Below was my thoughts from an older blog entry dated February 16, 2005. The idea has been developed into a full chapter (along with Luca Botturi) that will soon appear in a new book edited by Chris Miller, Games: Purpose and Potential in Education (2009).
[N.B.: There are two chapters in the book that bears my name, one I co-authored with Luca Botturi, and another one of which I am the single author.]
Games: Purpose and Potential in Education
I am reading the chapter in Instructional Media and Technologies for Learning, by Heinich, Molenda, Russell and Smaldino (1999). It’s a very widely used book for IDT students (good book, too), but I find myself disagreeing with the definition of GAMES provided by respectable leaders in my field.
They said, “A game is an activity in which participants follow prescribed rules that differ from those of real life as they strive to attain a challenging goal.” (pg. 316).
Huh? Where is the fun in doing such an activity? Creating a make believe activity and follow the rules? I believe the heart of GAME should be “FUN” and “entertaining”! No wonder many games played in school are no fun, at all. If the IT textbooks teaches teachers and educators to regard games as activities, games will become another “instruction”: something to be scripted and carried out to the dot. Even my kids will not play a new game if they find it not “FUN.”
Then about simulation, they said, “A simulation is an abstraction or simplification of some real-life situation or process. In simulations, participants usually play a role that involves them in interactions with other people or with elements of the simulated environment.” (pg. 319) Now, wait a minute. While I am agreeable to the definition for simulation, doesn’t the second sentence sounds like a definition for Role-Playing GAMES? I must insist that RPG is game, and not simulation. I also believe the gamers community at large would agree with me. Even the recent SIMS2 and SIMS: Bustin’ Out are games and not Simulation!
I supposed these definitions were accurate as of 5-10 years ago. But the gaming industry has been pushing the envelop and have “changed” the definitions. I do think Heinich, et al should revise the chapter to reflect the new understanding. What scares me is for a group of researchers who don’t play games to begin quoting these words as golden reference in some gaming research papers!!
Come to think of it, it is no wonder that someone at last year’s AECT conference confronted me about the name of the new Special Interest Forum for Instructional Gaming (SIG-IG). The individual felt that the SIF should be called SIF-IGS (gaming and simulation) because “I don’t see any difference between games and simulation.” Hmm, I disagree.