Learning Things - Learn to Play: Designing Tutorials for Video Games - page 39

Figure 3.1 Cognitive load theory diagram. (Figure courtesy of Peter Kalmar.)

This will help me introduce our next topic, which is known as a
learning theory. * A learning theory integrates the types of intelligences
about which I have just spoken into instruction and learning. It posits
different methods by which the brain adapts information and uses it,
stores it as memory, solves problems, and more. Learning theories give
rise to prescriptive instructional design strategies † like the ones we saw
in the last chapter. Based on years of research as well as years of game
design, I believe that there are a few learning theories that are of par-
ticular relevance to designing tutorials and instructions in games, and
I use these in my teaching to help my students make better games.
These are the Attentional Control Theory of Multimedia Learning, ‡
the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning, § and Cognitive Load
heor y. ¶ Of course, the downside of the numerous fields involved in
researching human learning is that by the time I finish writing this
topic, I will have to add an extra chapter.
First, I would like to talk about cognitive load theory (see
Figure 3.1). Cognitive load theory is a method of measuring the

* Ormrod, J. (2011). Human learning . Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall Publishing.
† If you are curious about Instructional Design, check out the work of Mayer, Merrill,
and Gagné, to name a few. There are a few citations in the Further Reading in the
Appendix.
‡ Mann, B. L. et al. (2002). Comparing auditory and textual presentations in a multi-
media learning environment. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning , 18(3).
§ Mayer, R. (2001). Multimedia learning . New York: Cambridge University Press.
¶ Sweller, J. et al. (2011). Cognitive load theory . New York: Springer.