University of Oklahoma

Game-Based Learning

Diana Fiddler
Information Communication Technology--5063
Dr. Kun Lu
December 16, 2016

Game-Based Learning

Game-based learning is an innovative method of understanding and using information

through technology-based educational programs. Gaming offers educational opportunities that
provides students with a fresh outlook on their educational experiences. Almost by definition,
any initiative that mixes videogames and education can be considered as game-based learning
(Moreno-Ger et al. 2008, 2531). Human information behavior can take place through many
different experiences. Students, in educational learning experiences, should be engaged and
motivated in their learning needs. Online games satisfy the basic requirements of learning
environments and can provide engaging learning experiences for students (Kiili 2005, 13).
Through the inclusion of gaming in education, professionals can assess gamings possible impact
on human information behavior.
In order for gaming to be productive in informational learning, the provider needs to
associate the idea that games offer learning opportunities that are useful and meaningful to the
curriculum. Gaming should be a tool that enhances the curriculum and offers advantages to the
user. Many times game-based learning is thought of only as a fun bonus activity for students.
This should not be the norm in providing a positive and productive learning environment.
Game-based learning should be a supplement to the ongoing discussions and hands-on
approaches to learning. These supplemental opportunities engage in the transferring of skills
from discussion to application. Application of skills transforms the idea to actual working
concepts. Learning environments such as games allow students to discover new rules and ideas
rather than memorizing the material that others have presented (Kiili 2005, 17). In the field of
education, this transferring of knowledge is imperative in the building of one concept and the
establishment of another. Gaming offers students the availability to apply these skills and work
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through information as problem solvers. This type of process allows for active participation and
the differentiation of learning styles.
Each of the learning styles can be implemented into the gaming aspect in a combination
of methods to meet the needs of the user. The visual learner has ample access to pictures and
images through illustrations, charts, graphs, and video. The linguistic learner is able to express
their thoughts through written text; various Web 2.0 programs offer the capability to include
verbal dictation. Kinesthetic learners have a wide range of opportunities within the gaming
programs. The incorporation of physical interactions can include body, hands, and sense of
touch. Logical learners are able to implement mathematical and reasoning skills into the
learning process. The auditory learner can access their information behavior through sound and
music. Intrapersonal and interpersonal learners can also gain satisfaction in their learning by
choosing to either work individually (intrapersonal) or as a group (interpersonal). Each of these
learning styles are integral in the formation of the gaming process. The foundation of
educational gaming is built around these concepts of differentiated learning styles. With the
establishment of different learning experiences, the student can adjust their learning methods to
meet their needs; especially, with material which may be new or difficult for the learner.
Differentiated instruction is important when working with students of various ability levels,
needs, experiences, and/or preferences of subject matter.
Gaming has several positive impacts on human information behavior in regards to student
learning. Since ancient times, there has been a common belief that children learn valuable
lessons when they are playing. During play, children practice skills and acquire attitudes that are
useful for their intellectual, social, emotional, and motoric development (De Grove,
Bourgonjon, and Van Looy 2012, 2023). When students are able to transfer the classroom

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discussions to applicable practice, they are able to retain the information through use. Gamebased education may seem like play to the students, but in actuality the students are reinforcing
the learned skill. As the skill is applied in different situations and in different venues of
accessibility, the student is able to challenge themselves at an individual level. These individual
levels allow for the tracking of progress based on each students progression. Through the
method of tracking student activity, the teacher and/or student can use the generated information
to assist in the guidance of further instruction. Moreover, digital games offer opportunities for
students to take control over their own learning processes (De Grove, Bourgonjon, and Van
Looy 2012, 2023). The user and/or instructor are capable of monitoring and evaluating the
progress in the gaming process. Clear goals can be set for each individual based on the data
gathered from the educational program. Goals can be established to create a learning
environment which fosters positive student attitudes. It is imperative to monitor the attitude of
the individual learner. A learners attitude will dictate the overall desire to learn and to continue
a task. If an individual has a poor attitude, the retention of information will be greatly affected.
Students with a positive attitude will have a greater desire to continue in the learning process;
this causes their overall academic performance to be at a higher level of achievement. Selfesteem is considered an important psychological factor that affects learning (Paraskeva,
Mysirlaki, and Papagianni 2010, 500). One, of the positive benefits of gaming, could be in the
establishment of a sense of higher self-esteem. Gaming could increase the self-confidence of
students in its ability to offer different levels of programming and instruction for each individual.
Gaming does not only impact the mental stability of an individual, but also the behavioral
implications as well. Students are more apt to apply greater effort in their overall performance, if

