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Chapter 6 - Design Better Games

Flow, Motivation, and Fun

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 May 2015

Curtiss Murphy
Affiliation:
Alion Science and Technology
Dustin Chertoff
Affiliation:
Intelligent Automation, Inc.
Michael Guerrero
Affiliation:
MOVES Institute
Kerry Moffitt
Affiliation:
Raytheon BBN Technologies
Talib S. Hussain
Affiliation:
Raytheon BBN Technologies
Susan L. Coleman
Affiliation:
Intelligent Decision Systems, Inc.
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Summary

Abstract

During a 2010 Ted conference, Ali Carr-Chellman offered this criticism of our industry: “Most of the educational games that are out there today are really flash-cards. They are glorified drill-and-practice. They don’t have the depth and rich narrative that really engaging video games have” (Carr-Chellman, 2010). She concluded with this challenge: “We need to design better games.” This chapter addresses her challenge.

Introduction

We already know that games can be used to teach many things. Sailors in the U.S. Navy play the Damage Control Trainer as part of their boot camp training. Marines use games and virtual environments to train convoy operations (Hussain et al., 2009). In health care, you see games used to improve physical fitness, aid diabetics, and improve the lives of asthmatics (Baranowski et al., 2008). But what makes these games work?

In this chapter, we will explore l ow, motivation, and fun. We will dissect how the entertainment industry creates really engaging videogames. We will unravel the science of why people become engaged and learn guidelines that promote flow. We will explore how motivation works and what fun really means. Throughout this chapter, we will highlight some of the best examples and most effective techniques. By the end, you will know how to use l ow, motivation, and fun to design better games.

Type
Chapter
Information
Design and Development of Training Games
Practical Guidelines from a Multidisciplinary Perspective
, pp. 146 - 178
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2014

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