The Psychology of Educational Gaming

The Psychology of Educational Gaming 

When thinking of educational gaming, it is important to not just consider the pros and cons but to also consider the psychology behind Educational Gaming. The Psychology of gaming includes considering how psychology impacts the design of the game, psychology in terms of motivation, and psychology in terms of Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development

The Psychology behind the design 

Moreno et al. (2019 ) indicates that if students' cognitive, behavioral, and emotional states are not stimulated then the students may develop negative social attitudes towards learning. Therefore is is key to ensure that the students are emotionally engaged or connected to the instruction (Moreno et al., 2019). These students demonstrate higher cognitive ability and make more effective judgment ( Moreno et. al). Moreno et al. (2019) also indicated that educational games provide the incremental theory of intelligence by guiding and creating learning with immediate and consistent feedback. Educational games are also designed with the focus of the cognitive  processing of the learning context, the achievement of the intended cognitive outcomes, and reducing cognitive demands. Games that are designed based off the behavioral theory are designed to provide a challenge with a limited set of choices where the player can respond and receive feedback (Plass et al., 2015). Games that are designed based off the constructivist theory where players set their own challenges and provide a system of peer feedback (Plass et al., 2015).

Motivation

According to Plass et al. (2015), the educational game must be designed so that the learning and game mechanics are tightly connected. The connection allows the students to be intrinsically motivated and engage in meaningful learning (Plass et al., 2015). Features of the a game that encourages intrinsic motivation include games that are challenging, curious, and include fantasy. Within the game, the learning task or activity must be challenging yet personally meaningful and achievable to the learner in order to encourage feelings of self efficacy and control of one's success (Plass et al., 2015). 

Zone of Proximal Development 

In relation to Psychology and Vygotsky Zone of Proximal Development, Vygotsky theory indicated that students' development can be reinforced through the right support and encouragement ( Moreno et al., 2019).  According to Moreno et al (2019), educational games serve as the right kind of support and encouragement needed. By adjusting the difficulty level and creating scenes or an environment that balances challenges and frustration with chances to achieve success or achievement, educational games create the right balance. This balance encourages intrinsic motivation and meaningful learning ( Moreno et al., 2019)

Here is another video that compiles the Psychology of gaming. While it focuses on regular electronic gaming, it still gives the basis of Psychology behind gaming: 

References

Moreno, M., Schnabel, R., Lancia, G., & Woodruff, E. (2019). Between text and platforms: A case 

     study on the real-time emotions & psychophysiological indicators of video gaming and academic 

     engagement. Education and Information Technologies, 25(3), 2073–2099. 

     https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-019-10031-3 

Plass, J., Homer, B., & Kinzer, C. (2015). Foundations of Game-Based Learning. Educational Psychologist, 50(4), 258–283. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2015.1122533