boys and girls relate differently to, and are given permission to 'play', a question that brings with it a whole raft of value judgements about what we think play is - escape from the real world or valuable work? Importantly, we need to return to Csikszentmihalyi's argument that characteristics of 'flow' include the ability to: 'isolate the activity, at least at the perceptual level, from other stimuli, external or internal, which might interfere with involvement in it.'
As Jenkins and Cassell have argued, there is no easy answer to the question of gender and games - it cannot simply be solved by replacing soldiers with Barbie dolls. Rather, we need to address a whole raft of questions about the values that boys and girls bring to play in general and to computer games in particular.
SUMMARY
This discussion document was intended only to give a flavour of some of the key issues we need to think about when considering the role of games in learning. The papers, books, web articles and online discussion groups listed below will take the interested reader in a whole range of different directions, raising issues not addressed here, or exploring them in more detail. To summarise though, we face a whole set of challenges in bringing games and learning together - we need to ask what makes a good game, what makes a valuable 'learning experience', and do these two necessarily overlap? We need to consider how context and intention impact on that experience, we need to consider how gender plays a role in games play and games cultures, and we need, finally, to ask 'how do we know what is being learned?' These questions, and more, are currently being explored by Futurelab and other organisations around the world.
Watch this space and/or send your comments and suggestions to us here at Futurelab care of research@futurelab.org.uk
FURTHER READING
Beavis, C (1998) 'Computer Games, Culture and Curriculum', in Snyder, I (ed) Page to Screen: Taking Literacy into the Electronic Era, London: Routledge
Cassell, J, and Jenkins, H (eds) (1998) From Barbie to Mortal Kombat: Gender and Computer Games, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press
Cavallari, B, Hepburg, J, Harper, B (1992) 'Adventure Games in Education: a Review', in Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 8, 2, pp172-184
Choi, D, Kim, H, Kim, J (1999) 'Toward the Construction of Fun Computer Games: Differences in the Views of Developers and Players', in Personal Technologies, 3, 3, pp92-104
Csikszentmihalyi, M (1990) Flow: the Psychology of Optimal Experience, Harper & Row, New York
Davis, B, Sumara S, Luce-Kapler R (2000) Engaging Minds, Learning and Teaching in a Complex World, LEA, New Jersey
Dawes, L & Dumbleton, T (2001b) What Aspects of Games may Contribute to Education?
www.becta.org.uk/technology/software/
curriculum/computergames/index.htm
DfES/Taylor Nelson Sofres (2002) Young People and ICT,
www.becta.org.uk/research/reports/
youngpeopleict
Downes, T (1988) Children's Use of Computers in their Homes, unpublished DPhil thesis, University of Western Sydney, Macarthur
Draper, S (1999) 'Analysing Fun as a Candidate Software Requirement', in Personal Technologies, 3, 3, pp117-122
Dumbleton, T (2001a) Computer and Video Games as Children's Experience of Technology: an Overview of the Evidence and Implications for Teaching
www.becta.org.uk/technology/software/
curriculum/computergames/index.htm
Edge (2001) 'Learning Curve: is the Academic Community Finally Accepting Videogames?', in London: Edge, No 109. Summary of Proceedings of Games Cultures Conference, June 2001, Watershed and University of the West of England
Facer, K (2002) Interactive Education: Children's Out of School Uses of Computers, Preliminary Analysis of 2001 Survey, www.InterActiveEducation.ac.uk
Facer, K, Sutherland, R, Furlong, J, Furlong, R (2002) '"Edutainment" Software: a Site for Cultures in Conflict?', in Teaching and Learning where Worldviews Meet, London, Carfax
Facer K, Sutherland, R, Furlong, R, Furlong, J (2001b) 'Constructing the Child Computer User: From Public Policy to Private Practices', in British Journal of Sociology of Education, Vol 22, No 1
Facer K, Sutherland, R, Furlong, R, Furlong, J (2003, forthcoming) Screen Play: Children and Computers in the Home, London: RoutledgeFalmer
Green, C and Bigum, B (1993) 'Aliens in the Classroom', in Australian Journal of Education, 37, 2, pp119-141
Jenkins, H (2001) Keynote Speech given at Game Cultures Conference, Bristol, UK
Jenkins, H (2002) 'Game Theory', in Technology Review
www.technologyreview.com/articles/
wo_jenkins032902.asp
Johnson, C (1999) 'Taking Fun Seriously: Using Cognitive Models to Reason About Interaction with Computer Games', in Personal Technologies, Vol 3, No 3 pp105-116
Jones, M G (1998) Creating Engagement in Computer-based Learning Environments, ITForum (e-mail list: invited paper posted 7 December 1998) and [WWW document] URL: itech1.coe.uga.edu/itforum/paper30/
paper30.html
Kirriemuir, J (2002) The Relevance of Gaming and Gaming Consoles to the Higher Education/Further Education Learning Experience, London: JISC Contact J Kirriemuir: gaming@ceangal.com
Kirriemuir, J (2002) 'Video Gaming and Digital Learning Technologies: Relevance and Opportunities', Dlib Magazine, February 2002, www.dlib.org
Klawe, M and Philips, E (1995) A Classroom Study: Electronic Games Engage Children as Researchers, University of British Columbia, Vancouver: E-GEMS project, taz.cs.ubc.ca/egems/homt.html
Lawrence, S (1992) Video Games: Harmfully Addictive or a New Educational Environment? Taking children seriously, 1992
www.eeng.dcu.ie/~tcs/Articles/
VideoGamesInterview.html
Livingstone, S and Bovill, M, (1998) Young People: New Media, London: LSE/BSC
Malone, T (1980) What Makes Things Fun to Learn? A Study of Intrinsically Motivating Computer Games, Palo Alto: Xerox
McFarlane, A, Sparrowhawk, A, Heald, Y (2002) Report on the Educational Use of Games: an Exploration by TEEM of the Contribution Which Games Can Make to the Education Process, Teem: Cambridge
www.teem.org.uk
McNamee, S (1998) 'Youth, Gender and Video Games: Power and Control in the Home', in Skelton, T and Valentine, G (eds) Cool Places: Geographies of Youth Cultures, London: Routledge
Mumtaz, S (2001) 'Children's Enjoyment and Perception of Computer Use in the Home and the School', in Computers and Education, Vol 36, No 1
Nixon, H, (1998) 'Fun and Games are Serious Business', in J Sefton-Green (ed) Digital Diversions: Youth Culture in the Age of Multi-media London: UCL pp21-42
Papert, S (1998) 'Does Easy do it? Games and Learning', in Game Developer June p88
Pearce, C (2001) Review of 'Entertainment in the InterActive Age' conference, including full transcripts of relevant sessions on games and learning
www.annenberg.edu/interactive-age
Prensky, M (2001) Digital Game-based Learning New York: McGraw-Hill
Wegerif, R (2002) Thinking Skills, Technology and Learning: Literature Review for Futurelab
www.futurelab.org.uk/lit_reviews.htm
Whitebread, D (1997) 'Developing Children's Problem-solving: the Educational Uses of Adventure Games', in A McFarlane (ed) (1997) Information Technology and Authentic Learning, London: Routledge
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