Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Learning

The original math game I thought of for this class involved picking a character such as an ogre, yeti, or other "monster" to have to escape people trying to capture them. The game would involve the character running down a path while math problems pop up on the screen. The player would have to run over the correct answer to stay ahead of the mob of people trying to capture them. If they run over the incorrect answer, they trip and risk being captured. After more thought, I realized this game did not intrinsically integrate learning into the core game mechanics. Although the mathematical content is attached to the core mechanic, the two are not actually integrated at all, which is why the learning content could so easily be replaced with spelling or something else.

The second game I came up with, Garden Mania, does a better job of intrinsically integrating learning into the core game mechanics. The game delivers learning material through the parts of the game that are most fun to play. It also embodies the learning material within the structure of the gaming world and the player's interactions with it, providing an external representation of the learning content that is explored through the core mechanics of the gameplay. Since this game involves intrinsic learning, the enjoyment of the game derives from the process of learning itself and the player receives no apparent rewards except the activity itself. Hopefully, this type of intrinsic integration increases motivation and flow, and leads to increased learning.