ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights why learning from failure is critical for student learning. The chapter first frames failure within game studies and pedagogical gaming, then discusses how failure inside the game functions in reinforcing course material by leveraging liminality (or the magic circle), or a psychological state where risk feels real to the players. The author then discusses the importance of reflection and debriefing in further internalizing classroom game lessons-learned and as an objective grading tool, and concludes with ideas on how to purposely design failure into games without removing win conditions and rewards.
