Gaming in Education

While searching through these articles, videos, and PowerPoint three things emerged: environment, tools, and community. When talking about environment it simply means the environment in which you play games and how that contributes to your overall experience. Tools are the technological elements that the participant uses in order to play the game thus increasing technological literacy. Community is the team building skills earned while participating in gaming. Not every game, or game type, uses all of these functions but they will use some in varying degrees.

The stereotypical environment that governs gaming is the bedroom. This stems from one type of game being considered, the leisurely viedogames. However, some games force the player to explore the world, “(w)hen I travel to a new city, I use Ingress to help me explore.” While some leisurely games educate players of the real world, “that kind of historical and geographical knowledge was something they were really hoping to provide throughout the game.” In Ingress the environment is the natural world, were the player is encouraged to explore and given incentive to do so. In games like Assassin’s Creed, the geography is done so with extensive detail, not only that but Assassin’s Creed also tries to be as historically accurate as possible. Environment is how a game educates the player, what skills they build, and how they build those skills.

Tools stem from console to computer programs. Games force the gamer to increase their technological literacy. For example, Ingress makes use of phones, it is an app that the player downloads and learns to use. Minecraft has become a massive tool used to educate. The capacity for one to build in Mincecraft has led to several experiments such as: a functioning calculator, a cell, even a nuclear reactor! Minecraft, also functioning as an environment, is a highly functional tool for players to learn complex concepts in a safe environment. Thus players build their skills and increase their technological literacy.

Community is something that applies to every game. From simple wiki pages to entire schools built on programming, community is an important element for any gamer. As a gamer myself, I couldn’t even count the times a wiki article has save me from insanity. Wiki pages are mostly used to share and distribute information to aid players but just yesterday I found myself in a page that described what happened after, basically functioning as a platform for fanfiction. Schools are also building off gaming communities such as Quest to Learn. This sixth to twelfth grade school has students collaborate together while building games that build their academic skills. Schools like this build community skills and prepare their students for a more digital world.

These three skills–environment, tools, and community–are the new evolution of gaming in education. If games are to play a role in our new academic world, we must expand these skills.