One of the things emphasized in Jane McGonigal’s books Reality is Broken and Superbetter, as well as Raph Koster’s Theory of Fun for Game Design, and Benedict Carey’s How We Learn is how the brain works. The processes behind some of the most important information gathering and assessment mechanisms of the brain benefit greatly from game play. Games do this well because of the desire to win and compete to prove one’s stature amongst peers. To win, players have to seek ways to improve their skills while internalizing the rules. Once that stage is reached, the participants can focus on improving their strategies, try new play styles, etc. This is no different than learning to ride a bike or drive a car and then learning tricks or maneuvers that, while not necessarily impossible, require the brain to not be distracted by the rules and procedures.
This is where the brain needs to be to reduce tasks to automatic responses. It is why you no longer have to think about lifting a utensil full of food to your mouth. Children just learning to feed themselves, however, do not have this luxury. They must concentrate on the actions that make up this perceived single act. Games, unlike cars and the need to eat, are patient and always wait for people to return without consequence for taking time. This willingness to wait for interaction is what makes games so comforting and enjoyable teachers. They also lack a sense of obligation.
The brain also plays some interesting tricks on what we think is occurring on the surface. But, studies show that interruptions, routine, and the reward systems operate on principles at times counterintuitive to what the conscious mind observes. The key is understanding how we have hacked and hijacked our brains to repurpose processes that were important to subsistence survival, such as reading and letter formation and their relation to hunting and information gathering. Games take advantage of these functions even if designers are unaware they are tapping into this wonderful pool of resources. Each game activates the reward systems in different combinations and methods to train skills targeted by the rules, which further boosts the feel-good chemicals released when players successfully use those skills outside of play.
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Learning by Design – Introduction, Part 5
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Learning by Design – Introduction, Part 7