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

15.10. What We Don't Know About Games and Simulations

There is far more we don't know about games than what we do know. We do know that, for some, games are both motivational and when well-designed can improve learning. We are also confident that well-designed simulations can offer instructional environments for practice and learning that are unavailable or unsafe in the workplace. The research of the next few years should give more guidance about how to design simulation and game features that effectively balance motivational and learning elements. Here is a list of some important questions for which we need empirical data:

1. Guidance for guidance. We know that guidance is an essential ingredient for deriving learning from a simulation or game. ...