Designing Freedom to Play

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session One
  In Roundtable Session: Instructional Technology SIG Roundtables (Table 8)

Abstract

Educational games have become increasingly popular over the course of the last 25 years. In part, this is because they offer an elusive promise of autonomy and choice in the classroom, ideally leading to increased engagement in educational material. In this paper, we examine theoretical framings for why choice is important for students and contrast that with an analysis of the freedoms embedded in several, commercially-available educational games. We conclude with a discussion of the tensions between these in-game freedoms and those found in the classroom.

Author

• Jennifer Scianna, University of Wisconsin - Madison
  Presenting Author