Fabrication of Games and Learning: - A Purposive Game Production

The concept of Game based learning has proven to have many possibilities for supporting better learning outcomes, when using educational or commercial games in the classroom. However, there is also a great potential in using game development as a motivator in several other kinds of learning scenarios. Using game development as an approach for including game based learning in various educations has become more accessible due to more user friendly game development tools and systems. This study will thus focus on an exploration on how game development motivates students and what they learn when creating games. We exemplify the potential of using game fabrication as a learning environment with the investigation of a game production, which involved over 25 students across semesters. In order to investigate students’ experiences during this purposive game production, we set up an experiment where students were “hired” to work in a virtual game development company. Students then had to produce a game concerning global warming during their 2.5 months semester project. The main results indicated that students who worked on the purposive game production acquired several new technical and analytical skills, they increased their skills in production management, and they were more motivated to continue their studies after the production. The findings illustrate that there are great potentials in harnessing the power of game development in education. We conclude with a framework of best practice guidelines for other educators, who want to incorporate a purposive game production in their own activities.