The need for a New Game in Learning

DOI: 10.5176/978-981-08-5480-5_021

Authors: Meng-Chew Leow, Chien- Sing Lee, Lillian, Yee-Kiaw Wang

Abstract:

Most edutainment games tend to assume the role of supplementary learning materials that act as additional materials for the students to study along with the main/core learning materials, such as books, lecture slides and lecture notes. Consequently, the appreciation of its value and usefulness is greatly diminished. Furthermore, edutainment games are often created with heavy emphasis on achievement of learning objectives with less regard for the creation of fun environments [17], [21], [25] This is in contrast with the school of thought that game should be the channel or more appropriately an environment for the learning process to take place (instead of just another learning tool). It demonstrates the one extreme of the use of games in learning (focusing on pedagogical elements) while highlighting the greater potential of the other extreme of it (emphasizing on game elements) at the same time. These concluded with the need to come out with a better solution to approaching learning with games. In this paper, a brief literature review is presented to support this new approach for educational game design.