Design Minded Players: A Game Play Reflection
Can Sandbox Games Help Populate the Digital Game-Based Learning Catalogue?
Crayon Physics Deluxe and Simmetri are two sandbox games/tools available on the Steam store at a very low price.
General Overview:
In this gameplay reflection I discuss the potential of using games such as these, that allow you to design and share your own levels or interactive designs, to help populate the need for well made content specific to Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL) games. I propose that perhaps, DIY and Maker culture can be emulated through the use of preexisting commercial-off-the-shelf games and products to help fill this need and give students more agency in their learning and teaching process.
The two product I highlight, one a traditional game (Crayon Physics Deluxe) and the other a semi-gamified software for creating immersive and interactive experiences (Simmetri) are just two examples of commercial products available that hand over creation of objects and worlds to players. Others, not mentioned in this video would include the recently popular Scratch programing language and the game Little Big Planet where you can unlock a "create mode" that lets you design your own puzzle levels and share them online with other players. This ability to create and share levels has become a popular aspect of online gaming, which strongly relates to educational theory such as Cognitive Constructivism and Social Constructivism but even falls into the territory of Constructionism, which advocates the idea of project-based learning where students create to learn.
Because of the time, cost, and specificity involved in game development, there is currently an inability for the game industry to create games that reflect specific teaching goals or lesson plans, but through the use of sandbox games teacher may be able to create their own DGBL levels and even have their students create levels for each other. If teachers are then willing to share their game levels with each other, just like the entertainment game community does, then they might be able to populate the online world with a plethora of relevant and free-to-use games, levels, and plug-ins to integrate into the classroom.
Sources & Inspirations:
Fun, Play and Games: What Makes Games Engaging by Marc Prensky
Impact of Learning Paradigms in Game Design by Ryan Flynn, Liz Bacon, & Mohammad Dastbaz