Beyond Digital Games: Playfulness and Positive Failure in Learning

Over the past twenty years, the understanding of the potential of video games for learning has moved beyond early theorisations of games as entertaining providers of content knowledge to a general appreciation of the potential of good video games as active and constructivist problem-based learning environments with embedded mechanics that can motivate and encourage continued player engagement. However, playfulness as an attitude of mind and philosophy is under-considered in game studies. In this chapter I argue that play represents the juxtaposition of both games and playfulness, and highlight three educational affordances that are created through playfulness. These are: the creation of democratic play spaces; the importance of a willingness to enter a spirit of play; and the positioning of failure as positive. Video games normalise failure by design, while playful communities and attitudes provide the support and resilience to promote progressive failure. This is a crucial skill for students as they learn to take risks appropriately, step out of their comfort zones, and learn from inevitable mistake-making in the real world.