A Game Design Approach to Failure to Enhance Learning Games

In this paper, we discuss concepts in games for and beyond entertainment to promote innovative designs in learning games. When it comes to designing learning games, pedagogies are regarded as a standalone field. This means that global pedagogical theories, including those outside the context of learning games, can be investigated. These theories are crucial for creating efficient learning experiences. Similarly, we argue that games should be investigated holistically, as a field spanning beyond learning games, to design engaging game experiences in learning games. Studies on games for entertainment can enrich the design of games beyond entertainment with new nuances and approaches.
On these grounds, we explore a new perspective on failure inspired by Game Studies, shedding light on the concept of "intrinsically integrated games" in the game-based learning discipline. Next, we design a game prototype in which the failure state is used to turn notional failure into a playful learning activity. Subsequently, we briefly introduce a pilot experiment. The experiment was conducted with a functional version of the prototype in Spring 2024 to demonstrate that misspelling and mispronunciation—viewed as failures—can enhance engagement and be a valuable part of games for beginner readers.