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they have confidence in their abilities. This boost in confidence can also occur when the
instructor offers positive and productive guidance in the students ability to grow academically.
Acceptance of a game-based education is something that each educator will need to
decide upon for themselves. An educator who is willing to incorporate this type of instruction
into their classroom will have more success than an educator who is required to included
technology-based programming into the curriculum. Teacher educators should address in which
specific cases and under which particular circumstances video games can increase the quality
and effectiveness of the teacher profession. If teacher educators focus on the quality of
education, teachers will be more inclined to accept game-based learning as a merit for their
practice (Bourgonjon et al. 2013, 32). Gaming will only be beneficial for the instructor and
student, if both parties are welcoming of this type of supplemental education. The teacher who
promotes this type of learning is an educator who sees the benefits and necessity in
implementing game-based learning. The educator will need to be familiar with the programming
and feel confident in their abilities to properly use the technology. This reiterates the importance
of educating the educator during the implementation of any new program. Through education,
the educator will be able to instruct the student on the proper use and advantages of using a
game-based educational tool. Students and educators who are able to use the entire program will
gain more valuable information and experiences than when only a small portion of a programs
capabilities are accessed. It is essential for a program to include the person accessing its use and
to generate tasks which will increase skill performance. One of the challenges of designing
Web-based learning materials is that of engaging students (Kiili 2005, 13). Students need to be
engaged in the learning process. By engaging the student, the student becomes a motivated
learner, and they begin to invest their time and effort into the outcome. The use of technology

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alone does not motivate students that have lived in the midst of technology all their lives. Thus,
learning situations and methods that engage learners must be created (Kiili 2005, 14). Rather,
than sitting a student in front of a computer program and instructing the student to complete
meaningless review tasks; the student should undertake a task which generates productivity or
direct experience. These direct experiences should involve some type of prior knowledge on the
students behalf. Prior knowledge will influence the students ability to use, retain, and apply
learned information in different situations. Situations such as this will give the students a
need/reason to investment their efforts in the outcome of the end result. When the student
understands the reasoning and desired outcome, they will develop an understanding for the
importance of the endgame. This understanding can be generated from feedback. Technologybased programs offer the ability to provide immediate feedback to the student and educator.
Feedback can cause the user and/or educator to change the course of study based on the users
immediate need.
Gaming also has several negative impacts on human information behavior in regards to
implementation, thus impacting student learning. Two of the major downfalls of using gamebased education in the classroom include the limited amount of classroom time and technical
support. Lack of time and technical issues on the other hand are perceived as the most
important barriers to the use of games in education (Bourgonjon et al. 2013, 23). On the
school level, recurring issues concern infrastructure, technical support, cost and school culture
(De Grove, Bourgonjon, and Van Looy 2012, 2026). Educators seem to never have enough class
time to incorporate the grade level standards and objectives deemed necessary by the
government into their class lessons. To add additional supplemental activities into the routine
may seem unattainable. However, if an educator truly sees the benefits of a program, they may

