You can practice tasks, apply knowledge and infer principles and have fun while doing all these with games and simulations. They entertain you; however, their priority is teaching. Learning games are such as quiz shows, board games and video games. With simulations, you get to experience with work-related context and verify that you can do a certain task.
- Games are an effective way of teaching. Here are some of the advantages of games:
- They show consequences that are not normally visible.
- They let learners make mistakes without suffering permanent consequences.
- They provide a laboratory where learners can test different hypotheses.
- They simplify complex situations.
- They give opportunities for practice and feedback.
We can use games when learning with real
systems is not practical, tasks are complex, and many people need to be
educated.
The types of learning games are quiz show
games, word games, jigsaw puzzles, branching scenarios, task simulations,
personal response simulations, environmental simulations, and immerse
role-playing games.
We need to do our best to design games
effectively. We should make clear what the game wants to accomplish from the
beginning and design according to it. We should express the goal as a specific
task in the game so that the learners will acquire what is necessary to be
acquired. We should emphasize learning, because games in our case are not just
for fun. Our aim is to learn. We should also provide multiple ways to learn in
the game. The design of the game should engage the learners in the game.
Providing feedback is also crucial in games. We must give feedback that
educates, informs and motivates the learners.
Making games easy to understand and play is
important. You should explain the game clearly and give instructions to assist
the learner. Manage complexity to keep the game simple to learn and play.
