One of the ways people gain experience is through play. In fact, much of the early development of children is exploration through play. A lot of research has been done on this subject such as that conducted by the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard and implemented in programs like California’s First 5. Other sources include books like The Game Believes in You, Theory of Fun for Game Design, Reality is Broken, and Rules of Play. All of them look at the various ways in which people engage with games and/or touch on the aspects of brain development. The research out there shows how prevalent gaming is.
You do not need to look at academic works or books that distill the research into accessible language. Just watch how a child plays and the ways in which they mimic the behaviors of the adults in their lives to see the experimentation at work. Children try to process the world around them and work out their place within in it just like gamers do with any new game they learn. At first, players stumble through the motions attempting to understand the limitations imposed by the rules, they are testing the world’s boundaries to see what works and what does not. Children do the same when playing as well as when seeing what they can get away with before their parents rein them in.
Boundary testing is how we learn through experimentation. Play encourages failure in a safe environment where the results will not have long-term effects. Thus, play nurtures exploration without risk. Granted failure is a risk, but it is not a catastrophe. Players do not lose anything when they stop playing. Rather, they gain from each attempt towards success. Every opponent with greater skill has something to teach the new player through observation as well as probing the strengths and weaknesses of the opponent’s strategy (as well as the player’s own). Much of this is done through indirect communication, but some well versed players may offer hints and pointers to help the player improve as the novice’s improvement can help the veteran do so as well. Teaching is mastery exhibited and shows what has been gained.
Previous
Learning by Design – Introduction, Part 4
Next
Learning by Design – Introduction, Part 6