{"id":405,"date":"2013-11-16T04:40:02","date_gmt":"2013-11-16T10:40:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bobbylox.com\/blog\/indies-and-edu-games-a-perfect-couple-too-shy-to-approach-one-another\/"},"modified":"2024-12-02T13:31:24","modified_gmt":"2024-12-02T19:31:24","slug":"indies-and-edu-games-a-perfect-couple-too-shy-to-approach-one-another","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bobbylox.com\/blog\/indies-and-edu-games-a-perfect-couple-too-shy-to-approach-one-another\/","title":{"rendered":"Indies and Edu-Games: A Perfect Couple Too Shy to Approach One Another"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’m\u00a0Rob Lockhart<\/a>, the Creative Director of\u00a0Important Little Games<\/a>.\u00a0 If you were to follow me on\u00a0twitter<\/a>, I’d be grateful.<\/strong><\/p>\n

~<\/p>\n

Nothing has been more important to my development as a game designer than getting acquainted with the independent game scene in my area, namely Chicago<\/a>. \u00a0Learning about the ethos and the culture behind the wider indie game scene has only fall in love with it more. \u00a0The tenets of indie game culture are many, but there’s something I want to try to explore in connection with the specific genre I’m engaged with at the moment: ‘Make Something Original.’<\/p>\n

‘Make Something Original’ is, I think, the most valuable thing that Indies can offer. \u00a0While big-budget games can have original elements, I think it’s safe to say that AAA game developers are unwilling to risk wholly original games. \u00a0In contrast, independent game developers are willing and eager to create whole new genres, some of which stretch the entire definition of games<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Running parallel to Independent games is a new renaissance in educational games, lead by academic institutions like Games*Learning*Society<\/a> and the Center for Games and Impact<\/a>\u00a0, medium-sized game studios like Filament Games<\/a> and E-Line Media<\/a>\u00a0and non-profits like the Institute of Play<\/a>. \u00a0These groups are proving the efficacy of games for learning every day.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"One<\/a>

One of my favorite Filament games<\/p><\/div>\n

Why Learning Games and Indies are Such a Good Match<\/strong><\/p>\n

As I grow to appreciate more and more, games for learning require a flexible approach to game design. \u00a0There is room for games at three stages of the learning process:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Need to Know. \u00a0This is the stage where a student is motivated to learn something. \u00a0For example, having students play a few rounds of Cannons (or Worms<\/a>, or Angry Birds<\/a>) might motivate them to learn ballistics formulas.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Content or Skills. \u00a0This is what most people think of when they think of learning. \u00a0All modern well-designed games teach the player the skills and knowledge necessary to play as part of the initial play experience. \u00a0A few make this play experience about something with real-world analogs, and thus teach real-world skills or content as a side-effect of play. \u00a0For example, this game about running a constitutional law firm<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  3. Assessment. Most educational games are actually in this category (though they may claim to be in category 2). \u00a0Examples are Math Blaster<\/a> and Mandarin Madness<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    At their best, learning games are capable of covering all of these phases simultaneously, but that requires an openness to letting the subject matter and game mechanics influence and inform one another. \u00a0As Scot Osterweil<\/a> once put it to me (I paraphrase), ‘the designer must find within the topic what is playful and let that be the kernel the game is built around.’<\/p>\n

    When risk-averse organizations attempt to design games for learning, what results is often a proven game mechanic (such as Mario-style platforming) paired arbitrarily with a learning goal (like diabetes management – this is a real game<\/a>). \u00a0When indies experiment with educational game design, the results are not always polished, but are usually at least cohesive.<\/p>\n

    There is already a lot of crossover, in terms of personnel. \u00a0Some of the most innovative independent designers have already dipped their toes in the water of educational games, perhaps recognizing the usefulness of the independent design philosophy to pedagogy.<\/p>\n