By Justin Marquis Ph.D., Online Universities
Yesterday’s post, Utilizing Game Mechanics in Online Learning, contained an overview of game mechanics and the ways in which these broad concepts can inform online course design in order to make virtual learning more interactive and engaging. Today I examine some specific strategies for fine-tuning the balance of the various game mechanics in order to create a learning experience that has the right blend of space, objects, actions, rules, skill, and chance. According to game designer Jesse Schell it is not enough to have all of the necessary elements in a game in order to make it successful – you must also strike an artful balance between them (2008). There are a variety of ways to achieve the necessary blend of components. In his book The Art of Game Design (2008), Schell outlines the most common strategies for achieving balance in game mechanics. Here are his 12 strategies and a brief overview of how each can be applied to online course design.
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