This document discusses how games can be used for learning. It outlines that games have three fundamental elements - rules, objects, and verbs for gameplay; worlds, characters, and conflicts for narrative; and manipulation, navigation, and participation for simulation. These elements allow players to explore, improvise, create, problem solve, overcome challenges, and compete. The document also discusses how different types of games like those focused on logic/patterns, causality/meaning making, or freedom/control can impact learning in areas like mathematics, languages, science, and arts. While games can operate as simulators for any domain, the document cautions that just transforming school content into games will not necessarily increase student motivation on its own.

1. Learning with Games
Nelson Zagalo, Universidade Aveiro
EduGaming - Aprender com jogos eletrónicos (Erasmus +)
Figueira da Foz, 15 may 2019

2. Interactive components offer great appeal to both students
and educators as they allow experimentation, which leads
to learning by doing.
Porquê jogos?

3. Problem of Educational Games
(Wattanasoontorn, et al., 2013)
Breach of creative contract.

4. What are Games Made of?

5. What are Games Made of?
As play cultural objects, games present three fundamental
elements that constitute any game: Rules, Objects and Verbs.
Rules (win conditions, impossibilities)
Objects (actuators on the game world)
Verbs (what can players do)
Domain consisting of abstraction.

6. What are Games Made of?
As narrative cultural objects, they present 3 fundamental elements that constitute
any story: World, Characters and Conflicts.
World (spaces, regions, cities, streets, rivers, and houses)
Characters (protagonists, secondary and artifacts)
Conflicts (Relations between Characters and Spaces)
Domain consisting of meaning.

7. What are Games Made of?
As cultural objects of simulation, they present 3 fundamental elements
that constitute any interaction: Manipulation, Navigation and Participation.
Manipulation (can act on objects)
Navigation (can act on space)
Participation (can act on events)
Domain consisting of doing.

8. What do they allow to do?

9. Taxonomy
(GNS Theory, 1999; Lindsley, 2003; Zagalo, 2009).
Management
Resolution
Building

10. O que permitem fazer?
Construction of
worlds
Explore
Improvise
Create
Problem
Solving
Overcome
Compete
Solve
Management of
conflicts
Choices
Dilemmas
Empathize

11. Learning Impacts

12. Games (ludology)
Learning Impacts
Variables: Logic and Patterns
Results: Rational Construction
Areas of Scientific Application: Mathematics and Physics
Areas of application Artistic: Visual and sound

13. Narratives (storytelling)
Learning Impacts
Variables: Causality and Unity
Results: Meaning making
Areas of scientific application: Portuguese, History and Languages
Areas of application Artistic: Cinema and Theater

14. Simulators (real substitution)
Learning Impacts
Variables: Freedom and Control
Results: Conceptual Modeling
Areas of scientific application: Biology, Geography, Chemistry
Areas of application Artistic: Design and Architecture

15. Motivation to Play

16. Videogames function as simulators of reality learning, and can operate in any
domain of human knowledge.
Motivation to Play

17. We are highly curious animals, true learning machines.
Motivation to Play
No. Just as young people do not like to play all the games, they will not like a
discipline any more just because it happens through a game.
Is then enough to transform school matter in games?

18. Nelson Zagalo, DigiMedia / UA
http://nelsonzagalo.googlepages.com
Learning with Games
Agrupamento Escolas Zona Urbana da Figueira da Foz
ESCOLA EB 2º E 3º CICLOS DR. JOÃO DE BARROS