ABSTRACT
Rules for playing the game are as obvious a part of the design as the rules that govern the classrooms. Students expect rules. They want rules, no matter how much they may complain or test them. Whether written down formally in a rubric, or not, they want rules that are clearly stated. Players expect video games to provide a running tally of their progress. Particularly in classes designed with an ongoing narrative, how students do on their assignments will affect that narrative. New pronouncements from the mysterious being who has summoned their avatars to the tower in Valeria or the revolution in Costa Niebla should not be held up until grades from certain assignments are in. Even without that explicit tie between performance and story, it’s imperative to emulate as much as possible the reward system of a video game.
