ABSTRACT
‘Jet Set Willy’ became a popular game for the Spectrum computer. Its exciting structure was a model for other games programmers. Life is a game - many play by the rules, others break them. Playing the game is a central occupation of millions: the dominant metaphor by which to structure their lives. The strategies and tactics of war, business operations, and other forms of decision-making can be expressed in terms of mathematical games theory. In order to break into the curriculum in some productive way, its rules of construction must first be adequately understood. The role of the teacher in schooling is relatively clear; the role in education is not so well formed. Novak and Gowin develop the ideas behind semantic maps (they call them concept maps) as ways of allowing children to explore what they already know and so identify areas where their knowledge is hazy. The game metaphor can clearly be exploited.
