As scholars increasingly recognize the utility of digital games as tools for learning, there is a growing need for knowledge in two related areas: first, how do players learn from games and second, what specific design techniques ensure meaningful learning outcomes for the player?


In Building Blocks for Game Design and Learning, Casper Harteveld relates existing learning theories to best practices in game design, exploring how each of the three views of knowing-behaviorist, cognitivist, and situative-illuminate the process of learning through gaming. To these established theories he adds a fourth, design-based perspective that builds upon Christopher Alexander's theory of pattern languages, wherein learning takes place through specific game mechanisms or "gamelets." By describing these building blocks that facilitate learning, Harteveld identifies a number of practical techniques for game designers but also elucidates implications for curriculum development more generally, making this book relevant for game designers, educators, and scholars alike.