EXCERPTS FROM DIGITAL GAME-BASED LEARNING

Copyright (c) 2000 Marc Prensky. Please reference all excerpts, examples, quotations and ideas herefrom to Digital Game-Based Learning, by Marc Prensky.

Click here for the entire Chapter 2: The Games Generations: How Learners Have Changed

Excerpt from Chapter 2: The Games Generations: How Learners Have Changed:

"The Games Generations —others use the terms N-[for Net ]-gen or D-[for digital ]-gen —are native speakers of the digital language of computers, video games and the Internet. Those of us who were not born into this world but have, at some later point in our lives, become fascinated by and adopted many or most aspects of the new technology are, and will always be, compared to them, "digital immigrants." And like all immigrants, as we learn —some better than others —to adapt to our new environment, we always retain, to some degree, our "accent," that is, our foot in the past. The digital immigrant accent can be seen in such things as turning to the Internet for information second rather than first, or in reading the manual for a program rather than assuming that the program itself will teach us to use it. We older folk have not been "socialized," to use Patricia Greenfield’s term, in the same way as our children. Remember,a language learned later in life goes into a different part of the brain."

Excerpt from Chapter 5: Fun, Play and Games: What Makes Games Engaging?

WHY GAMES ENGAGE US

Games are a form of fun. That gives us enjoyment and pleasure.

Games are a form of play. That gives us intense and passionate involvement.

Games have rules. That gives us structure.

Games have goals. That gives us motivation.

Games are interactive. That gives us doing.

Games have outcomes and feedback. That gives us learning.

Games are adaptive. That gives us flow.

Games have win states. That gives us ego gratification.

Games have conflict/competition/challenge/opposition. That gives us adrenaline.

Games have problem solving. That sparks our creativity.

Games have interaction. That gives us social groups.

Games have representation and story. That gives us emotion.

Excerpt from Chapter 8: Digital Game-Based Learning for Adults

"Here's a way to design a customer service simulation as more of a game. You, the player, get to design your customers, from millions of possibilities. You decide what they look like, what their personality is, what mood they are in that day. You also decide what mood you are in that day -happy, depressed, wanting to be somewhere else, hung over, and so on. Then you set the game on play and it randomly generates customers. The customers are computer animations - not realistic, but exaggerations. If you piss them off, they trash the place. If you do the right thing they kiss you, or give you good stuff, or money, and so on - outrageous, memorable stuff. You have a goal - accumulate as much "success "as possible, become the top salesperson, or the bartender with the most "regulars, "or keep your "cool meter "at a certain level no matter what they customer does. But you don 't have to get there right away; in fact it's hard to get there. You can explore the whole range of bad scenarios, which you do immediately because you've already heard, by word of mouth, that they are so much fun. In each situation, there is not just a list of three choices but a gallery of the most creative (and outrageous) things to say in that situation that you can even add to, and they will show up (after being vetted) in other's games later. Prizes are offered for the cleverest phrases and approaches that work. Unexpected diversions occur, such as holdups or amorous interludes. There is also a multiplayer mode, where live players run the customers, and their role is to make you lose your cool as they continually interrupt you. You do learn the right things to do and say, because there's something personally fun in it for you - the whole list we saw about what makes games engaging, including winning on the game's terms or on your own. It's fun - not like learning a lesson is fun, but like having the best city, or theme park, or sim family is fun. This is the design approach that led to the creation of a game called Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego's Luggage? rather than a simulation called Customer Service at SAS Airlines."