The notion of using video games for learning causes some to cringe, others to leap for joy, and many to ask questions about this learning medium. These questions often come from people and organizations that are considering delving into the world of learning games but don’t know if this is advisable or don’t know where to start. The goal of this paper is to answer those questions about learning games and to help plot a path for people and organizations interested in developing or fostering the development of video games for learning. The paper starts by making a case for learning games grounded in principles of good fun and good learning. From there the paper explores the commercial games market, gleaning lessons from this rapidly growing and diversifying place. In order to address the concerns of those who see “edutainment” as a dead market, the paper analyzes the downfall of edutainment in the 1990s and establishes how the current movement differs. As there are many applications of games related (more or less) to learning games, the paper lays out the ecology of games with a purpose beyond play. Much of the rest of the paper establishes principles and best practices for moving the field forward in a positive direction. The paper should provide a good grounding in the field and both motivate and inform those wanting to participate in this rapidly growing domain.
posted by Nicolas Balacheff on Sunday 28th, March 2010 (11:37)
Among the text I have recently read about learning games, this one is in my opinion the most comprehensive, insightful and likely to provide a good basis for beginners in this research area.
First it synthesizes efficiently the common views of learning games and of the relations between games and schools, without caricaturing the situation. Second it considers in a contrasted and balanced way digital games and learning games from an economical and a functional perspective (what they are for). Third the paper survey ideas and principles about the design and use of learning games, covering most of the aspects be they technological or cognitive, educational or institutional.
One the one hand, some claim that games are so efficient to favour and enhance creativity and learning that the value of school is questionable, they even may not hesitate to abandon schools. Others consider that games are not relevant or manageable in school context and hence tend to exclude their use. The authors, considering the arguments, argue that there is room for the use of games, and that this use can enhance learning, provided that certain conditions are fulfilled. A first condition is that the school context does not kill the basic characteristic of game-play which is "freedom", while drawing attention to the fact that a game is based on a structured set of rules with "win" states criteria (so "freedom" must not be read in a naive way). The game structure guarantees "fairness by being applied transparently and equitably to all players" (p..5); a point which is important because it allows ending a game not depending on an (apparently) arbitrary decisions of a teacher. In other words, if a game is ruled by some knowledge, then it is this knowledge which will serve to end the game. A principle which is at the core of the theory of didactical situations (
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