The use of computer games as an educational tool: identification of appropriate game types and game elements

Abstract

During the past four years Alan Amory, a lecturer in Biology, has investigated the use of multimedia as a teaching resource and converted his courses from old-style lectures and practicals to constructivist-like classrooms. He also enjoys the thrill of creating software. Kevin Naicker, an Honours student at the time of this research, is interested in the use of computer technologies, especially the World Wide Web, in education. Jacky Vincent, our graphic artist, with her abounding enthusiasm and experience, enjoys designing unique virtual worlds and developing game scenarios. Claudia Adams, a zoologist and librarian, helped in the finding and organisation of the content and enjoys the creative side of plot development. AbstractPlaying games is an important part of our social and mental development. This research was initiated to identify the game type most suitable to our teaching environment and to identify game elements that students found interesting or useful within the different game types. A group of twenty students played four commercial games (SimIsle, Red Alert, Zork Nemesis and Duke Nukem 3D). Results suggest that students prefer 3D-adventure (Zork Nemesis) and strategy (Red Alert) games to the other types ("shoot-em-up", simulation) with Zork Nemesis ranked as the best. Students rated game elements such as logic, memory, visualisation and problem solving as the most important game elements. Such elements are integral to adventure games and are also required during the learning process. We present a model that links pedagogical issues with game elements. The game space contains a number of components, each encapsulates specific abstract or concrete interfaces. Understanding the relationship between educational needs and game elements will allow us to develop educational games that include visualisation and problem solving skills. Such tools could provide sufficient stimulation to engage learners in knowledge discovery, while at the same time developing new skills.

Technology Integration in Schools Is We Overinvested and Underprepared?

“…For example, the inclusion of video games in teaching has been widely reviewed and scrutinized; and although the sophistication of the games does not permit content inclusion relevant to schooling yet, the development of parallel learning skills such as abstract thought, logic, memory, visualization and problem solving are valid elements worth encouraging through this media [23] Similarly," the affordances of Web 2.0 and social software" as exemplified by blogs, wikis, Facebook, etc… permit creative integration of information that gives rise to new and original thought unavailable prior to the development of these platforms [24].…”

An adaptive and innovative question-driven competition-based intelligent tutoring system for learning

“…There are different experiences of the use of competition (Verhoeff, 1987) and games (Amori, Naicker, Vincent, & Adams, 1999;Squire & Jenkins, 2003) in education. Although competition and games are different concepts, they have a relationship and most games introduce a certain degree of competition (against the computer or other opponents).…”

Massive Multiplayer Online Gaming: A Research Framework for Military Training and Education

“…In a study of learner preferences regarding elements of computer-based games, participant reactions to four commercial games -a strategy game, a simulation, a shooting game, and an adventure game -were gathered (Amory, Naicker, Vincent, & Adams, 1999). The researchers found that the simplest game was the most appealing (in this case, the shooting game) and the most complex game (in this case, the simulation) had the least appeal.…”