Tuesday 08 December 2015 – Lunchtime seminar with Dr Jacob Habgood (Software & Games Development, SHU)

Title: Blending chocolate, broccoli and skeletons: Harnessing intrinsic motivation in game-based learning
Speaker: Dr Jacob Habgood (Software & Games Development, SHU)

Despite decades of research in the field of game-based learning, commercial approaches to educational game design in 2015 are often no more progressive than those used on consumer audiences in the 1980s. This is characterised by a superficial, “chocolate-covered broccoli” approach to educational game design, in which the learning content is very loosely coupled with the game. This talk will use the example of the Zombie Division project to explain an alternative design approach in which a game’s learning content is closely integrated with its game-mechanics.

The results of several studies will be presented which provide empirical evidence that suggests there are both educational and motivational benefits to using a more integrated approach. The talk will conclude with a sneak peak of the Outnumb3r3d project which applies this integrated design approach to an “educational” game for the PlayStation 4.

(Talk originally presented at the School of Education’s Digital Education series of talks at Edinburgh University, November 2015).

1.00PM – 2.00PM
TUESDAY 8 DECEMBER 2015
CANTOR 9223

See here for details of other seminars in the series.

All SHU staff and students are welcome to attend the C3RI Lunchtime Research Seminars. If you are from outside of the University and would like to attend a seminar, please email C3RI Administrator to arrange entry.