What happens if you give someone a toy planet? This was one question I wanted to answer after watching Will Wright’s TED talk about his game called Spore.
Here is that presentation:
Spore is a creative game that allows you to develop creatures and nurture them across time and through evolution.
Learning Through Exploration
As I watched Will Wright’s presentation, he touched on a couple of things that really resonated with me. First, he reflected on his upbringing in a Montessori School and how the school used educational games to help develop an understanding of concepts. This ties closely with what I have read about the Sudbury School. Students naturally explore their environment to facilitate their learning. I am totally in favor of this approach. You need a little time to understand the concept, but it closely relates to how we learn as adults. I think we have a hard time grasping that we can learn without sitting in a classroom simply because most of us sat in a classroom and had a curriculum forced upon us.
But how much of what you learned in school do you really remember? Could you pass an exam on that material? How much do you remember when you are in charge of your learning? Just some things to ponder.
Learning Through Trial and Error
Another interesting point made in the presentation was that the game Spore allowed users to learn by trial and error. There were infinite opportunities to make modifications in design to test out a theory. If your design failed, you could easily restart, make modifications, and test your design. Edison gained fame for his successful inventions but also for the frequency of his failures. He understood failure as simply a stepping stone to success. I think schools have fostered an environment that fails to value failure. This has resulted in students who are reluctant to participate for fear of failure. A game like Spore provides an opportunity to try and try again.
Learning Through Collaboration
The other piece not mentioned directly but I believe very important is the collaboration piece. As I play World of Warcraft, for example, sometimes I get stuck on a quest and need assistance. I can often ask friends who are online, or I can tap into the massive wiki for the guidance I need. In a game like Spore, students can reference online material to help them move forward, but they can also add to the knowledge base. Many times, people can learn this type of behavior, but sometimes they need a small prompt. I am still mystified by the number of professors who complain about Wikipedia but do nothing to correct it. Being able to add to a knowledge base is an essential skill to learn and participate in.
I enjoyed the presentation, and I think the game is a great way to explore ideas.
