Video Games in Education - Theory of 'Edutainment'

Video Games in Education - Theory of 'Edutainment'

Squire, K, 2003. Video Games in Education. Comparative Media Studies Department. Cambridge, MA. 02139, USA: Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

. 2013. . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.skatekidsonline.com/parents_teachers/Video_games_in_education_Updated.pdf. [Accessed 9 February 2013].

Here are some quotes of note from the above paper (Squire, 2003) which I thought illustrated my point well;

"Malone (1981) argues that educational programs should have:

• clear goals that students find meaningful,
• multiple goal structures and scoring to give students feedback on their progress, 
• multiple difficulty levels to adjust the game difficulty to learner skill,
• random elements of surprise,
• an emotionally appealing fantasy and metaphor that is related to game skills.

"Csikszentmihalyi (1990) describes flow as a state of optimal experience, whereby a person is so engaged in activity that self-consciousness disappears, time becomes distorted, and people engage in complex, goal directed activity not for external rewards, but for simply the exhilaration of doing."

By applying the concept of a persons total and excited engagement with a game (flow) to learning objectives, surely this sub-conscience absorption of information is an excellent educational tool.

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ScienceDirect.com - Computers & Education - Beyond Nintendo: design and assessment of educational video games for first and second grade students. 2013. ScienceDirect.com - Computers & Education - Beyond Nintendo: design and assessment of educational video games for first and second grade students. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360131502000994. [Accessed 9 February 2013].

The following quote is from the above article;

"Teacher reports and classroom observations confirm an improvement in motivation to learn, and a positive technological transfer of the experimental tool. Although further studies regarding the effects of learning through video game use are imperative, positive effects on motivation and classroom dynamics, indicate that the introduction of educational video games can be a useful tool in promoting learning within the classroom."

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Simulation Games in Learning.. 2013. Simulation Games in Learning.. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED026857&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED026857. [Accessed 9 February 2013].

 "Simulation games serve many functions, but the important one to educators is that they present the student player with a real-life situation allowing him to use his knowledge and abilities while discovering decision-making skills for himself."