I just came accross a post that looks at game design as instructional design. Game Design as Instructional Design by Neil LaChapelle from the University of Waterloo
"In _Rules of Play_, Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman introduce an
analytical framework for thinking about game design that could be
transposed to the instructional design field, supporting the creation
of better courses revealing a new way of thinking about instructional
design that could be used to make courses more engaging. They suggest
three cognitive schemas for understanding games:
- Games as Rules (essential logic or structure of the option space)
- Games as Play (human experience and activity within the option space)
- Games as Culture (the larger social context supporting/supported by the game activity)
Salen
and Zimmerman correctly point out that these schemas apply to any kind
of design (p. 6). In instructional design, we can differentiate:
- Learning Content (the target knowledge or activity/skill space to master)
- Learning Processes (learner experience and activity options within the space)
- Learning Cultures (the larger social context supporting/supported by the learning program)
With
this shift, it becomes possible to essentially read the entire text of
_Rules of Play_ as a treatise on course design. I'll list two key
insights about game design below. I'll transpose the first into
instructional design language, and I'll leave the second unglossed so
that you can translate it for yourself.
"The goal of successful game design is the creation of meaningful play." (p. 33)
>>The goal of successful instructional design is the creation of meaningful learning experiences.
"Meaningful
play emerges from the interaction between players and the system of the
game, as well as from the context in which the game is played." (p. 33)
>> ..."
Dave Boggs
SyberWorks, Inc.
SyberWorks e-Learning Podcast Series 
SyberWorks LMS e-Learning Implementation Podcast Series
e-Learning Lingo Podcast Series
SyberWorks Learning Management System
