Future Possiblities with User-generated Content

I recently discovered a gaming platform that I think will grow in popularity in coming years. The game is from Microsoft and made for X-box. It can be played on a computer or in an X-box gaming console. Kodu lets instructional designers create video game quality story telling adventure style games. It can be used for logic and problem solving activities and is beginning to be used in some Australian schools. The video below demonstrates how it is used for learning.

The reason this game caught my attention is that it reminds me of the game LittleBig Planet that Sony demonstrated at the recent ASTD conference. Both games allow instructional designers to develop user-generated content using popular gaming platform such as X-box and Playstation. Sony demonstrated some of the innovations in eGaming that they were developing, and the experience seemed very interactive and uses a platform that younger audiences are familiar with. Kodu is the X-box equivalent of Sony’s Playstation game.

I don’t see this game taking off and revolutionizing the eGaming world anytime soon. The technology has tremendous potential, but there is not a well-established pedagogy for how to design and make it a useful learning tool. In time as more people learn how to use a tool like this, I can see tremendous potential. Games platforms such as this may be the future direction that eGaming may evolve.

This gaming platform has great potential for incorporating motivational elements. The richness and depth of the graphics are visually stimulating and can work well at capturing Attention. The ability to create narrative story’s that relate to the learner, offers tremendous potential for creating Relevant games that target learner interests. Children can create their own games that incorporate learning in a meaningful way. The game also allows for mastery of sequences that teach cause and effect to build Confidence. Finally, the game can create Satisfaction by allowing players to cooperate and build gaming communities. Children can even create their own individualized games.

For more information about how the game is used in classrooms, see the report here.