4 Basic Skills to be A Good Learning Game Designer
By Play by FLIP Updated General
In his book Educational Game Design Fundamentals, George Kalmpourtzis compares a learning game designer to a composer and a conductor in an orchestra. The role of a composer in the orchestra is to create an elaborative and harmonious music arrangement. It will let every musician (along with their instrument) know precisely when to stop, get ready, or play the instrument in the symphony. Meanwhile, an excellent classical music concert also requires someone to give directions, tempo, intensity, and delivery on the show, and this is what a conductor does.
A learning game designer is a combination of both roles. It is someone who designs a game idea and explains the gameplay. The designer also has to be there for all the making process (that includes experts from various fields) with the same purpose: to ensure the learning experience and results match the learning design.
There are at least 4 basic skills (and attitudes!) required to be a learning game designer.
Skill #1: Listening and observing
A learning game designer has to have the skill to listen and observe their surroundings and that of the learner-to-be. Listen and observe the current trends and affairs, nearby cultural happenings, and how people around them think. This skill is highly required to build the context in the game to make it relevant for the learners, and the relevance highly determines how immersive the game is for the learners.
The context built in the game for an employee to learn leadership will undoubtedly be different from the context created for a university student. By being willing to listen, observe, and process the situations happening, a learning game designer can design game-based learning that’s interesting and suits the learner’s characteristics.
Skill #2: Big heart
Not every problem (organizational problems included) can be solved with training, let alone game-based learning. A learning game designer needs to know if the learning gap can be solved with a game-based learning product or not.
For instance, we can spend months designing a game-based learning course for kids to swim. We can make game-based learning that facilitates kids to learn how to make their avatars move in the water or train their limb coordination virtually to do various swimming styles. They can also pick fun swimsuits to personalize their avatars.
In reality, learning how to swim will be more effective if done in a swimming pool, and the result can be witnessed. In this case, game-based learning will not be practical.
Skill #3: Communicating and presenting
Some of us may question why a learning game designer needs communication and presentation skills. Don’t the professional scope and competence tend to be on the ideation and strategical side?
A learning game is an orchestra filled with different roles making a show to entertain the audience. That means, to make a game-based learning job works, we have to be able to communicate our ideas and give clear directions to various people who have different understanding and approach from us.
For example, you may have to translate your learning design to a game developer who will put everything into code. Of course, the way we present the idea and big picture to the game developer will differ from how we communicate it to the visual asset designers who work on the game’s aesthetics.
Skill #4: The willingness to learn something new every day
It’s imperative to get ourselves curious and excited to learn new things all the time. The job of a learning game designer can be considered a field filled with updates. We will always find new things to learn when designing a learning game, from comprehending the materials to catching the latest game trends.
When you choose to work as a learning game designer, you indirectly commit to filling your days with cognitive enrichment and fresh explosive ideas!
There’s no halfway in being a learning game designer. Whether it’s passionately fun or endless hard work. A learning game designer will be behind the wheel to create the best way (or, in this case, game-based learning courses) for people who will benefit from the experience.
If you’re considering becoming a learning game designer, you can start by studying the concepts. Please begin by reading the other Play by FLIP articles and try to directly experience it as a learner in game-based learning courses.
Reference
- Kalmpourtzis, G. (2018). Educational Game Design Fundamentals: A Journey to Creating Intrinsically Motivating Learning Experiences (1st ed.). A K Peters/CRC Press.
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