Understanding the Game-based Learning Experience: A Framework of Frictions Between Design and Play

Abstract

Games have been used for utilitarian purposes since at least the<br/>1960s, with gamification pursuing game-like experiences in areas<br/>such as education, health, and sustainability. While these methods<br/>generally attempt to improve life for players, a central and underexplored issue is the friction between a design that wants players<br/>to attain a utilitarian outcome, such as learning, and players who<br/>often strive for self-directed play. Based on data collected from user<br/>testing of a digital serious game and following an inductive process,<br/>we created a thematic framework that focuses on the frictions and<br/>tensions that may arise between design and player. This framework<br/>may be used to understand how players engage holistically with<br/>serious games, but also to improve such games to maximize engagement with the content while acknowledging and allowing for<br/>player agency and emergent behavior.