Gaming in Education

One of my central roles at EDC is building applets - small web-based applications that provide the user with an interactive and educational experience. They are usually open-ended, and allow the user to manipulate something on screen and see a result - such as this seasons applet I did a while back, viewable here.

In addition to building applets, I've been thinking a lot about gaming and its implications for education. The difference between games and applets in my view is that instead of learning objectives, they usually have some sort of goal intrinsic to the game itself - you have to make it to the next level, unlock new features, or set a new high score, sometimes by reaching smaller goals, like collecting items or clearing a labyrinth.

In my later teaching years, immersive gaming seemed ubiquitous with the kids I worked with. Many of my students were into World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, and Gears of War. My son right now is into Lego Star Wars and we both have put in our time playing Angry Birds. Though not educational in the academic sense, these games are addictive, goal directed, and usually require the player to think and strategize in some way.

On another part of the spectrum, games that help students learn have been around for a while - I remember Carmen Sandiego and Oregon trail from the days of my youth, and new ones are emerging all the time. While they have a place in the market, it would be hard for educational games to compete with the ones that kids talk about in class. Because education funding is dwarfed by the budget set aside for company-produced games, coming up with an educational game with comparable graphics and processing is not practical at this point - but I don't think that is needed. Dreambox.com and Lure of the Labyrinth are examples of educational games that work well, and although they may not be kids' first choice, they can and are integrated into a course's curriculum or made available by parents outside of school.

Although learning games don't necessarily have to compete with their entertainment-based cousins and are developing a niche of their own, I don't think their potential has been fully realized. I am curious to see how their role in education develops over the coming years. For instance, is there a place for games in a face-to-face or online course? If so, what might they look like and how could their potential for quick feedback and interactivity be leveraged to help students learn?