An empirical analysis of ‘challenge’ as a motivational factor for educational games

Since one of the most basic and important predictors of student achievement is the amount of time a student spends engaged in learning (or time-on-task; Karweit, 1984; Frederick & Walberg, 1980); and because computer games are hugely successful at motivating users to spend time-on-task (Dondlinger, 2007; Gee, 2003; Mayo, 2007), there has understandably been a great deal of recent interest in harnessing the motivational qualities of computer games in order to create powerful, engaging educational tools (i.e., Gee, 2003; Pivec, 2007; Ruben, 1999). However, to date very little empirical academic research has investigated how, exactly, games achieve these motivational qualities. If we are to create games that produce genuinely educational outcomes, we must understand what exactly it is about games that make them so good at maintaining the player’s motivation to continue playing