Since one of the most basic and important
predictors of student achievement is the amount
of time a student spends engaged in learning (or
time-on-task; Karweit, 1984; Frederick &
Walberg, 1980); and because computer games
are hugely successful at motivating users to
spend time-on-task (Dondlinger, 2007; Gee,
2003; Mayo, 2007), there has understandably
been a great deal of recent interest in harnessing
the motivational qualities of computer games in
order to create powerful, engaging educational
tools (i.e., Gee, 2003; Pivec, 2007; Ruben,
1999). However, to date very little empirical
academic research has investigated how,
exactly, games achieve these motivational
qualities. If we are to create games that produce
genuinely educational outcomes, we must
understand what exactly it is about games that
make them so good at maintaining the player’s
motivation to continue playing
