“Designing a Video Game

for History Education”

Case Study #2
Group 4
Nichol, Scott, Jonathan, and Katie
 Case Summary
The case study begins with a discussion between Paul (a professor
who specialized in Ed Tech) and his team of 4 grads from Walker
University. Paul was approached by a local alternative HS to create an
Ed video game for High School. It opens with them talking about
various video games like Harry Potter and Grand Theft Auto and how
there were sandbox environments.
This idea came from the principal, Bob, who was also a teacher and
played professional baseball in the past. He thought about WWII and
the role baseball played with the prisoners. They then gathered more
books, documentaries and Bobs workbook and module standards and
do research on the history.
Why We Chose this Case
 The Team’s Constraints and Resources
Constraints
Team Constraints:
- Lack of shared knowledge about games
- Lack of knowledge of subject matter, no
clear subject matter expert
- Time constraints for making game
- No shared vision
Resources
- Clear and enthusiastic stakeholders and a
module to convert
- Paul has experience with educational game
design
- Two team members have gaming experience
- Additional books and documentaries on
subject

School Constraints:

- Limited time for game play

- Potential ethical issues because both the
subject and age group
- Accessibility for students with disabilities
- Standard alignment
 Developing Knowledge
What their process for developing knowledge was:
- Divided work up to develop knowledge, but not all shared
knowledge, leaving some team members out of the loop

What they should have changed about their process:

- They could have switched roles when they were collecting info so
they could have had shared base knowledge
- Those without gaming experience should have played games
- They should have talked to someone who actually experienced
the camps
 Ethical Considerations and Historical Accuracy
Ethical Issues:
- They were worried about the balance between
historical accuracy and age appropriateness.

Bigger ethical issue that wasn’t

considered:
- Sometimes when we make games age
appropriate or fun for school, they become
culturally insensitive (like when teachers make
“fun”slavery games and it ends up on the news).
Can, and should, you develop fun,
educational, and historical games for middle
schoolers?
 Our ideas to approach ethical issues:

- Talk to survivors. Use their

voice.
- Maybe consider ditching
open world for card based
or narrative gameplay.
- Instructional Designers
must be aware of bigger
cultural implications
 Characteristics of Engaging and Effective Games
“Harmonically blending pedagogy
with gaming technology is not a
small feat and requires a very
thorough understanding of the
interplay between game
mechanics, motivation,
engagement, subjective user
characteristics and their effect on
learning behavior” (Alexiou &
Schippers, 2018, p. 2560).
Many scholars offer frameworks to explain what makes games engaging
and effective. We look at two often-cited cases and findings from a recently
published study. (Note: In our discussion, “serious games,” “educational games,” and
“instructional games” are interchangeable terms.)
 Characteristics of Engaging and Effective Games
Mitgutsch & Alvarado’s Serious Game Design Assessment Framework

“If we regard serious games as purpose-based game

systems, the driving force that functions as the pivotal
influence over the elements of the game design should
be the purpose of the game. Thus, the purpose
should be reflected in all the elements that support the
game system: content, the fiction & narrative, the
mechanics [i.e, goals and challenges], the aesthetics
& graphics, and the framing [or ease/difficulty of
game play]. The relation among these six core
components impacts the coherence and cohesiveness
of the formal conceptual design of the holistic game
system. The order in which these elements are
assessed and discussed is flexible and depends on
the game and the perspective of criticism – in our case
the purpose is the driving factor" (Mitgutsch &
Alvarado, 2012, p. 123).
(Mitgutsch & Alvarado, 2012, p. 123)
Characteristics of Engaging and Effective Games
Shi & Shih’s 11 Crucial Factors

Simulation, audio, and graphic

elements can make a game
more attractive, improving
player motivation (p. 4)

(Shi & Shih, 2015, p. 3)

 Characteristics of Engaging and Effective Games
Nadolny et al (2020)

In a recent study,
Nadolny et al (2020)
examined 194
publications on game-
based learning, released
in 2007-2017. It found
six primary and 14
secondary
characteristics.

