Games E-Learners Play

Perhaps the single, biggest obstacle to the future success of e-learning is just plain boredom. Too many courses deal with abstract concepts rather than real-world practice; they’re passive, when learners want to be doing things; they’re sterile, when what’s required is a little excitement. In other words, they’re just plain dull. In this chapter, I argue the case for simulations and games as engaging, life-like and highly-interactive learning activities, capable of providing the foundation for second generation e-learning products that really deliver on the hype.

Learners just want to have fun

What’s the single, biggest obstacle to e-learning continuing to grow and fulfilling its potential? Is it the cost of development? The lack of human contact? The reluctance of training departments to make the change? No, none of these is irresolvable. The problem is much more likely to be boredom. Too many courses deal with abstract concepts, rather than real-world practice; they’re passive, when learners want to be doing things; they’re sterile, when what’s required is a little excitement. In other words, they’re just plain dull, and dull won’t hack it with a generation reared on techno music, action movies and video games.

Of course, dullness isn’t the exclusive privilege of e-learning - so much of our education and training is dull, whether it’s delivered face-to-face or at a distance. We could all do with a bit more fun in our lives. According to US motivational guru, Anne Bruce, people who have fun at work are not only doing their job, they are doing it at a higher level. And what goes for work goes for learning too. “When learning isn’t fun, it’s not learning”, says Roger Schank, author of Virtual Learning. “Listening to endless lectures and memorizing countless facts and figures aren’t fun activities. What’s fun is doing.”

We’d probably all agree that the most fun, and the most effective, learning experiences that we’ve had have been when we’ve been able to get stuck into something practical – a project, a case study, a chance to try things out for ourselves. But, according to learning games advocate Marc Prensky, effectiveness – let alone fun – is not always the primary driver for trainers: “The problem with most companies' use of learning technologies, from the learner's point of view, is that they are used today primarily to make things easier for the trainer. Most of what exists so far in terms of web and other technology used for learning is so elementary or old-fashioned in its learning approaches that, apart from remote delivery, it adds little to learning and often subtracts from it.”

So what’s the answer? David Klaila, Managing Director of Celemi Learning Business, believes that “e-learning consumers should expect programs that incorporate the same innovative tools and techniques used in the computer gaming industry – such as graphics, interaction, and skill-building challenges – to deliver an educational experience that's compelling, informative, and fun.”

Games and simulations are capable of pushing back the boundaries of what we can expect from an e-learning experience, and not just in terms of gimmickry and entertainment value. Engaging, life-like and highly-interactive learning activities are capable of providing the foundation for second generation e-learning products that really deliver on the hype.