Gredler: Games and Simulations as tools to prepare students to the real world

Games and simulations are important tools in preparing students to the real world. Students will have the opportunity to test their knowledge, to experience the given task or scenarios, and to make their own decisions. Owning the experience and learning from it is crucial in shaping and molding them to the best that they can be.

Games serve as competitive exercises where the main goal is to win. In this manner, players are going to apply their acquired knowledge or skill. The player who has displayed exemplary performance that finishes first will be the winner. What I like with Gredler’s article as it presented the criteria of designing for educational games is that the players will not be penalized by losing points for a wrong answer. With this, the task is not discouraging. Instead, the players will be imaginative in maximizing all the possibilities in order to advance to the next level. It’s just like Crazy Machines, a video game that illustrates physics. Imagination paired with understanding of physics leads to success. This is really challenging!

On the other hand, simulation involves roles and places one’s own shoes to the situation or scenario. In this case, students are to take roles, to address certain issues and problems and to experience the effects of every step or decision they make. This is like a trial-and-error stage. I remember our counseling course on a simulation between the counselor and counselee. The scenario was that the high school student got pregnant. She could not abort the baby; the parents would kill her; she was not ready to become a mother; etc.! It was tough since she was bombarded with these concerns. At her young age, parents would be angry, but they would eventually accept the situation. It would also be good if a trusted friend would help in telling the parents. In this situation, the counselor is helping the student to arrive to her own decision on what’s the best for her. This helps students to be responsible to their own actions.

The distinction matters in order to identify appropriate tasks and to meet the needs of students. For instance, a medical student needs a simulation on how to perform a surgery. With this, one needs ample time to perform this task and not to compete with one’s classmates on who will finish first becomes the winner. There is a possibility that one could commit errors along the process. This is a significant learning experience.