Yet another bit of great info from Jane McGonigal (and others)...
(I paraphrase a little)

Top Ten Practical Research Takeaways from 2007
(My Favorites)

#10 The best content understands exactly how the player likes to play -- and makes it slightly harder. (Vygotsky's ZPD)

#9 Breaking the immersive spell can make gameplay MORE engaging. (let's step back and get meta from time to time.)

#7 Empathy, attraction, and altruism can add emotional depth to any game. (Is affect the underlying motivator for everything?)

#6 It takes ten hours of gameplay for women to to play with the same spatial attention skills as men. (I bristle at this. It leads me to think that the real world needs to be more equitable. I also wonder where this leaves males less competent.)

#5 Exit experience matters. (this is true for classroom experience too. we all need closure!)




fin.