EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
AIMS
This review provides:
• a summary of the contemporary state of
the computer and video gaming
industry, market and culture
• an overview of the main developments in
research into gaming and the
educational relevance of video games,
and a summary of the literature
resulting from this research
• a basis for communication between the
educational research community and
the commercial sector on the subject of
the use of games technologies in the
design of learning resources
• a basis for discussion within educational
communities on the use of digital
games within educational settings.
CONTEXT
Computer games are a growing part of our
culture; the global market is worth billions
of dollars, related activities range from
published magazines to spontaneous
internet communities, and the impact of
games play on young people has attracted
significant interest from the popular
media. Three quarters of children play
regularly – is this harmful or beneficial,
are they learning as they play, and if so
what? This review considers the findings of
research into the relationship between
games and players, and the theoretical
and actual implications for learning.
The research evidence is complex, and
thinly spread. The study of computer
games, or game players, cannot be
mapped onto one research discipline.
Relevant areas of study include, but
are not limited to computer science,
education, psychology, youth and media
and cultural studies. As a result, aspects
of investigation into games and game
players can ‘straddle’ several different
academic disciplines.
As games have become more complex in
terms of graphics, complexity, interaction
and narrative, so a variety of genres have
come to dominate the market. There is,
however, no standard categorisation
of such games; different stakeholders
in the games industry eg game outlets,
developers, academics, web review sites,
use a taxonomy appropriate to their own
audience. Nonetheless the differences
between genres, and even between games
within one genre, differentiate the way
they are played, and their potential to
support learning. Thus attempts to
generalise the effect of games or
gaming may be unhelpful.
Perhaps as a result of the diversity and
complexity of games themselves, and
the range of perspectives taken by
researchers, there are few hard and fast
findings in the literature. In order to better
understand games and game play, and
how they contribute to learning, it may
be necessary to distinguish more clearly
the nature of gaming and the nature of
learning and the learner.
GAMES AND GAMERS
Researchers and commentators have
attempted to understand the lure of
computer games. This has been
characterised as a combination of |
|
fantasy, challenge and curiosity, and a level of
engagement described as ‘flow’ where
players become oblivious to distractions.
Concern has been expressed that this
leads to a neglect of other activities, often
assumed to be automatically more worthy.
Other authors see games play as
inherently valuable, leading to a
development of a range of skills and
competences that may transfer to other
social and work-related uses of digital
technologies.
The debate around violence and gaming
is as yet unresolved. There are two
perspectives; that games increase
aggression or that games provide a release
for pent-up aggression. In all likelihood
both are legitimate conclusions, and the
outcomes varies with game and player.
Gender is a common subject of games
related research, focusing mainly on the
image of females within games, or the role
of gender in influencing games play. There
are few clear outcomes, but the proportion
of gamers who are female seems to be
growing and this may be related to the
increase in social gaming through on
and offline multiplayer options.
GAMES AND EDUCATION
Research into the use of mainstream
games in education is relatively novel, but
growing rapidly. Research is mainly
concerned with the development of related
competences and literacies during game
play, or the role of games in the formation
of learning communities either while
gaming or related to game play.
Use of mainstream games in schools
remains rare, and is unlikely to be
integrated into the curriculum. Reasons
for this include:
• it is difficult for teachers to identify
quickly how a particular game is
relevant to some component of the
statutory curriculum, as well as the
accuracy and appropriateness of the
content within the game
• the difficulty in persuading other school
stakeholders as to the potential/actual
educational benefits of computer games
• the lack of time available to teachers to
familiarise themselves with the game,
and methods of producing the best
results from its use
• the amount of irrelevant content or
functionality in a game which could not
be removed or ignored, thus wasting
valuable lesson time.
Nonetheless, teachers and parents
recognised that games play can support
valuable skill development, such as:
• strategic thinking
• planning
• communication
• application of numbers
• negotiating skills
• group decision-making
• data-handling.
Significantly the experience of game
play seems to be affecting learners’
expectations of learning activities.
Preferred tasks are fast, active and
exploratory, with information supplied
in multiple forms in parallel. Traditional
school-based learning may not meet
these demands.
... next page |
|
|
|
the experience
of game play
seems to
be affecting
learners’
expectations
of learning
activities |
