[quoting Masters, 11 Dec 98] I also think that it is potentially dangerous to look at games and steal things from their interfaces and expect them to work in say CAL systems or general user interfaces.
I, too, would very much reject the notion of haphazardly grabbing "bells and whistles" from games to add to computer programs. Instead, I have long argued* instead for a well-defined process of design that systematically integrates engagement with education.
I don't see the problem in introducing fun into interfaces and our CAL environments if it is appropriate but we need to remember that fun does not equal games necessarily and bear in mind that the population that user everyday interfaces and computer programs is FAR greater than those that play computer games.
I've come to believe that it is harder to achieve than either one in isolation (game design or education design), but the results are superior.
*e.g., Quinn, C. N. (1994). Designing educational computer games. In K. Beattie, C. McNaught, & S. Wills (Eds.), Interactive multimedia in university education: Designing for change in teaching and learning (pp. 45-57). Amsterdam: Elsevier. .