The use of computer games as an educational tool: identification of appropriate game types and game elements

TLDR

Playing games supports social and mental development, and adventure game elements such as logic, memory, visualisation, and problem solving are integral to learning and are represented by distinct components in the game space. The study aims to determine which game types and elements best fit a teaching environment and to develop a model linking pedagogical needs with game elements such as visualisation and problem solving. Twenty students played four commercial games—SimIsle, Red Alert, Zork Nemesis, and Duke Nukem 3D—to evaluate preferences and element importance. Students favored 3D‑adventure and strategy games, with Zork Nemesis ranked best, and rated logic, memory, visualisation, and problem solving as key elements, suggesting that such tools can stimulate learning and skill development.

Abstract

Playing games is an important part of our social and mental development. This research was initiated to identify the game type most suitable to our teaching environment and to identify game elements that students found interesting or useful within the different game types. A group of twenty students played four commercial games (SimIsle, Red Alert, Zork Nemesis and Duke Nukem 3D). Results suggest that students prefer 3D‐adventure (Zork Nemesis) and strategy (Red Alert) games to the other types (“shoot‐em‐up”, simulation) with Zork Nemesis ranked as the best. Students rated game elements such as logic, memory, visualisation and problem solving as the most important game elements. Such elements are integral to adventure games and are also required during the learning process. We present a model that links pedagogical issues with game elements. The game space contains a number of components, each encapsulates specific abstract or concrete interfaces. Understanding the relationship between educational needs and game elements will allow us to develop educational games that include visualisation and problem solving skills. Such tools could provide sufficient stimulation to engage learners in knowledge discovery, while at the same time developing new skills.