Following a recent webinar with Training Industry, LEO Learning’s resident games and gamification expert Rich Calcutt explores the subtext of learning games and the potential of multiplayer mechanics.
When was the last time you watched Jurassic Park? If I was to ask you what it was about, chances are you’d say dinosaurs. And yes, to an extent, it is about dinosaurs. On the surface. However, if you look for the deeper subtext, Jurassic Park is really about parenthood.
The main characters start by looking at dinosaurs on a screen that closely resembles an ultrasound and become guardians to some children through the duration of the film. There are a variety of subtle messages throughout the film that point to the subtext of preparing for parenthood.
You can find out more about this reading of Jurassic Park in this great talk from Mike Hill.
What does this have to do with learning games? Well, games can be all about the subtext too.
The Importance of Subtext in Learning Games
Where a film may use cinematography, dialogue, and multiple storylines to explore a range of themes, games use mechanics, structure, graphics, and progression to do the same. The gameplay becomes a vehicle for the message of the content.
It can be a common misconception among L&D communities and/or stakeholders that learning games need to be specific to their audience. For example, that a game for an automotive company has to revolve around cars or be set in the head office. But this simply isn’t true. The subtext is where the lessons lie.
RECOMMENDED READING | Gamification: When Is It Right For Your Learning?
Let’s look at an example.
An Example: Overcooked
Overcooked is a cooperative multiplayer game set in a restaurant. Each player takes on a different role covering the food preparation, dishing up, cleaning, and dealing with customers. In this, players need to work together to progress through gradually harder services that feature more dishes, changes in layout, and more customers.
Does this game teach players how to cook? No. It teaches them teamwork, coordination, and, critically, the importance of clear communication. So while on the surface, the game may be about cooking or working in a restaurant, the subtext runs deeper.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OVERCOOKED | Watch the gameplay trailer
The Value of Multiplayer Learning Games
Multiplayer games, like Overcooked, provide so many fantastic opportunities for social learning. A lot of this comes not only in the thematic subtext of the game but also in the mechanics of gameplay.
We can look at collaborative, competitive, or combined multiplayer games as they all provide different mechanics and benefits. Overcooked is a great example of a collaborative multiplayer game, where every player has a different purpose to reach a collective goal.
Games tend to encourage problem-solving and critical thinking regardless of how many players are involved. But when we use multiplayer gameplay, they also tap into different areas of motivation and other skills like teamwork, communication, and leadership. This adds to the layers of learning and subtext available, improving the effectiveness of the game for learning.
RELATED READING | Social and Collaborative Learning in a Time of Remote Working
The Mechanics of Multiplayer Learning Game Design
When designing multiplayer learning games, we can think of the mechanics in terms of three separate dials that we can control to influence the gameplay:
- Time
- Goals
- Rules
Each of these dials pertains to a different part of the game’s structure. When we talk about the Time dial, we mean whether the game is played live, at the same time as other players (synchronously), or at different times to other players (asynchronously).
The Goals dial covers whether the game is collaborative, competitive, or a bit of both. Are the players working towards a shared goal, competing against each other for an individual goal, or working together as a team to compete against another team?
The Rules dial is where things can get particularly interesting. This dial controls whether the gameplay is symmetrical. By this I mean if the players are each following the same rules, processes, and overcoming the same barriers. Is each of the players fulfilling the same role and facing the same challenges?
Each of these three dials can be adjusted according to the needs of your learning game and create different gameplay mechanics.
The example I gave earlier of Overcooked, is played synchronously and collaboratively but with asymmetrical rules as each player serves a different function within the team. Chess, on the other hand, is played synchronously, competitively, and symmetrically.
Want to learn more about gameplay concepts and how to design your own learning games? Download our insight “Inspire Your Learning Game Design With These 10 Concepts From Commercial Games”.
Rich Calcutt, Learning Consultant and Game Specialist
Rich is a Learning Consultant and Game Specialist at LEO. He joined LEO in 2018 and has worked in learning and game design since 2012. Rich has worked as the Creative Lead and Lead Learning Consultant on the multi-award-winning How Not to Suck at Money for Invesco QQQ. He was also the principal designer on the Inside Track game for Visa, and the lead designer and consultant for the World Health Organization's GOARN Outbreak Control game.
Rich brings together the science of learning design with the art of play. He helps global brands create immersive gaming experiences for a wide range of audiences that inform, delight, and change behaviors. Rich believes in the power of games to educate individuals, engage communities, and transform organizations.
Rich holds a BA in Management and an MA in Human Resource and Knowledge Management, both from Lancaster University. Rich enjoys music and he’s been playing drums for around 20 years with numerous bands—gigging and releasing original music. He also enjoys food and cooking, photography, travel, being in nature, and hiking with his family.