Today’s game based learning that I get to try is Online/Flash games Darfur is Dying / McDonald Bankrupt and the Wii Surgeon (Trauma Center), saving patient to live.
Darfur and McDonald cover the complexity of the game which requires thinking and multi tasking. Between Darfur and McDonald, I prefer Darfur. When I first played Darfur, I was very clueless on how to play the game although they specifically given instructions on what I was supposed to do. This might be because IO started to play the game first. Few trial and errors made, I killed almost my Darfur people just to get the water. Second attempt, I was still clueless thus I change to McDonald game instead, assuming it’s going to be more fun than Darfur. Even so I’m doing this game, Darfur game keeps on bothering me.
Thus on my third trial for Darfur, I’m very determined to do it properly and read the whole instruction again. This time I managed to get the water and know how to move my people around, unfortunately I didn’t manage to bring the water back to the camp. I was a bit frustrated at this time but even so this motivates me even more and I tried again and this time around, since I get the hang of it, I try as much as I can to get the water and bring back to the camp and I DID! I was so happy when they say, ‘Task Accomplished’.
The second game is being a surgeon trying to save a patient using Wii. I was in the second in a row to try out the game so I get to observe what they did. This game requires us to read the instruction carefully and do as it says. It seems simple rather however, I remember when it come to the last part where the instruction and the action didn’t tally making our patients died, I was a bit frustrated. But again determination to save the patients rose even more and after few trial and error, we managed to save the patient though we got a C, at least the patient survived.
From this experience, what I can conclude in this game based learning is the different approach of thinking and communication system applied, for Darfur, students get to think and make their own strategies on how to get the water and bring back safely. The instruction didn’t teach where and how you are going to run, the only thing was there is just the meter distance from the place thus it’s you yourself have to think and rationalize how you want to operate the game so that you won’t get caught by the bad people. On the other hand, for the surgeon, communication plays a role. This is done by the first group helping the second group to operate the game. In here, it can be seen that students will get the chance to teach their friends on the knowledge they know and help others to succeed.
Dr Tan asked us during his short lecture, “What is the different between the traditional teaching approach and game based approach?” For myself, I find that as for traditional approach when your teacher is right in front of you, you can ask questions when you are in doubt and as for game based learning, you can’t be asking the screen when you are in doubt right, still students will tend to ask the teacher for instructions. For this, I find that though game based approach is interesting and engaging students that could create such an emotional event, the traditional learning do comes in place as well.
Dr Tan also asked us on failure of game based learning as a whole. It is quite true in a sense that when you failed a task on the any game activity, you are motivated to do it again and do even better so that you could succeed. Whereas for traditional approach, once u failed any test papers or quizzes, you will instantly feel demoralised and unmotivated. Perhaps the motivation comes at a later part unlike the game based approach, where it comes right after.
With the experience of going through 2 games today, I realised that incorporating an educational source to game based approach could be challenging but if we set the goals right and rationalise with our students on why we do certain things, they will be understand better and participate more.
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