Digital Games: Motivation,
Engagement and Informal
Learning
Jo Iacovides
Hardcore gamer
New interfaces and audiences
Informal learning and games
• Gee (2004, 2007)
– Progressively challenge and reward you
– Participation in semiotic domains and affinity
groups/spaces
– Through identity change
• Need for further empirical evidence
– Into what people do with games and the thinking
involved when playing them (Squire, 2008; Oliver
& Carr, 2009)
Typology of informal
learning Vavoula et al.,
(2005)
Engagement and motivation
• Calleja (2007)
– Micro involvement: engagement during game-play
– Macro involvement: motivation and the activities
which occur around play
• Consalvo (2007)
– Gaming capital as a type of cultural capital
(Bourdieu, 1984)
– Being good at and knowledgeable about games
– Paratexts e.g. reviews, websites, guides
My research
• Lack of research looking at how engagement,
motivation and learning come together in
practice (Iacovides et al, 2011)
• Main question: How do motivation, engagement
and informal learning relate to each other within
the context of gaming?
Research conducted
• Phase 1: Conceptual analysis and email
interview study
– Reconceptualisation of motivation and engagement
as forms of micro and macro involvement
– 30 interviews with a range of different game players
– 10 female, 20 male; age 22-58
• Thematic analysis
• Creation of informal learning categories
Research conducted
• Phase 2: Case studies
– Eight cases
– Multiple methods: observation, post-play cued
interview and diaries
– 4 female, five male; age 23-59
• Micro level analysis: breakdowns and
breakthroughs (e.g. Sharples 2009)
• Macro level analysis: applying themes and
learning categories
Lab setup
Research conducted
• Phase 3: Questionnaire
–
–
–
–
–
Designed on the basis of previous studies
Mix of Likert scales and open-ended questions
232 participants: 54% male, 46% female
30% 18-25yrs, 42% 26-35yrs, 28% 36+yrs
13% not gamers, 22% casual, 51% moderate, 14% hardcore
• Quantitative: responses analysed with respect to
player type
• Qualitative: refining themes and categories
How people learn
What people learn
1. Through play
1. On a game level
•
•
Single-player
Multi-player
2. Through interacting with others
3. Through external resources and
activities
• Via game paratexts
• Via tangential sources
•
•
•
•
•
Controls/interface
Content
Strategies
Behaviour of others
Games in general
2. On a skill level
•
•
•
•
•
Psycho-motor
Cognitive
Social
Numeracy and literacy
Technical
3. On a personal level
•
•
•
•
General knowledge
Emotional development
Cultural development
Career influence
Learning through play
• “I think it improves skills though, whether it be
abstract thinking, hand-eye coordination, teamwork,
etc.” Adam (M, 23)
• “So, from a gaming perspective, Sonic Adventure
taught me that I should believe in myself and in my
dreams, and always keep on trying” Katy (F, 22)
• “I learn about other cultures. How other people view
the world and tackle it. About different parts of the
world” Casual gamer (M, 26-35)
Learning through others
• “Colleagues about Farmville, what they for their
farms, new features and how they worked” Linda (F,
59)
• “When me and my friends talk about Left 4 Dead 2,
we often discuss tactics or new methods of doing
things, like someone will have read up on the net
about a new way to 'pounce on a survivor' and then
send a youtube link of how to do it. So we share stuff
like that” Hugh (M, 24)
Learning through external
resources
• “Check out reviews and what friends say for a game I
should look at” John (M, 43)
• “And architecture and design - you can learn a lot
about that from the Sims. Its gotten to the point now
where I read about house plans and what defines
certain styles in order to recreate them in the Sims”
Moderate gamer, (M, 18-25)
• “I've also learned how to express my thoughts better,
via podcasting and blogging about my gaming
experiences” Moderate gamer (F, 26-35)
Gaming Involvement and Informal
Learning framework
Gaming Involvement and Informal
Learning framework
Player identity
“Its great to have a conversation and link in
game related jokes that only you and your
gamer pals know and just chuckling amongst
yourselves and seeing who laughs at your joke
outside your friend group. Because once that
happens you know why they’re laughing, they’re
laughing with you because they are a gamer as
well”
Kareem (M, 22)
Conclusions
• The more strongly someone identifies as a
gamer the more likely they are to engage in
micro and macro-level practices and to learn
from their involvement
• Education and game-based learning
– Learning in relation to gameplay and wider gaming
involvement (online and offline) engagement
– Paratextual and tangential sources
– How does someone identify as a player?
Conclusions
• Informal learning and intentionality
– Awareness
– Value of learning
• Assessing learning
– Lots of evidence for game level learning but how
can you assess learning on a skill and personal
level?
– Do more dedicated players learn more (or just
think they do, in retrospect)?
Thank you!
Email: i.iacovides@ucl.ac.uk
Blog: http://joiacovides.blogspot.com/