Week 4: Theories of Intrinsic Motivation

Why do we do things that have no tangible reward? What draws us into our hobbies and pastimes? What qualities must an educational game have to keep our attention?

This week we'll focus on Keller's ARCS Model, Csikszentmihalyi's Theory of Enjoyment, and Malone and Lepper's Taxonomy of Intrinsic Motivation. [PDF version]

We'll spend time tonight on the Motivational Analysis of computer games. We'll use this exercise to become more familiar with the theories of Keller, Csikszentmihalyi, and Lepper & Malone by applying their work to a specific situation.

You'll have some team time tonight to divvy up the work of revising and polishing your game.

For Next Week:

Have a playable version of your game ready to demonstrate to everyone in the class. You'll get feedback from your peers and have another week to refine and polish your work before turning in the final version.