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Combining creativity with a structured framework to create fun and effective games

This is an excerpt from Creating Games With a Purpose With HKPropel Access by Jan Bishop,Constance Kapral,Amanda Amtmanis.

Creativity

From ancient times to the present, Greek philosophers, psychologists, neuroscientists, and many others have studied creativity, resulting in many definitions and fascinating research. Some definitions of creativity require the results to have value (usefulness, appropriateness), whereas others argue that value is too subjective and favor describing creativity as something that results in intentional novelty (Weisberg, 2015). According to the New World Encyclopedia (n.d., para. 1), creativity

is a process involving the generation of new ideas or concepts, or new associations between existing ideas or concepts, and their substantiation into a product that has novelty and originality. From a scientific point of view, the products of creative thought (sometimes referred to as divergent thought) are usually considered to have both “originality” and “appropriateness.” An alternative, more everyday conception of creativity is that it is simply the act of making something new.

Most people associate creativity with the fields of art and literature. These fields consider originality to be a sufficient condition for creativity, unlike in other fields, where both originality and appropriateness are necessary (Amabile, 1998).

For our game-designing process, creativity will refer to putting together new games or novel twists on existing games for physical education. With this focus, we embrace a definition that a new or wholly new game should be of value with respect to identified learning outcomes and appropriate for the intended students. This supports a connection between creativity and games with a purpose. To be creative in game design, it is helpful to exercise your imagination, maintain an openness to new ideas, and use your senses to absorb things around you. What you see (pictures, words, emotions, etc.), feel, hear, and read about all have the potential to inspire a new thought and help you bring a new idea (game) into existence.

Purpose of a Framework

Creativity is one of two major concepts anchoring this book; the use of a framework to guide the process of game creation is the other. The Cambridge Dictionary defines a framework as a system of rules, ideas, or beliefs that is used to plan or decide something (Cambridge Dictionary, n.d.). In construction, the framework is the wood or steel erected first and upon which the building (barn, house, etc.) is built. The framework provides the underlying structure that gives the building its shape. Different framework, different result. A framework for story writing includes the structure of a beginning, middle, and end. Similarly, many songs use the framework of an intro, verse, pre-­chorus, chorus, and bridge. In these descriptions, the framework refers to the underlying structure of a product—the house, the story, the musical piece. But a framework can also refer to a way of thinking, such as a philosophical or conceptual framework or the steps to a process, such as the plan–do–check–act (PDCA) cycle used in industries to improve and problem-solve. A process framework is a mechanism for identifying and arranging all the existing processes within an organization (Spears, 2022). When the framework describes the process of creating something, it is called a creative process framework.

Creative Process Frameworks

There are a number of frameworks for creativity. Graham Wallas led the way in 1926 with a framework that included (1) preparation, (2) incubation, (3) illumination, and (4) verification (Wallas, 1926/2014). Three other well-known creativity frameworks include Alex Osborn’s brainstorming techniques, Genrikh Altshuller’s theory of inventive problem solving (TRIZ), and Edward de Bono’s lateral thinking (de Bono Group, 2019). These are beyond the scope of this book. Suffice it to say, there is a whole industry around creativity and how to foster it!

Designing a Process Framework for Physical Education Game Creation

Drawing upon years of witnessing each other’s creativity and swapping the resulting games and activities that delivered fun, tailor-made, and purposeful learning opportunities for students, we wondered whether we could put together something that would help guide others through the creative process we enjoy and share some of our best creations.

We examined frameworks already developed for a wide range of disciplines, including writing, art, theater, science, music, engineering, and business (see table 2.1). Although there are differences, we found the basic steps fairly consistent. Much of the ­variation, it appeared, was in how the steps were labeled. For example, dancers choreograph, whereas construction engineers build. In both cases, they are putting something together.

Then we examined the creative process with physical education and game creation in mind. We selected and defined a series of steps and named our process the Physical Education Creative Framework (PE-CF). As we tested it out, it occurred to us that we had inadvertently designed a linear process, and the creative process is rarely linear! We added the element of flexibility to indicate that steps can occur out of order and be revisited.

We also examined the framework with an eye toward who would be using it. We wanted it to be relevant for teachers, future teachers (teacher candidates), and elementary students. We also wanted it to be flexible enough to work well in the varied contexts in which physical education occurs. We embedded the framework steps in a sea of contextual factors to keep in mind while creating games and activities.

The Physical Education Creative Framework

The PE-CF is a framework designed to capture the process of creating new (or new twists on) games for physical education. Educators may use the PE-CF in a linear fashion, but it is also flexible to allow the process to double back or occasionally jump ahead to a later step.

More Excerpts From Creating Games With a Purpose With HKPropel Access

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