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When Your Homework is to Make Good Games

Posted by Zonk on from the learning-is-fun dept.

Over on Wired's site, Chris Kohler has up a great pair of features on the growing role that game design is having in education. He had the opportunity to sit down with Mr. Henry Jenkins, one of the foremost authorities in the US on games and learning, to discuss the future of game-creation education. Schools all over the country are adding game design, art, and programming courses to their curriculum, and the article also mentions several high profile foreign programs opening in the near future. While the article is primarily about education programs, Kohler also had the chance to do a one-on-one interview with Mr. Jenkins. The piece has several interesting insights into how games and learning fit together as well as they do, as well as more details on the proposed Singapore/MIT game lab. Says Jenkins, "Some have said that the games industry has become so risk adverse that only a Miyamoto or a Wright can break through the formulas and generate truly original approaches to game design. Many observers have said we need to step outside of that system and provide some place where interesting new game prototypes can be incubated."

3 of 24 comments (clear)

  1. Goes both ways by Fried-Psitalon · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Fair enough, but it's awful hard for people to make games that step outside of the typical when people are very, very shy of BUYING games outside the typical. Seriously - look at the top ten best selling games in the last few years; most of them are part of a series.People don't like taking risks on new games that could rule or stink at the prices involved in that kind of gamble.

    People will mindlessly spend money on a game they are pretty sure is good, rather than take a risk on something that might not be. We all play it safe with our cash. Want proof that anything with a sequel on it will be bought, regardless of how much crap it is?

    Mario Party.

    'nuff said.

    --
    The ability to communicate well does not directly correspond to the ability to communicate intelligently.
    1. Re:Goes both ways by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Both Sony and Nintendo have standing reputations that correspond nicely to their sales figures.

      Sure, I'll buy a new Final Fantasy game because I trust Square/Enix to make a quality game. The same game released by anyone else I might be a little cautious about. This has nothing to do with Square/Enix taking risks and experimenting; I simply trust the brand. I have limited time to play games, so I try to make sure that games I play will be worth the time I spend.

  2. The continued dilution of higher education by kmweber · · Score: 1, Insightful

    American higher education is turning more and more into nothing more than a series of vocational schools with fancy buildings.

    People are going there just to learn skills to get jobs rather than to learn for the sake of learning--which is what it's supposed to be all about.

    I blame the G.I. Bill. It wasn't until after WWII that this started to be a problem.

    --
    "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?"