(Nadolny et al, 2020, p. 2)

 Characteristics of Engaging and Effective Games
Nadolny et al (2020)

After a complex content analysis of research literature on game-based learning,

Nadolny et al (2020) saw how four game types impact cognition.

(Nadolny et al, 2020, p. 9)

 Characteristics of Engaging and Effective Games
Good Video Game Tutorial Design

We especially note
importance of tutorials.
"People learn in many different
ways, and video game tutorials
have recognized this by
enabling users to essentially
learn how they want. They
provide the relevant information
when it is needed [...] so as to
not overwhelm users and
convey it several different ways
to ensure that different learning
methodologies are accounted
for” (Midford, 2019, pp. 48-49). (Midford, 2019, p. 46)
Characteristics of Engaging and Effective Games
Perhaps the Most Crucial Factors
Ravyse et al (2017) did their own extensive study and made this
summation:
“[Learners] want to have fun [emphasis added] before they value
the subsequent learning-benefit serious games can offer them.
Serious games producers must not impede this hunger for fun, but
rather use it to stealthily engage [emphasis added] the player
with the required learning material. This implies that the games
need to have replay value [emphasis added] rather than be a
once-off learning endeavor” (p. 53).
 Design Challenges with Appealing &
Educationally Effective Games
Accessibility: Ease of use, internet requirements, captions, consideration for disabled
students, hardware/software requirements, cultural sensitivity issues, etc.

Objective-based Focus:

● Effective educational games must keep student interest and be engaging while still
respecting the mandated curriculum.
● Games must be quick-to-use
○ not too much focus on “side quests”
○ focus on the main training goal
● Games should both tie into the learning objectives and relate to the learner
● Players must “feel like they are in control” (Watson, 2019, p. 22)
 Design Challenges with Appealing &
Educationally Effective Games (cont.)
Time Constraints:

● Are the learning goals realistically attainable within the timeframe?

● Will “open worlds” take away from learning?
● How long will students be able to devote to training?
○ In-class training vs after school training
○ At-home?
■ Interest - will they want to use the training?
■ Accessibility issues?
● How long will it take students to learn the game itself?
○ Learning curve too steep = frustrating experience
○ Learning curve too easy = boring experience
Role of Instructor During Video Game
Implementation/ Guiding Principles for incorporation

Instructor’s role:
- Support and scaffold gameplay for students who might struggle
- Assess students’ learning
- Guide learning
- Play the game too!

Guiding Principles:
- Make sure the game you are playing doesn’t make a traumatic event “fun” because that
gets you on the news and is offensive.
- Connect to standards
 References
Alexiou, A., & Schippers, M.C. (2018). Digital game elements, user experience and learning: A conceptual framework.
Education and Information Technologies, 23(6), 2545-2567. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-018-9730-6

Midford, G. (2019). Video Game Tutorials Exhibit Good Design Techniques. TD Magazine, 74(4), 44-49.

Mitgutsch, K., & Alvarado, N. (2012). Purposeful by design?: A Serious Game Design Assessment Framework. FDG
'12: Proceedings of the International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games, 121-128.
https://doi.org/10.1145/2282338.2282364

Nadolny, L., Valai, A., Cherrez, N.J., Elrick, D., Lovett, A., & Nowatzke, M. (2020). Examining the characteristics of
game-based learning: A content analysis and design framework. Computers and Education, 156(103936), 1-13.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103936

Ravyse, W.S., Blignaut, A.S., Leendertz, V., & Woolner, A. (2017). Success factors for serious games to enhance
learning: a systematic review. Virtual Reality, 21, 31–58. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-016-0298-4

Shi, Y., & Shih, J. (2015). Game Factors and Game-Based Learning Design Model. International Journal of Computer
Games Technology, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/549684

Watson, W.R. (2019). Paul Lindley: Designing a Video Game for History Education. In P.A. Ertmer (Ed.), The ID
CaseBook: Case Studies in Instructional Design (5th ed.), pp. 20-25. Routledge.