• Educational Computer Games – including motivational and funny features within the games which can be used as a support to the other instructional
methods in the direction of instructional or educational goals. • Computerized Educational Games – instructional activities that provide
motivation, entertainment, competition and reinforcement while presenting a superficial or simulated reality.
From the previous definitions, some researchers define computer games as activities based on rules and feedback to achieve learning goals. However,
computer games should make learning more enjoyable through vital environment. Moreover, fun, entertainment, competition and motivation are also focused.
Therefore, computerized games can be considered as a new teaching technique which introduces the learning activities with entertainment and feedback to
achieve the expected objectives. In this study, the chosen game is actually a computer game which is
framed to be educational. However, it also represents the real life the learners might face in the future. Consequently, there are competitions and reinforcements
involved in the game. For this reason, the used game is a computerized educational game.
2.1.4.2 Important Factors of Computerized Educational Games
When creating a game, there are some important factors existing in the game. According to Prensky 2001:22 and Ang Zaphiris 2008:80, the game
should include:
• Rules – making sure the learners take specific and same paths • Goals or Objectives – creating the duty sense
• Outcomes and Feedback – measuring learners progress against the goals and teaching different values to the learners
• Conflict, Competition, Challenge and Opposition - teaching the learners on how to solve the problems in a game
• Interaction – including the interaction between the player and the computer, and social aspects of games that students do with others
• Representation – meaning that game is about something, not only playing The factors above clearly support the opinion of Csikszentmihalyi
1990:9 about the result of a game. There are eight points as a result of having a game. They are optimization of challenge, absorbed attention, clear goals, clear
and consistent feedback, freedom from worries and frustrations, self-control of the game, disappearance of the self-consciousness, and time transformation.
Based on those considerations, Felicia 2011:31 considers some existing factors for the games specifically created for learning. They are a game format,
educational objectives, multimodal representations e.g. tactile, auditory or visual, feedback mechanisms e.g. formative or summative, provided
information for users or students, tracking tools of the learners’ knowledge and proficiency, and adaptive pedagogical mechanisms.
It is clear that the chosen game for this study should include some factors in order to acquire the intended learning objectives. During playing, the learners
should feel relax and free from worries and frustration. However, they also need
