by Richard E. Herring
To many people, the title of this article (especially without the question mark) may seem to be a misnomer. There are computer programs which are clearly educational in nature, and games are in abundance for all popular personal computers. It is the proximity of the words "educational" and "games" which causes raised eyebrows. There exist, however, computer games which hold great promise of having real educational value.
Traditionally, education has not been considered a "fun" activity. Many educational computer programs carry this to an extreme by simply replicating dry drill and practice exercises commonly available in workbook form. The only positive aspect these programs add is the use of the computer itself. With a computer, math problems can at least be displayed with large colorful numbers, and immediate feedback can result from each problem attempted.
Arguing that familiarity with computers is extremely important for today's students, some people feel that computerized drill and practice is fine. After all, the child learns to use the keyboard, becomes comfortable with the technology, and benefits from having an unemotional tutor who is ready to work whenever the child wants.
Further, learning, by the nature of the way we impose it, is simply not fun. That is not to say that it is not reinforcing. Indeed, many children move quite well from extrinsic reinforcers to their own schdules of internal reinforcement, intermittently strengthened by praise or grades. Yet the fact that something is reinforcing does not make it fun. Few children will sit down with a spelling workbook, just as few adults will scan a technical journal for fun, even though there is real benefit to be had.
"Fun" is not a very objective or measurable criterion by which to evaluate educational computer games. It would be preferable to have statistically valid data on children's choices of activity when given a variety of ranges of choice. Which games would rate on a level with the children's personal pastimes or hobbies? Duing which activities would the frequency of smiles and laughter be highest? For which would failure most often result in increased concentration and determination, rather than in giving up? By these criteria, most educational games could not really be considered fun.
Can't games themselves have a real educational value? Leaving aside the reflexes "learned" by playing Pacman, many games do indeed help to develop basic reading, writing and arithmetic skills. The games which do this in the most structured way, and are usually the most accepted in educational circles, often rely on the interpersonal dynamics of game play. In other words, the game itself is not really much fun to the student participants, but the interactions of the students during play is reinforcing.
In a structured setting, where the choice is between playing such games and doing workbook exercises, the games are an easy choice. Once again, a situation exists where children are not liable to pick out these games for true leisure time activity.
Are there games which have undeniable educational value, where the learning to take place is specific and measurable and capable of incorporation into a curriculum? Certainly, there are games which incorporate some of the best educational designs. With few chances for failure, the player/learner is lead progressively from his or her current knowledge base to an expanded one. There are even some of these educational games which students will choose to play, not as the least of several evils, but for fun. Very few computer programs fall into this category.
There are a few good examples where learning in a structured way can also be fun. Dynacomp's Hodge Podge is a program which has proven to be entertaining for many young children. For older students, programs like Rocky Boots from The Learning Company introduce difficult concepts in an enjoyable fashion. My choice for the best type of educational computer game however, is the generic adventure game.
Admittedly, I haven't heard of many adventure games (other than some of Spinnaker's offerings, such as Snooper Troops) which claim to be educational. Yet I have no trouble picking adventures as the educational computer games. My rationale is simple -- adults play adventure games.
That one aspect of adventure games is determinative. Let's look at education from the child's viewpoint. What we see is a system that makes us "work" a lot. Our parents have no homework, no pages of problems to complete, no tests for which to study -- at least not that we see at home in the evening. It seems that what grown-ups do, even for claimed "educational" purposes, is their choice and, usually, fun.
In addition, many children simply want to do what their parents do. If you like to wear knit shirts with little alligators on them, you probably know that your children will plead for clothing of a similar status. And, if you have both a personal computer and a child at home, I will bet that at least once that child has wished for his or her own computer.
Adults play adventure games for fun. This can give adventure games some real value in the child's world. Particularly the older child -- who can play the same game as the adult, and not a simplified children's version -- can perceive status in the play of the game apart from the built-in challenge.
Now let's consider the educational potential I claim for adventure games. Since the arguments hold true for the new graphics adventures, they will not be considered separately from the traditional "text only" adventures. The purpose of an adventure game is to win by completing some difficult task, e.g., slaying dragons, finding treasures, navigating oceans and solving puzzles.
What is really happening as you explore this interactive mini-novel called an adventure? First, you do a fair amount of reading. Your current location, visible objects and the directions available for travel must all be described on the screen. After each command you give, the descriptions change. You cannot just skim descriptions, either. Try to discern the difference between a "teeny tiny little maze" and a "tiny teeny little maze" if you are not reading closely.
Then you must say what to do next. Most commonly, you will type in a two-word command in verb/noun format. You had better know at least two parts of speech. No incorrect spelling is permitted. If your format or spelling is wrong, you will have to try the command again. In the meantime, your lantern may be running out of fuel.
While you are doing all this, you must be thinking analytically. What object have you passed which will prevent you from being burned by the dragon's breath? Oh yes, but where was it, and how do you get back there? Have you ever drawn a map? Adult or child, if you play adventure games, you probably have.
Not every adventure game is an educational masterpiece. Games with misspelled words or swamps in hotel lobbies lose their value for both education and fun. Adventure games do provide an excellent medium for education. There is no reason why games could not be written with specific vocabulary lists or with arithmetic computation required to solve certain puzzles. Since mapping your progress is usually necessary, an adventure game could probably even introduce the basic concepts of non-linear space-time.
In order for a child to choose to play a game, whether educational or not, it must be perceived as fun. We have effectively taught many children to believe that the types of educational games which they see used in school, but never played at home by adults, are games which are not inherently fun. Obviously fun, judging by their wide following of computer game players, adventure games offer an alternative. With adequate design, adventure games are flexible enough to incorporate nearly any subject into a format which will seem, to the learner, to be only secondarily educational.