
• 
• 
skills level
previous knowledge
change in learning
level of comfort, etc.
Games for understanding
Games for understanding may allow
students to learn new skills and form new
knowledge.
Games for transfer and application
Games that allow students to demonstrate
that the knowledge and skills that they
gained during instruction can be
transferred and applied to new situations
that are part of or a good resemblance
of real life.