This project was completed as part of my Learning Theories course. In collaboration with three colleagues, I designed and developed an educational game based on a learning theory covered in the course.

Title of game
The title of the game is called “Schemas”, based off the term used to describe cognitive structures that store related or domain-specific knowledge, information or content in our working and long-term memory (Sweller, van Merriënboer, & Paas, 1998).
Audience
This game has a far-reaching audience. It can be played by people as young as eight years old yet retains its playability and fun for people of any age. Our specific target audience is early teen years in terms of just a game played as a social activity, or as a family-friendly game for game nights. However, when “Schemas” is seen in an educational light, it caters to a much broader demographic. It has value as a tool in English second language courses for students of all ages. Sykes and Reinhardt (2012) outline five of the most pertinent features of games for teaching and learning languages. First, there is learner-directed goal orientation, where tasks and goals for learning are dynamic and learner-driven. Secondly, there are opportunities for interaction throughout the game, where learning happens by playing and engaging with other players. Thirdly, there is just-in-time, individualized feedback where the learner receives targeted individualized feedback regarding the schemas they create. Fourthly, there is relevant narrative and context where space is created in order to cultivate a meaningful experience. Finally, motivation is promoted by the powerful learning experience of the game in which players are continuously engaged throughout (Sykes & Reinhardt, 2012). Taking advantage of the many features that gamification offers enables transformational pedagogy and a learning experience that students are both engaged and willing to learn the material (Sykes & Reinhardt, 2012).
            Research indicates that when games are used in second language acquisition there are significant gains in vocabulary in terms of acquisition and retention. Furthermore, the data indicates that not only did they retain new vocabulary from playing games but that they retained significantly more than from studying a textbook over the long term (Ibrahim, 2017). Gamification offers a unique experience for language acquisition, moving beyond the traditional practices of language education (Sykes, 2018).
Instructors can incorporate “Schemas” into the classroom by setting game stations where students can play in small groups. The teacher can set up game stations where students can play and rotate after a certain period of time. Another way to incorporate educational games into the classroom could be to integrate them as a class activity, following the more traditional approach to language education. 
Purpose and strategy
"Schemas" is a card game based on Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) that challenges players to make word associations more effectively than their opponents. Gameplay is based on the popular game called Rummy, but uses a customized 100-card deck. The game objective is for players to have the most amount of schemas in their knowledge-base and the least amount of cards in their hand by the end of the game.
The purpose of the game is to facilitate an interactive learning experience for players to exercise developmental skills in meaning-making, deductive reasoning, creativity, justification and adjudication, basic strategizing in how players manage their cards, and collaboration as they learn through a social activity.
The strategy of the game is designed to achieve this overall purpose by providing simple game mechanics and content. By having the game mechanics based on a popular game like Rummy, the playability and game flow is based off a framework that has been tried, true, and tested.
The combination of the game's content and mechanics promote the practice of deductive reasoning. Players are required to use their meaning-making skills as they construct connections between words with independent meanings. The game's content was specifically designed to only use colours, nouns, adjectives, and verbs that are general enough to give players room for creativity in their word associations while being unambiguous to avoid misinterpretation of the words' meanings. The content was also designed to consist of words that are commonly known to accommodate a wide audience of varying ages. Having common words also encourages the opportunity to use the game for students that are learning English.
The part of the game when players announce their schema topics also provides beneficial learning experiences. Creativity is sometimes required to think of a schema topic. Players exercise their justification and communication skills to receive approval of their schema from their opponents. Players also practice their adjudication skills as they approve their opponents' schemas.
The extraneous and germane load cards play a pivotal role in the strategy of the game as they encourage competition in the game when players burden their opponents with unwanted cards or collaboration when players build on each other's schemas. The terminology and content on the extraneous and germane load cards require more effort towards comprehension, which is why detailed explanations are provided on both the cards themselves as well as the instruction booklet. But once players understand how these cards are played, they can strategize how and when to use them in an optimal way.
The game as a learning experience is framed around a card-based activity that simulates how CLT proposes we process and store information between our working and long-term memories. An understanding of the basis of the game can promote learners' self-awareness of their own cognitive processes. This can motivate learners to find ways to better manage their own cognitive load and schema building of knowledge for school, work, or their daily lives.
Learning theory framework
The terminology, gameplay, and design of the game “Schemas” draws upon key concepts of cognitivism and Piaget’s cognitive development theory. The game revolves around the creation of schemas. In the cognitivist approach, schemas are mental frameworks we construct to understand and organize our experiences. Schemas can vary in size but ultimately, they consist of various concepts chunked together by one or more overarching theme. These schemas are formed incrementally as we transfer information from our working memory into our long-term memory. Once they are in our long-term memory, we use these schemas to understand and make sense of the world around us (Mostyn, 2012). The game brings this internal process to the forefront.
            To continue with the concept of cognitive learning theory, the players practice different aspects of working memory or awareness through the process of managing their hand of cards. To begin, as working memory has a limited capacity of seven +/- two items (Miller, 1956), the players are only allowed to hold seven cards in their hand at a time. Concepts from CLT are also used to inform the physical design of the game. For example, by having familiar game materials—as in a card deck—players can devote their attention to playing the game rather than dealing with the extraneous load of figuring out what to do with the game pieces.
