There are two types of motivation, extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic motivation is externally based. If you take a series of trainings to get a small bonus, that would be extrinsic motivation. The motivation to do the task is coming from an outside source. Intrinsic motivation is internally based. You are internally motivated if you are taking a class to improve your communication skills, or because you enjoy learning. This is the final article of this three-part series about three things to keep in mind when designing effective games for learning.
Why would someone want to play this?
Rewards in games are meaningful, well-designed, and intrinsic. This reality is explicitly opposite of the rewards that you often see in learning. For example, in higher education, the rewards are often meaningless, poorly-designed, and extrinsic. Think how a teacher grades an essay. The reward for the student is the grade that the teacher puts on the paper. This grade is meaningless, in that it simply symbolizes the teacher’s rating of the writing effort and objectives, but doesn’t actually directly relate to the content itself. The content of the essay itself, doesn’t matter, because the grade of B+ is the same regardless, from one essay to another.
In this way, few students write essays for the fun of writing. That would be an intrinsic motivation. Instead, student writers have other goals, such as getting a good grade or passing the course. Those goals mean the motivation to write the essay is largely extrinsic. And in that context, this is exactly what is wanted and needed.
Considering motivation when designing games for effective learning
Games require a lot more thought in their motivation structure. You have to design exactly how a learner is being rewarded at every point in the game. For instance, are they earning badges or completing levels? Do they have an overarching goal to complete as well as smaller goals? Always keep in mind that the motivation for playing games comes from within the game. Like what makes them want to get to the next level, or beat a boss fight. This is all intrinsic motivation.
Let’s walk through an example. Super Mario Brothers 3 is a popular game that has been around for decades. One of the reasons it has remained popular for so long is its excellent intrinsic reward structure. In this game, you run through a series of levels and worlds to get to the end and rescue a princess who was kidnapped. The action of running through these levels produces an immediate reward, and for every level you beat, the game plays victory music and you feel good about your ability. Once you beat enough levels, you beat the world. This is a cumulative reward. The result of beating a world is that a new world unlocks. Notice how the game is rewarding the player as they proceed deeper and deeper into the game.
Another example is Sim City, or any city building game. In these games the player builds their city to make money, and then spends that money on upgrades for the city. The reward (money) for the action (building the city) results in more of the game to play.
Enduring games apply these concepts of motivation very effectively. As an instructional designer, consider how you can incorporate game interactions into your eLearning courses to harness the power of intrinsic rewards for delivering long-lasting learning. As a client seeking game-based learning, consider whether or not the company you choose to deliver on this project actually understands motivational structures.
Written by Melissa Lambert, M.S. and published in 2021.
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Related Articles For Further Reading
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3 Things to Keep in Mind When Designing Effective Games for Learning: What Is The Game?
3 Things to Keep in Mind When Designing Effective Games for Learning: Who Is Your Learner?