Games Purpose And Potential In Education

The field of Games is rapidly expanding, prompting institutions throughout the world to create game development programs and courses focusing on educational games. As a result, games have also become a hot topic in the area of educational technology research. This increased interest is due to the technological advancement of digital games and the fact that a new, digital generation is emerging with a strong gaming background. Games: Purpose and Potential in Education focuses on the issues of incorporating games into education and instructional design. Ideas of identity development, gender diversity, motivation, and integrating instructional design within game development are addressed since each of these areas is important in the field of instructional design and can have a significant impact on learning. This volume brings together leading experts, researchers, and instructors in the field of gaming and explores current topics in gaming and simulations, available resources, and the future of the field.

Focuses on issues of how games can fit into education and instructional design. This volume explores various topics in the field of educational games and simulations, the future potential of the field, and resources related to educational games and simulations.

In recent years, there has been growing interest in the use of games to enhance learning across multiple educational levels, and extensive research has shown that games have considerable potential for enhancing learning, motivation and skills development. However, despite a growing acknowledgement of this potential, challenges remain and the use of games in formal education contexts remains far from mainstream. While some studies identify design and development issues as a key barrier – including associated costs – others highlight organisational and infrastructural difficulties involved in implementing games in the classroom. More recently, increasing recognition of these difficulties has led many to explore how gaming elements (rather than fully fledged games) can be used to engage and enhance student learning – a practice now widely referred to as “gamification”. This edited collection of chapters explores the application, potential and challenges of game-based learning and gamification across multiple disciplines and sectors, including psychology, education, business, history, languages and the creative arts. With contributions exploring the use of games across the full educational spectrum – from early childhood education, through to the corporate sector – it provides comprehensive insights into the potential of games and play for facilitating learning and engagement at every life stage.

In the global culture of education, game-based learning needs to be an integrated part of formal education, and not just an 'exotic spice' for many educators, as it is today. The critical role of the educator as a facilitator, gatekeeper and enabler of serious games is often downplayed. Therefore a comparison across regions is needed so that we do not limit the potential of transferring best practice, research results and the development of games across borders. This book deals with three key questions: How are serious games understood and designed? How do they establish themselves in learning and education locally? And, how can games as a learning culture be explored in a global perspective?

Discover how digital gaming can improve learning and prepare students for successful futures. The authors—both experienced educators and enthusiastic gamers—contend that students of the 21st century communicate and learn differently than previous generations. By incorporating digital games into lessons, student learning will more accurately reflect the interactive, engaging reality students experience outside the classroom and better prepare them for college and careers. Benefits Explore learning theory and research that supports why students of the digital generation require different learning and teaching methods than previous generations. Discover the benefits of classroom gamification for educational and professional development purposes, which include making students active participants in their learning. Gain consistent, clear definitions for terms related to gaming in education, and learn how to incorporate digital games into lesson design. Access lists of suggested digital games, and learn for what purposes the games are most useful. Consider how digital games can address students’ diverse learning needs and can be used for assessment. Contents Foreword by Ian Jukes Introduction: The Gamer in Us All Chapter 1: From Entertainment to Education 3.0 Chapter 2: The Arcade of Education Chapter 3: Learning Theory and the Attributes of the Digital Generation Chapter 4: How to Find and Evaluate Digital Games for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Chapter 5: Lesson Design Using Digital Games Chapter 6: Digital Gaming and Assessment Chapter 7: The Nine I’s of Modern Learning Chapter 8: Beyond Linear Presentations Chapter 9: Takeaways References and Resources

Until now, most teachers have lacked the resources and knowledge to create games that meet their needs. This book presents five principles that can be embedded into traditional or online learning and teaching to enhance engagement and interactivity.

Serious Educational Games: From Theory to Practice focuses on experiences and lessons learned through the design, creation and research in the Serious Education Games Movement. Serious Games is a term coined for the movement that started in 2003 for using commercial video game technology for teaching and learning purposes.

"This book presents a framework for understanding games for educational purposes while providing a broader sense of current related research. This creative and advanced title is a must-have for those interested in expanding their knowledge of this exciting field of electronic gaming"--Provided by publisher.