Commentary

Dig-It! Games Founder: It’s Hard to Stand Out in the Learning Game Market and That’s Great

Dig It! has developed apps and games that seek to connect informal and formal learners to different cultures and histories.

Dig It! has developed apps and games that seek to connect informal and formal learners to different cultures and histories.

It’s amazing how much can change in five years. In the grand scheme of things, five years is a fairly short amount of time, and yet there has been a sea of change in educational gaming since I released my first game in 2009.

Every aspect of game-based learning has gone through a dramatic transformation, from how games are made to where and when they are played. Smartphones and tablets have modified our behavior and our view of technology, both in and out of the classroom, leading to an extraordinary shift in perspective around digital games in education.

When I first started Dig-It! Games in 2005, educational gaming was very much a fringe business. Folks of a certain age remember playing Oregon Trail, Reader Rabbit, or Math Blasters, but the concept of digital games as educational tools was a surprisingly hard sell a decade ago. Technology was an obstacle: computer equipment was outdated or inaccessible and teachers were rarely given the necessary training to help their students. But an even bigger hindrance was attitude.

Teachers have always used games and gamification-techniques in their classrooms. Every good teacher knows that games engage imagination and encourage students to use their knowledge in meaningful ways. But in the 80s, 90s and even 2000s, the words “video game” and “computer game” were associated with the violence and destruction of arcade-style first-person shooter games. Even today, digital games still carry a negative connotation for some, as evinced by a recent piece on KPBS in San Diego: “Despite Reputation, Video Games have Educational Value.”

Happily for students (and game designers), that discouraging attitude towards digital games has largely dissipated among teachers and parents. Recent studies show that teachers are eagerly adopting digital games as teaching tools. Two surveys from the Games and Learning Publishing Council (Survey: Teachers, Games and Assessing Students and Teachers Surveyed on Using Digital Games in Class) show clearly that teachers are increasingly using games in their classrooms and, perhaps more importantly, students are responding positively.

A different classroom landscape

The classroom landscape has changed dramatically in the last few years. Smartboards, 1:1 programs, Bring Your Own Device lessons, Flipped Learning and the general proliferation of mobile devices has freed teachers to use technology in their classrooms in new and exciting ways. Kids are benefiting from interactive lessons, e-books and, most of all, the increase in high-quality educational games.

When I started in this business, part of the challenge of convincing teachers that digital games were valid educational tools was the dearth of legitimate educational products. Even the teachers who were willing to look past the negative reputation of video games and had access to the necessary technology for their students to play games were reluctant to try something new. And who could blame them when the selection was so limited?

Creating high-quality, engaging teaching games was not a high priority for game developers. Even as recently as five years ago, you would be hard pressed to find an educational game with the superior graphics and high-grade gameplay of a AAA console title. There were a number of reasons for this, not the least of which was the very little demand for such a thing, given the societal view that video games were primarily time-wasters. But equally as important, making a game with first-rate graphics and complex gameplay was expensive and time consuming.

A game of that sort required a game engine, something that came with a large price tag and a limited pool of programmers experienced with the specific programming language for each engine. 3D artists were equally as expensive and difficult to find. Why would an indie developer want to spend those kinds of resources on something the market didn’t even want? I got asked that question quite a bit while I was developing Roman Town, actually.

Most developers weren’t willing to take that risk, but I believed in the power of games to engage kids in a way no other teaching tool could. I still do. Games have the ability to improve education by promoting critical thinking and independent learning. Digital games provide an environment where kids can learn at their own pace, where they are free to fail and learn from their mistakes without fear of judgment or penalty. More than just a content-delivery system, games offer context, allowing kids to truly internalize concepts on their way to deeper understanding.

There is no longer a question that games and education go together. Instead, the issue has become one of quality: what makes a game educational and how can teachers and parents find the games that will truly help their children learn? The App Store and Google Play are filled with games labeled as educational and as a game developer I firmly believe that all games have an educational element. Yes, even flinging birds, cutting fruit and killing zombies teach valuable skills like creative problem solving, physics, and collaboration. But as one sifts through those thousands of games, it becomes clear that not all educational games are equal. Unfortunately, the burden is now on the teacher to find the game that fits her/his classroom the best. The good news is, with so many options to choose from, it’s hard to go wrong.

Smartphones: The game-changer

As a proponent of game-based learning, I have been thrilled to see the pendulum shift from virtually no classroom-worthy games to a huge variety of educational products. But that raises the question, what changed? The very simple answer is: technology; smartphones, to be specific. In a very short amount of time, smartphones and tablets have changed the way we interact with technology, especially games. Casual games have taken over. Consoles are still popular, of course, but according to the Entertainment Software Association the majority of gamers are now adult women who play casual games on mobile devices.

The App Store and Google Play have made it easy for players to find new games, and for developers to find new markets. The mobile platforms leveled the playing field for indie developers, making it faster and more affordable to create games of all types. As demand for games has risen, so has interest in creating them. Schools are now offering degrees in game design, game programming and game art. Development platforms and digital design tools are more accessible, allowing programmers and artists to focus on honing details of design and interface.

Mobile devices have allowed us to take our games everywhere we go and have expanded the gaming audience. Of course, as the demographic of gaming has shifted, so too have the types of games available: those adult female gamers want their kids to have high-quality gaming experiences, and developers have answered the call with large numbers of educational products flowing into the marketplace. Gone are the days when “educational game” meant simple graphics or repetitive gameplay. Consumers demand more and developers have met the challenge head on. Educational games are often works of art with complex gameplay, developed stories and engaging characters.

Educational gaming has come a long way in a very short time. New technologies have led to a level of interest in game-based learning that was barely imaginable a few years ago. There is still progress to be made: some educators remain unconvinced about the value of games in the classroom and technology and cost remain obstacles. The digital divide and gaps in digital literacy are real problems that need to be solved. And, despite the shift in attitude, there is no consensus on the most effective way to use games for learning.

Nevertheless, educational games are making a difference. Kids are learning more and gaining deeper understanding. Students are exposed to new topics and ideas in meaningful ways. Teachers have new opportunities for innovation and new ways to measure student progress. Five years ago, I was fighting for acceptance. Today I’m fighting to get my products noticed in an increasingly competitive development environment. Since that means kids have more options and more opportunities to learn, I really don’t mind.

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Suzi Wilczynski Suzi Wilczynski launched Dig-It! Games in 2005. Wilczynski is a trained archaeologist with nearly 10 years of dig experience, including projects in Greece and Israel. Formerly a middle-school teacher, Wilczynski noticed a lack of classroom options for teaching students about the fundamentals and importance of archaeology. She developed Mayan Mysteries and Roman Town to give classroom instructors and parents fun, interactive tools to help students learn about the ancient civilizations through archaeology.