The Transition from Simulation to Game-Based Learning

The United States military has a long and complex relationship between computer games and simulation and training. With the establishment of United States Department of Defense’s (DOD) Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) initiative, the DOD began investigating the effectiveness of different types of training from classroom instruction to the realm of massively multiplayer online games and other types of instructional games. DOD Training Transformation (T2) goals may utilize ADL as the enabling technology to investigate the merits of game based learning. DOD today looks towards the commercial game market for ideas and concepts to teach its new recruits and senior staff the skills a modern warrior needs. Both concepts and methods for training military service members have changed from completely face-to-face or classroom instruction to a blending of different methods to include computer-based instruction. Instructional designer and developers must find better techniques to keep the computer-based learner actively engaged. One of the components of a game is the incorporation of entertainment into the scenario. Traditionally, instructional designers and developers have overlooked exploiting entertainment, thereby making instructional type games boring and game players ambivalent toward games used for learning. Equally, Gamers have overlooked using learning objectives and evaluation to determine if learning has occurred. The DOD would like to change that by truly challenging, engaging, and entertaining the learner. The way in whic