Abstract
Substantial resources have been put towards game-based learning and the use of games in multidisciplinary research and practice. Despite this growing popularity, a definitive link has yet to be established between games and learning outcomes such as improved motor skills or recall of information. The problems researchers face are a series of challenges that prevent researchers from conducting research on game-based learning in a consistent and standardized way. Through reviewing and aggregating the literature, the authors describe five challenges currently facing the area of game-based learning and offer recommendations as to what future research could do to resolve these challenges moving forward. The primary purpose of this chapter is to provide a steppingstone in the game-based learning literature to help move the field away from conflicting research findings and toward a clearer understanding of game-based learning as an educational solution across disciplines.
TopIntroduction
Across disciplines, games have grown in popularity as an innovative medium through which people can learn knowledge and develop skills. This rise in serious games, or games that are made for the purpose of education rather than entertainment (Boyle et al., 2011) has included many positive intentions to maintain the ludic elements in games that are associated with immersion and fun. Researchers have been interested in this interplay between fun and the practical outcomes of learning that exist in serious games. This has been pervasive across industries, such as education (Begg et al., 2005), military (Hays, 2005), medicine (Sabri et al., 2010), and pro-environmental behavior, (Kotsopoulos et al., 2019), making game-based learning a multidisciplinary topic. For the purposes of this chapter, we will focus on game-based learning within the organizational training context and extend our recommendations to the broader field of game-based learning across multiple disciplines.
Organizations invest in employee training as is evidenced by a recent report showing that the $17.7 million which companies spent on training in 2019 increased to $22 million in 2020 (Training Industry Report, 2020). This increase suggests that more organizations are recognizing the importance of organizational learning which ensures employees have the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to complete their work. One training method that has garnered increasing attention is the use of games for training. Although games have been used in organizational settings for decades (Biggs, 1987; Cohen & Rhenman, 1961; Gredler, 1996; Keys & Wolfe, 1990), game-based learning has grown in popularity both in research and in practice over the last 10 years (Brom et al. 2011; DeSmet et al., 2014; Loganathan et al, 2019). Games are a particularly attractive option for training employees because games are often perceived positively and can improve the attention and motivation of the people completing the training. (Coller & Shernoff, 2009; Kalz et al., 2015; Papastergiou, 2009; Prensky, 2001a)
Organizations have recognized the potential benefits of using game-based approaches in their training programs. This has been demonstrated through their continued number of resources put towards the design and implementation of games (both commercially available games as well as games developed by the organization) for training purposes (Akilli & Cagiltay, 2006: Huang et al., 2015; Kalz et al., 2015; Prensky 2001a). For example, one research study compared a paper-and-pencil training manual to a computer game designed to train workers on complex manufacturing tasks. Researchers found that participants who learned using the computer game scored significantly higher on the knowledge assessment and reported feeling more confident and engaged with the training material (Li et al., 2017). This demonstrates that games can improve learning and positively impact the learner’s feelings toward the training. These positive feelings toward game-based training can benefit organizations who may need to train less interesting but legally required topics (e.g., sexual harassment training). Games might provide an opportunity to improve engagement with the training while ensuring organizations meet training program requirements.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Serious Games: Games played for educational reasons rather than entertainment ( Michael & Chen, 2006 ).
Subjective Measures of Learning: The methods used to capture the feelings, perceptions, and impressions of the learner regarding the educational material ( Dillenberger & Sandowski, 2012 ).
Training Media: The vehicle through which educational material is delivered. Examples of training media include classroom instruction or learning management systems ( Granger, 2008 ).
Skill-Based Learning: Learning related to development of technical or motor skills. Examples of concepts learned through skill-based learning include the abilities to compile, proceduralize, and compose different motor or technical skills as well as the ability to refine skills to the point of automaticity ( Kraiger et al., 1993 ).
Training/Learning Outcomes: Changes in the knowledge or behavior of a learner as a result of instruction or training ( Salas et al., 2012 ).
Game-Based Learning: The achievement of learning objectives using games as a way to deliver educational content ( Burguillo, 2010 ).
Input-Process-Output: A framework developed by McGrath (1984) to illustrate how systems develop as a result of inputs leading to processes which in turn lead to outcomes.
Objective Measures of Learning: The methods used to capture learner development throughout a training program using evaluations that are based on verifiable evidence (Anderson & Lawton, 2008 AU147: The in-text citation "Anderson & Lawton, 2008" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ).
Cognitive-Based Learning: Learning related to the acquisition of knowledge and the relationships among concepts. Examples of concepts learned through cognitive-based learning include verbal knowledge, knowledge organization, and cognitive strategies ( Kraiger et al., 1993 ).
Affective Learning: Learning related to changes in learner disposition and emotion. Examples of concepts learned through affective learning include attitudinal changes and motivational changes ( Kraiger et al., 1993 ).
Seductive Details: Attention-grabbing material that is presented with educational content with the intent that learners’ interest in the attention-grabbing material will result in the educational content appearing more memorable. Research has suggested that this does not work and that seductive details tend to be remembered separately from the educational content that they are paired with ( Fisch, 2005 ).