Video Games and the Future of Learning

Abstract

COMPUTERS ARE changing our world: how we work, how we shop, how we entertain ourselves, how we communicate, how we engage in politics, how we care for our health. The list goes on and on. But will computers change the way we learn? The short answer is yes. Computers are already changing the way we learn -and if you want to understand how, just look at video games. Not because the games that are currently available are going to replace schools as we know them any time soon, but because they give a glimpse into how we might create new and more powerful ways to learn in schools, communities, and workplaces -new ways to learn for a new Information Age. Look at video games because, while they are wildly popular with adolescents and young adults, they are more than just toys. Look at video games because they create new social and cultural worlds -worlds that help us learn by integrating thinking, social interaction, and technology, all in service of doing things we care about.We want to be clear from the start that video games are no panacea. Like books and movies, they can be used in

A Proposed Method for Measuring Learning in Video Games

“…Gee [5] suggests that video games have a strong relationship with learning and literacy and there are suggestions that there is a link between video games and enjoyment in the learning process [32,18]. Shaffer et al [26] pursue the same question with regard to the relationship between video games, learning and future benefits. Squire [30] closes the circle by teasing the relationship between video game play and education.…”

“…HERE has been an increased interest in and about the potential educational benefits that video games may offer [5,19,26,30]. However, while some progress is being made in terms of quantifying these claims [27], there is still some way to go to validate the assertions [27].…”

Attitudes towards and Effects of the Use of Video Games in Classroom Learning with Specific Reference to Literacy Attainment

“…Gamers are able to explore different identities and 'inhabit' roles, which would normally be inaccessible to them (Akkerman et al, 2009;Shaffer et al, 2005;Winn, 2002). They are able to alter and change various situations and environments, which in real life would be unalterable; view various phenomena which they may be impossible to witness for real and observe the behaviour of particular environments in different periods of time and changing over time (Rickard and Oblinger, 2004;Squire, 2003Squire, , 2008.…”

“…During game play, the learning of and exposure to words and symbols take place while experiencing the actual reality of these words (Burnett, 2010). Furthermore, video game players research sites and information about the game, read and create game cheats and data about particular levels or tasks in the game and participate in discussion forums (Shaffer et al, 2005). Media-rich early literacy programmes, which include online games, have significant effects on children's literacy development (Penuel et al, 2009).…”

(GbL #1) Life Skills Developed by Those Who Have Played in Video Game Tournaments

“…Some of the persuasive proponents for the use of video games for educational purposes include Prensky (2001;, Gee (2007), Shaffer, Squire, Halverson, and Gee (2004) and Squire (2003). A selective review of the research literature does show that playing video games has positive effects on game players.…”