Education for a Digital World Advice, Guidelines and Effective Practice from Around Globe, 2008a

23 – Computer-Based Games for Learning
In the spirit of introducing the new language of games
for learning, this chapter has reviewed basic terms, the
motivation to use games for learning, examples to fire
your own imagination, factors that make learning games
effective, and guidelines for getting started successfully.
We hope that this brief introduction has sparked your
ideas and your desire to learn more about using computer-based
games for learning in your context. Our
references and the websites listed in this chapter are a
good place to start, and your own searches will provide
you with more information. We wish you great success
as you explore this intriguing and promising area!
Glossary
Avatar. An image (created or selected and often customized
as a fantasy figure) that represents a player in a
shared virtual environment.
COTS game. Commercial off-the-shelf game.
Flow. An experience of full immersion, active involvement,
and success in an activity.
Frame game. A game structure or template into
which content is inserted to create a game.
Game. A set of activities with goals, rules, and competition
(possibly with oneself) that involve one or more
players in an artificial situation.
Massively multiplayer online game (MMOG). A game
played on the Internet, typically in a persistent world, that is
able to include hundreds of thousands of players.
Semiotic domain (as defined by Gee (2003). A set of
artifacts (words, gestures, images, sounds, that can take
on meaning in shared contexts and communities.
Simulation. A dynamic, simplified but accurate systems
model of aspects of reality.
Simulation game. An activity that involves aspects of
games (goals, rules, and competition) within a simulation
model.
References
Asgari, M. & Kaufman, D. M. (2004). Intrinsic motivation
and game design. Presented by first author at the
35th Annual Conference of the International Simulation
and Gaming Association (ISAGA), and Conjoint
Conference of Swiss, Austrian, German Simulation &
Gaming Association (SAGSAGA), Munich, Germany,
September.
Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and
action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
Prentice Hall.
Baranowski, T., Baranowski, J., Cullen, K. W., Marsh, T.,
Islam, N., Zakeri, I., et al. (2003). Squire’s quest! Dietary
outcome evaluation of a multimedia game.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 24(1), 52–61.
British Educational Communications and Technology
Agency (Becta) (2001). What aspects of games may
contribute to education? Computer Games in Education
project. Retrieved August 18, 2006 from
http://www.becta.org.uk/research/research.cfm?sectio
n=1&id=2826.
Boethel, M. & Dimock V. (1999). Constructing Knowledge
with Technology: A Review of the Literature.
Austin, TX: Southwest Educational Development
Laboratory.
Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly (1990). Flow: The Psychology
of Optimal Experience. New York: Harper and Row.
Dempsey, J. V., Lucassen, B. A., Haynes, L.L. & Casey,
M. S. (1996). Instructional applications of computer
games. Paper presented at the American Educational
Research Association, April 8–12, New York.
Dickey, M. (2005). Engaging by design: How engagement
strategies in popular computer and video games
can inform instructional design. Education Technology
Research and Development 53 (2), 67–83.
Fabricatore, C. (2000). Learning and videogames: An
unexplored synergy. Paper presented at International
Conference of the Association for Educational Communications
and Technology, Denver, Colorado,
October 25–28.
Forest, C. (2006, June 22). Canadian entertainment and
media market maturing at a steady pace. Toronto:
PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Retrieved October 30, 2006
from http://www.pwc.com/extweb/ncpressrelease.nsf
/docid/0EE0753076513A1C852571940070FCCC.
Galarneau, L. (2005) Spontaneous communities of
learning: Learning ecosystems in massively multiplayer
online games. Paper presented at Digital
Games Research Association (DiGRA) conference,
Vancouver, Canada, June 16–19.
Garris, R., Ahlers, R. & Driskell, J. E. (2002). Games,
motivation, and learning: A research and practice
model. Simulation & Gaming 33(4), 441–467.
Gee, J. P. (2003). What Video Games Have to Teach Us
About Learning and Literacy. New York: Palgrave.
Gredler, M. E. (2004). Games and simulations and their
relationships to learning. In Jonassen, D. H. (ed.),
Handbook of Research on Educational Communications
and Technology, Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum
Associates, pp. 571–581.
Jenkins, H. & Squire, K. (2003). Understanding Civilization
(III). Retrieved August 21, 2006 from
http://educationarcade.org/node/66.
362 Education for a Digital World