Discussion "Testing" vs. "teaching" knowledge games
I just watched this episode, and I was thinking about how knowledge games are described as games in which players bring to the table real-world knowledge they already have. There's certainly some value in that, but what about games that teach real-world knowledge instead of testing it? I am thinking of games like 1960: The Making of the President, in which the cards the players can use to influence the outcome of the election are tied into real events that happened at that time. A lot of historical and wargames are like this--they are naturally strategy games, but I'm also tempted to call them knowledge games because they impart knowledge, but they aren't under the definition used here. However, they are certainly "educational" and may be considered in a library program for some of the same reasons. Well, many of them are too long, of course, but I do think they should fit in this rubric somewhere.
Re: teaching games
Tue, 06/16/2009 - 1:27pm
We're going to see those games in Narrative games, as they are games that are set within a world, and the player explores the world through the interaction with the game. In 1960, there's no benefit to coming in with knowlege about the election, but instead, you explore that world through your actions.
(in fact, I just finished editing Narrative games, and I know 1960 is mentioned in it! :) )
Later in the class, we will talk about the Outcomes of games. Learning is a potential outcome of all games, regardless of the gaming experience. Players can learn through a Knowledge game or an Action game, and this is one of the guiding forces in selecting the game once you've selected the game experience archetype.
Associate Professor, Syracuse University School of Information Studies
Chief Scientist, Library Game Lab of Syracuse http://gamelab.syr.edu