Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
In early situations, the consequences of using these skills inappropriately are less
severe than at higher levels. The design expectation is that the degree of com-
plexity of a situation is in proportion to the amount of practice and exposure
the player has had with those particular skills. The same skills are present at
higher levels but the consequences of misuse can be more severe, in part because
the player has failed to demonstrate an understanding of the correct use of the
skills.
With its potential to improve learner engagement and knowledge retention, one
of the most important concepts that e-learning design may borrow from game
design is to shift focus on user experience, not just from a content perspec-
tive but from a human-machine interaction perspective. User-centered design in
game design, specifically which components are adapted and adjusted through-
out the design and development process to create a successful game, may be
a process e-learning designers and developers can apply to improve e-learning
design.
To narrow the focus and help build a correlation between the objectives of
e-learning design and video game design, we will focus on a few aspects con-
cerned with successful transfer of information and the treatment of content. This
includes design considerations of how the user translates and understands interac-
tions, ease-of-use with the application in relation to the content, demonstration of
comprehension of content, and how the user experiences the game as a whole sys-
tem. User-centered design ensures the content necessary for game continuation is
embedded properly within game play. This content not only needs to be accessible
but also challenging and interesting to the player in order for the game to be success-
ful. User-centered design pays attention to how the player perceives, translates, and
comprehends the game content through interactions to ensure the games' success;
the stronger the user-focus in the design process, the better the game play and more
accurately game content is portrayed to the player because it is designed and tested
through the player experience.
There are pivotal moments in game play when the player transitions from
translating the game as interacting with or manipulating a machine to interact-
ing with and responding to virtual objects in the game. This is evident in the
manner in which players describe their in-game actions: “fighting mobs” instead
of “clicking mobs” or “running” instead of “holding down the arrow key.” This
transition from external awareness of action to virtual projection of action is
due, in part, to how the player translates and understands his or her interactions
in the game in relation to the cohesiveness of the game environment and the
player's awareness of his or her virtual relationship with the objects in the vir-
tual space. Through the course of game design, objects are assigned meaning and
the meaning is sustained and further developed through the actions of game play.
Collectively, the cohesiveness of the objects and their meaning also sustain player
engagement.
Transitioning a player from manipulating a machine to interacting with virtual
objects is shaped not only by how the player perceives the interaction but also by
the application's ease of use in relation to the content. Games that are difficult to
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