Video Gaming – Post Two

I find it striking to meditate on how learning principles can be found in educational games. According to Gee, games trigger a deep learning. I see this reality in “Recycle Roundup Game”, especially when I compare it with “Pleasantly Frustrating” as one of the learning principles. It is true that learning works best when new challenges are pleasantly frustrating in the sense that, the students find the challenges difficult but not impossible to solve them. The game recycle roundup, has a two minutes’ time limit of which the players are to collect wastes spread all over the park. The first challenge here is to complete sorting all the wastes within 2 minutes which are too few for sorting the wastes. The second challenge is that the wastes are to be correctly placed in the correct bin; whether Recycle bin, Compost bin or Trash bin. With repeated practice and keenness, these challenges are bit-by-bit solved and this is the pleasant side of the frustration. This game also gives feedback and encourages the players to play more and more till they succeed.

According to Gee, good games adjust challenges and give feedback in such a way that different players feel that the game is challenging but doable and that their effort is paying off. In the game recycle roundup, players get feedback that indicates whether they are on the right path of success to the end of the game.

From this game, I have learned that motivation for students lies both in the challenges and the feedback from teachers which enable them to know the progress that they are making in the whole process of learning.