The educational value of games has been hotly debated. Most of us accept that the likes of Sim City and Civilization are quietly didactic experiences, while "brain-training" titles explicitly sell themselves as learning toys. But could it be that all games are about education? On a basic level, good game designers are more like good teachers than good movie directors.

At the GameCity festival in Nottingham, Jonathan Smith, head of production at UK publisher TT Games, spoke about how he sees games as supportive learning environments. As the creators of the hugely successful Lego Star Wars, the team has conducted focus tests with children and gauged their reactions to new levels. The key lesson has been that sometimes, games are too hard. Even those for children often take the wrong approach, presenting a steep learning curve with puzzles that try to trip up the player, rather than providing an environment in which creative thinking and curiosity are rewarded.

Smith quoted from a report, Children and Their Primary Schools, published by the Primary Review, which set out to gauge children's responses to education. In it, children describe what makes a good teacher, saying that one "explains things clearly", "turns teaching into problem-solving rather than just giving information" and "makes sure it's not too big steps".

Smith realises that every point applies to good game design as much as good teaching. The best developers create worlds in which players are supported and treated as individuals. Portal, Valve's sci-fi puzzler, is a good example. Players are seamlessly introduced to the complex physical laws of the game world through a series of lesson-like opening levels. It's then possible to progress through experimentation, rather than being flattened every five minutes for not doing it properly. LittleBigPlanet, Sony's creative platforming game, takes a similar approach. Neither resorts to a fenced-off tutorial section, a crap invention that usually manages to patronise and bore players.

Videogaming is a child-like experience, whether you're playing the latest Disney tie-in or Manhunt 2. In a new virtual environment, we're all children, and the emotions connected with being bullied, or punished or frustrated by seemingly simple tasks are quick to surface. Smith's point is that this should never happen; that all games, like schools, can teach us about our place in the world, but only by providing a supportive framework to creativity and fun.

So the next time you get hopelessly stuck in a game, remember - it's not your fault. You've simply been badly taught by the designer.

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