e-Learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven Guidelines for Consumers and Designers of Multimedia Learning

15.4. Match Game Types to Learning Goals

To be effective, the goals, activities, feedback, and interfaces of simulations and games must align with the desired instructional outcomes. The Oregon Trail and flip-flop games described previously included elements that were antagonistic to the intended learning objectives. Learning took place—just not the intended learning. In the Oregon Trail game, children co-opted game features that appealed to them, such as shooting animals, that did not contribute to the learning goal. The "twitch" feature of the flip-flop game was counter productive to the deeper reflection needed to learn physics principles.

In Figure 15.1 we summarized the categories of commercial video and computer games. What types of games ...