Creating a Video Based Educational Game: A How-To Guide

What is an Educational Game?

The question “what exactly is an educational game,” is both a simple and complex inquiry to answer. Jane McGonigal, author of the often-sited book “Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World,” said it well when she stated, “There’s something essentially unique about the way games structure experience” (McGonigal, 2011, ch. 1). Many view games as simply a diversion or something to do for fun. Yet many more are seeing the power of games when utilized to enhance education. In Raph Koster’s famous book “A Theory of Fun,” he states “Games are puzzles to solve…[in which] the stakes are lower” (Koster, 2005, p. 34) Another author, Marc Prensky, states “Digital Game-Based Learning is precisely about fun and engagement, and the coming together of serious learning and interactive entertainment into a newly emerging and highly exciting medium” (Prensky, 2001, p. 5). The simple answer is that an educational game is a means to harness the power of “fun” so as to motivate and educate through engagement.

There are many different types of games ranging from the simple crossword/word-find puzzle (free example: http://www.minecraft.net; older version available for free), etc. Use of a certain type of game and complexity of the game depends on what an instructor wants to do, the budget available for the game, how an instructor plans to do it, and why an instructor wants to use a game for education.