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find that the rearrangement of their schedules may in fact foster the program. The second
limitation, technical support, can occur because of the lack of funding and/or lack of education.
In order to provide technical support, the organization must be willing to pay for tech support
and/or educate those who are implementing the program. Either way, both of these situations are
out of the hands of the educator; unless the educator is willing to self-educate themselves with
the program and feel comfortable in their technical capabilities. Within the field of game-based
learning, it is often claimed that teachers lack of video game experience is problematic as it
supposedly creates a divide between the teachers and their tech-savvy students (Bourgonjon et
al. 2013, 25). Some educators may feel inadequate in the use of game-based learning when their
students are more knowledgeable in using the technology than the teacher. This type of situation
can be handled in one of three ways. The educator can either decide to not use the program with
the students, receive some type of education (self or professional), or learn from the students.
The choice is dependent upon the educator, and the benefits the educator deems important in the
use of the product. Unfortunately, games have been used in education primarily as tools for
supporting the practice of factual information (Kiili 2005, 14). This type of rote behavior does
not enhance the learning behavior of the user. Rather, than the student engaging in the
instruction, they are merely repeating their actions. This type of behavior will not benefit the
students outcomes nor the data generated for the instructor; therefore, the educator may not be
aware of the importance of the gaming program which enhances the curriculum and engages the
student.
Major players in game-based learning need to include specific aspects into their products.
Thus, in educational game design both dimensions, educational goals and gameplay, should be
balanced in order to achieve a meaningful entity (Kiili 2005, 16). A balance of each of these

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attributes will create educational gaming products which will engage, enhance, and offer
justification of the educational opportunities to its user. Some of the major educational gamebased players that incorporate narrative text and inspire writing include Minecraft, Terraria, and
Guild Wars 2. Coding programs that are beneficial for student use include Tynker and
CodeMonkey. Both of these coding programs are geared toward the novice to the more advanced
user. Pokmon Go is a game-based program that can be used in the field of group collaboration
and the understanding of the value of art.
The future of gaming in the field of human information behavior has changed over the
years. Lately, serious attention has been directed to the potential of using online games for
learning and various terms have been coined to describe this new educational tool, such as
edutainment and educational games (Paraskeva, Mysirlaki, and Papagianni 2010, 498).
Gaming now has its own terminology, branding of material, and categorization with regards to
education. Descriptions such as these adhere to the fact that more game-based programs are
leaning toward education standards. These programs offer enhanced and innovative properties to
engage the learner. Most modern e-learning systems have evolved and include more
pedagogically sound features such as student tracking, online assessment, user feedback or
community features (Moreno-Ger et al. 2008, 2530). Attributes such as these facilitate the need
for data collection and allow the educator to differentiate the instruction based on the results.
Data-driven results are important in the field of education. Therefore, more game-based
programs are built around the need for data collection, enhanced learning, and engaging
products.
Finally, the gaming industry has become more detailed in meeting the needs of the
field of human information behavior. The game-based programs have been designed to increase

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motivation and engage the students in the learning process. The developers understand the need
to develop differentiated material in order to meet the needs of its users in order to facilitate in
the creation of high self-esteem characteristics in the user. This can occur by meeting the
specifications in the content areas in order to increase interest and knowledge in the subject
matter through leveled play. Even though these needs are being met in the development, it is still
the educators responsibility in creating an environment which fosters growth and learning.

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Bibliography
Bourgonjon, Jeroen and et al. 2013. Acceptance of Game-Based Learning by Secondary School
Teachers. Computers & Education 67: 21-35.
De Grove, Frederik, Jeroen Bourgonjon, and Jan Van Looy. 2012. Digital Games in the
Classroom? A Contextual Approach to Teachers Adoption Intention of Digital Games
in Formal Education. Computers in Human Behavior 28: 2023-33.
Kiili, Kristian. 2005. Digital Game-Based Learning: Towards an Experiential Gaming Model.
Internet and Higher Education 8: 13-24.
Moreno-Ger, Pablo, and et al. 2008. Educational Game Design for Online Education.
Computers in Human Behavior 24: 2530-40.
Paraskeva, Fotini, Sofia Mysirlaki, and Aikaterini Papagianni. 2010. Multiplayer Online
Games as Educational Tools: Facing New Challenges in Learning. Computer &
Education 54: 498-505.

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