e-Learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven Guidelines for Consumers and Designers of Multimedia Learning

15.6. Features That Lead to Learning

So far we have seen that games can either lead to or defeat learning. Rather than asking whether games or simulations work, we think it's more useful to consider what characteristics of games and simulations lead to learning. Recent research comparing different versions of simulations and games points to the criticality of learning support. Any element included in a simulation or game that leads to the important cognitive processes we summarized in Chapter 2 constitutes learning support. A simulation or game will be successful to the extent that it does not overload working memory and at the same time promotes generative processing aligned with the instructional goal. In the remainder of this chapter, we ...