Getting started in creating learning games
In an earlier post this week, Leanne Dimon wrote about the potential power of games in learning. But…how does a newbie get started in designing and developing learning games?
E-learning Guild’s 2008 DevLearn conference had a heavy emphasis on gaming - and how to use games in learning. One of the best sessions I attended was simply an overview of how to get started in creating learning games. Hree’s what I learned:
The truth…you have to first start PLAYING a lot of games so you can learn what’s good and bad. And…the games don’t have to be learning games - they just need to be games. Part of creating a learning game is to first figure out how to create a game - how to set up rules, the world within the game, and to be clear about what makes a game a good one (i.e. fun/engaging) versus a bad one (frustrating or just downright stupid).
Here’s a quick summary of the high points:
1) Most games are done in Flash. While people TEND to think of the cool-looking 3D worlds, 95% of games are NOT 3D. They are done in Flash and will continue to be built in Flash because Flash is far easier/less time-consuming to build in and serious gamers are less about the 3D world than they are about the quality of the gaming experience.
2) Kongregate is a fantastic site for playing games…and you can play for free. There are almost 10,000 free games available for play. Newbies to gaming need to play lots and lots of games and this site lets you! The site also features online labs to teach people principles of game design.
3) If you want to design games, then you need to read “Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals” by Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman. It’s basically a bible for game designers.
4) If you really want to develop games in 3D worlds there is cheap software to help you do it. The caveat is that while the software is cheap to buy (anywhere from $35 to $300), the learning curve to using it - and the time it takes to create such games is still huge, huge, huge. You will not “rapidly” build a 3D game even if the software is really cheap. Go to Garage Games or The Game Creators if you want to check out the tools.
Finally, another great game site (this comes from me - not DevLearn) is Youda Games. This site, too, enables you to play free games…and our entire staff has been captivated by some of them (Check out a game called Waitress. Do a search for it once you get to the site.
Happy gaming - tell us how you’ll be using games as learning tools in 2009…and what you are learning about what makes a good/bad game. In 2009, I guarantee you’ll be seeing them a lot more as learning tools. Get informed - and get started making them!
Tags: learning games
December 8th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
[...] good reason to incorporate games into learning designs. In Sharon Boller’s recent post Getting Started in Creating Learning Games - she said the “truth is you need to start playing a lot of games.”