Furthermore, the three types of cognitive load are introduced to players through the different types of cards in the game. First, the majority of the cards in the deck have a single descriptive word on them. As players relate at least three of the descriptive words, they form their schemas. These cards represent intrinsic load because, in CLT, this type of load deals with the complexity of content and is not controllable by learners (Sweller, Ayres, & Kalyuga, 2011). Thus, players do not have control of which cards they end up with and sometimes need to be creative in how they make their word associations. Secondly, there are a few germane load cards that allow players to take a card of their choice from an opponent’s schema. This benefits the player by giving them more useful resources to help them create another schema. This aligns with how in CLT the aim is to increase germane loads because this type of load supports the working memory resources being used towards schema-building (Sweller et al., 2011; Sweller, 2010). Thirdly, there are also a few extraneous load cards that allow players to get rid of cards from their own hand by giving it to their opponent. This can burden the opponent with words that do not connect well with their schemas. This aligns with how in CLT learners want to decrease extraneous loads because it burdens them with distractions and irrelevant information (Sweller et al., 2011).
The game takes the cognitive processes of cognitive load theory that go unnoticed by most individuals and brings them to the forefront. By representing these processes in a tactile manner, it helps to turn what most consider to be abstract ideas into concrete concepts.
What makes this educational game unique 
“Schemas” is a unique game because of its outstanding qualities that will be mentioned in the following text. To begin, the target audience is very far-reaching, making it accessible to individuals from all walks of life. It is a game that can be played between several generations and can be used as a tool that builds bonds between family members, friends, and other social groups. The game is challenging enough to stimulate every member of the family, yet it is simple enough to allow for their full participation. The level of difficulty is adjustable to the demand of the player. 
Furthermore, “Schemas” is a game that builds a connection between its players as it fosters dialogue and sharing. In today’s modern families, the use of technological devices may create a sense of isolation within the household (Hampton et al., 2018). This card game brings family members together with very little material needed. Moreover, the accessibility of the game makes it unique because it can be played at various locations, such as at home, on a trip, or even in a plane.
“Schemas” helps its players to collectively exercise their critical thinking skills while engaging in a light-hearted activity. Word association is a process that works various cognitive skills including reasoning, memory, and attention (Sykes & Reinhardt, 2012). In addition to this, the players are actively learning to build their vocabulary while using their creativity to come up with clever word associations in order to win points. This game is an effective tool to learn languages since it can be easily translated into various foreign tongues. The universal quality of the images allows the game to be easily modified in order to play it in new languages that are unfamiliar to learners. Also, building vocabulary and creating interesting narratives are stimulating ways to engage in learning about new cultures. This game is an interesting way to explore how individuals from different cultures navigate their own set of values, ideas, and mental associations. For example, an individual from a particular culture might associate words that create concepts that are different from those of an individual from a different culture. This game enables people to come together and discover new traditions, habits, and lifestyles in an environment that is fun and lively. Learning about others through games such as “Schemas” promotes the learning of tolerance and inclusion between individuals.
To be brief, the uniqueness of this game resides in the fact that it is highly educative while entertaining and engaging players of any age. It helps players to practice various cognitive skills without feeling like they are performing in an academic setting. The game’s accessibility and adjustability to the players’ needs make it a game worth playing. “Schemas” fosters connection, inclusion, and tolerance in families and communities that may not usually come together in other circumstances.

References
Hampton, K., Goulet, L., Her, E., & Rainie, L. (2018). Social isolation and new technology. Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. Retrieved on April 16, 2018 from http://www.pewinternet.org/2009/11/04/social-isolation-and-new-technology
Ibrahim, K. (2017). The impact of ecological factors on game-based L2 practice and learning. Foreign Language Annals, 50(3), 533-546. doi:10.1111/flan.12278
Miller, G. A. (1956). The magical number seven, plus or minus two: Some limits on our capacity for processing information. Psychological Review, 63, 81-97. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0043158
Mostyn, G. R. (2012). Cognitive Load Theory: What it is, why it's important for accounting Instruction and research. Issues in accounting education, 27(1), 227-245. doi:10.2308/iace-50099
Sykes, J. M. (2018). Digital games and language teaching and learning. Foreign Language Annals, 51(1), 219-224. doi:10.1111/flan.12325
Sykes, J., & Reinhardt, J. (2012). Language at play: Digital games in second and foreign language teaching and learning. In J. Liskin-Gasparro & M. Lacorte (Series Eds.), Theory and practice in second language classroom instruction(pp. 1–157). New York: Pearson-Prentice Hall.
Sweller, J. (2010). Element interactivity and intrinsic, extraneous, and germane cognitive load. Educational Psychology Review, 22(2), 123-138. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-010-9128-5
Sweller J., Ayres P., & Kalyuga S. (2011). Cognitive load theory. New York, NY: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-8126-4