What Not To Build
Stephen Downes on What Not To Build
http://halfanhour.blogspot.com/2009/01/what-not-to-build.html
This is contentious!
“Don’t build an educational game - This bit of advice is pretty specific and probably does not apply to most people (since most people would not dream of doing this in the first place). But the question to ask yourself is, what is a game doing for you that a straight-forward presentation of the information is not? If it is specifically an *educational* game, the answer is, “nothing.” You’re not getting new users, you’re not presenting material in any way that’s easier to understand, you’re not adding to motivation. You’re simply disguising the old ‘teach and test’ methodology as a game. Nobody will be fooled well, except maybe purchasers of fad educational products.”Posted January 2009, John Cook