Jane Mcgonigal. Video Game Designers Play to Solve Real-World Problems. Now some other experts — ones who have actually played these games — are asking more interesting questions.
Why are these virtual worlds so much more absorbing than school and work? How could these gamers’ labors be used to solve real-world puzzles? Why can’t life be more like a video game? “Gamers are engaged, focused, and happy,” says Edward Castronova, a professor of telecommunications at who has studied and designed online games. The Learner Labyrinth: Serious games to promote Multiple Paths to the Learning Goal. We have spent so much time nurturing the notion of one correct answer (convergent thinking) that we have lost sight of the bigger picture.
Sometimes there isn’t one right answer, and divergent thinking is required to come up with many solutions to a problem. As stated by Sir Ken Robinson, divergent thinking is a long-lost notion that lies at the heart of creativity. Then why aren’t we using instructional strategies that encourage divergent thinking in our training? A serious game is an instructional strategy that promotes divergent thinking.