Assessment is a dirty word. But games do it.

Yesterday one of the LDTers was struggling with justifying what pre-K kids learn by playing with ball floating in a tank of water. I used the word assessment and it derailed the conversation for a minute. I believe that all learning should be assessed. The evaluation can be valuable for learners, intstructors, and designers. There needs to be some thought towards what is the "acceptable evidence" that this learning was beneficial. Right now I'm researching enemies in video games. Enemies are encapsulated assessments. Don't believe me? Try fighting this guy without playing though the level. This image is from God of War where it can be argued that they don't require skill to defeat bosses. That's debatable. If you have a better example let me know.