So, why do people play video games? Is it for quick reflex action? For puzzle solving? To get into the zone? Gameplay? I would say the reasons are as varied as why one may drive a car. I’m going to unpack this sentiment and get into why learning should be in more games. Here’s a rough outline:

Saying all video games involve turning off one’s brain is an unfair categorization

Games come in all shapes and sizes. One of the key influences on The Adventure of Spyke is the Super Nintendo game, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. That’s a game where observational skills and and ingenuity help one to beat the game. So right there, we have that puzzle solving aspect a lot of us find irresistible! For instance, how does one get the Cane of Byrna? You’re faced with a winding corridor full of tiles that will sap your health. The cane itself gives the player invulnerability. So, what are the options? You can get enough health and just run for it. But that involves finding all the pieces of heart. You can bring a bunch of potions with you but that involves finding all the jars. You could use the mystical cape but that involves finding magic-refill potions and possibly the magic halving bat which in turn involves the magic powder. And what are these problems in the end? They involve resource management, trial-and-error, and understanding the depth of a problem. So look at that – a lot of crossover there with solving an engineering problem. Right? Like, imagine getting a paper airplane to fly longer — look at the wings, the throwing pattern, air currents – many different avenues, no overtly wrong answer!

So, brain on? Yes please!

A lot of video games already involve learning

Okay, I am not talking about learning the height of the Chrysler building to beat Mario is Missing. I mean a lot of games involve learning something. Usually, this is in the form of the game rules themselves. What does the Staff of Somaria do in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past? In a basic sense, it makes a block. You push it. Oh wait, when you swing it again, now it’s a trap! Oh? And it can hold down buttons? And wait, in one palace, it can turn into a moving platform? Did anyone sit down and take a class to learn this? Put in their 10,000 hours or whatever. NO! Trial and error, lore, and perhaps in-game hints all help. I cannot recall anyone being stuck on this part of the game because it had good game design! Another great example is how to do a special jump within Super Metroid where Samus learns from in-game NPCs that do a special triangle jump technique!

What about something more world-related? I personally learned the idea behind a manual transmission from racing games! I learned the rules of baseball from RBI Baseball! I learned historical Japanese geography from The Legend of the Mysical Ninja / Ganbare Goemon. Now, these games weren’t made to teach me something. They just happened to. Why? Because video games are great ways to transmit knowledge. There are multiple ways to teach – demonstration, video, text, audio. There are also ways to apply that knowledge immediately. There is also a way to use that knowledge, fail, and try again without major consequences. This practicum-like environment is crucial for learning and I am sure more schools would prefer this rather than textbooks, but I imagine they are resource and curriculum constrained.

Learning in the right context is fun and fulfilling

One of my favorite childhood experiences was summer school. Now, this wasn’t because I needed some sort of remedial study to catch up. We used to have “Enrichment” classes one could take for a month or so in the summer. The days were about two hours long with two classes only. We not only saw our friends, but took classes in subjects we normally did not get a lot of exposure towards during the school year. I took classes like ceramics, anatomy, and language arts/creative writing. In the language arts/creative writing class, I was given the assignment to write a story. I wrote one about a guy who fought against enemies, had a buddy helper, did acrobatic stunts, went through dangerous swamps, and finally saved a princess. And guess what? His name was Spyke, he was a ninja porcupine man, he got imprisoned by a rat, and fought THE ZOIDS! Sure, things were a bit different than The Adventure of Spyke but it got the idea going in my head! The teacher loved it and read it to not just our class but the others. I was honored. I never thought about being a writer until then.

The point is, this was all fun! There were many more times throughout my schooling where I found learning really fascinating. Just knowing more about the world and connecting things felt so fulfilling and enlightening. I remember once at MIT getting a picture of a mandrill with black vertical bars covering it and applying a signal processing filter to eliminate them.

Conclusion

So, where does this leave us? It leaves us with space for a great opportunity and discovery. We can utilize the fun, interactivity, narratives, and puzzles that video game environments offer us and imagine them into experiences that transmit knowledge, learning, and even wisdom to the players. Why haven’t we yet? Well, they are hard to make even without learning concepts. As I said in my previous blog, there are now four aspects of game design to align to make games with this paradigm. Also, it’s a matter of the Venn diagram of game developers and overeducated nerds like myself that need to know both rather well to make something. And finally, it’s a matter of public image and perspective. Games are for fun. School is for learning. NO! Learning not just should be fun, but I would say it MUST be fun! Students losing interest in learning will result in a less fulfilling life for them. Schools that just teach for standardized testing cheapen the material.

So, interested in seeing where this journey goes? Then check out The Adventure of Spyke for yourself! Support me on Patreon, even if it’s a free tier. Thank you!

P.S. I have a service that does daily blogs, but blogs written by me, Rajay Kumar, PhD will say DEVBLOG before them going forward.