Experiment-based gameplay leads to model-based reasoning and systematic knowledge.

EXAMPLE

In Minecraft, players have taken a simple system and pushed it far beyond its original intent, with the game becoming not only an entertainment phenomenon, but an effective vehicle for experiential learning and teaching.

WHY USE IT?

• Experimentation in games is a form of “low-risk experimentation,” giving players the opportunity to experiment with new identities and perspectives free from the social pressure to conform, which is essential for forming pro-environmental attitudes.
• Experimentation also helps players build a strong understanding of systems through the process of trial and error, which is highly effective in transferring in-game knowledge to real-world behavior.
• Experimentation leads to model-based reasoning and systematic knowledge.

 

MORE ABOUT THIS TACTIC

• The design of each game will guide the specific ways players can experiment, but to maximize players’ learning experience, developers can provide players: 
  • Ill-structured problems that may not be explicit, and require players to do trial-and-error.
  • Opportunities for productive failure, wherein players may fail but still learn something interesting and/or meaningful.
  • Modding opportunities that enable players to have direct ownership over the modification of in-game assets and user generated content – seeing their creativity come to life in a medium they deeply enjoy.

From the Environmental Game Design Playbook
– by IGDA Climate SIG