7 Ways to Use Games in the Classroom

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ID-10055340There are many ways to use games in the classroom. Games can be used as:

  1. Content – The content of the game directly addresses some curricular need.
  2. Example – In this case the game is being used as an example of or an artifact that supports what is being taught.
  3. Inspiration – Games can be used as inspiration for creative writing, for construction, as examples of scenarios, or as role models.
  4. Art – Some games have a unique artistic style that is worth studying.
  5. Medium – This is the constructionist approach to learning by making a game about the topic or concept being taught.
  6. Literature – Games can offer unique perspectives on narrative and some can be studied as literature.
  7. Environment – Sometimes a game can provide an environment for some activity or part of a lesson, even if it does not address the curricular needs directly.

I’m almost done with the final draft of my book and it includes a number of lists:

  • 20 Learning Theories Embodied in Games
  • 15 Instructional Theories Embodied in Games
  • 12 Instructional Design Models For Using Games in the Classroom
  • 15 Ways to Use Games in the Classroom
  • 101 Instructional Strategies for Use with Games

The book provides much more detail than the list above, but I will be offering sneak peeks of some of these lists over the next few months. Of course you’ll have to wait for the book to get all of them.

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Analyzing Games for Learning The Becker Lazy Test

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Becker’s Lazy Test is something I developed some years ago as part of the 4PEG game assessment template (4PEG = 4 Pillars of Educational Games). When I am examining a game, I play it and see how far I can get without reading or learning anything. I simply follow the known mechanics (if obvious) or click randomly. If I can get to the end this way, it does NOT pass as an educational game. The easier it is to progress in the game using this strategy, the worse the educational value of the game.

Put very simply, it should not be possible to get through an educational game by brute force or by random chance alone. Now, I know that this may seem very similar to Margaret Gredler’s claims about games vs simulations made in her chapter on simulations and games in the 1996 AECT Handbook of Educational Technology. In it she said that games should not have a random factor. Now, if you’ve read my book, The Guide to Computer Simulations and Games – especially the chapter on randomness – you will already know how important the “random factor” is to BOTH simulations AND games. Gredler used randomness as a way to distinguish simulations from games (which is misguided), but she also used this as a way to separate games she liked from those she found frivolous. Part of what Becker’s Lazy Test is looking for is whether or not random actions on MY part (as a player) can get me through the game. Every game can, should, and MUST have at least some randomness, or else it is nothing more than a branching story.

These are the questions that go along with the Becker Lazy Test. A ‘yes’ answer to any of these constitutes a pass, and a pass is a bad thing.

  1. Is it possible to get through the game by randomly clicking on things? In other words, could I win the game by simply memorizing which things to click without knowing what those things are?
  2. Are the educational objectives included among the required learning in the game? Can I learn the game without learning the educational part?
  3. Is it possible to get through the game while ignoring the learning objectives? The required learning in the game should be PART of the game and not only found in pop-up screens of text or told to me through dialog.

The BLT asks if a ‘lazy player’ can get through the game without learning anything, and it is one element of the Four Pillars of Educational Gaming, listed as part of the Educational Content pillar. Becker’s Lazy Test focuses on how well the learning objectives are integrated into the game by determining whether it is possible to get through the game without paying attention to the learning goals of the game. If it IS, then the game passes the test, which in turn means that the learning objectives are NOT well integrated into the gameplay.

bookblog:analysing_games_for_learning_the_becker_lazy_test [Magic Bullet Games].

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Worth Sharing (again): 17 Rare Images Tell the Real Story of Women in Tech – Mic

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Worth Sharing: 17 Rare Images Tell the Real Story of Women in Tech – Mic

“Tech isn’t a male dominated field, in many respects. Women are responsible for some of the core innovations that drive the Internet today.

It’s increasingly important to remember as we read the disquieting stats about the industry. Diversity seeds creativity and it’s possible that women approach the development of tech in slightly different ways that, when combined with others’, helps produce a more powerful Internet. It’s why having more women in tech, and recognizing and celebrating their accomplishments that began over a century ago and continue today, is vital to producing a more powerful future.

The first great example is from 1843, when the now-famous Ada Lovelace published instructions for the world’s first computer program. Only, there was no computer yet to run it. It was the opening salvo in a long march of innovations.”

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A Useful Resource: Amit’s Game Programming Information

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Amit’s Game Programming Information

“What’s on this page? I’m interested in producing complexity out of simple parts. This page contains bookmarks that I collected while working on games; I did not write most of the content linked from here. As a result the set of links here reflects the types of things I needed to know: only a few specific topics (not everything related to game programming), general ideas instead of platform-specific information (graphics, sound, compilers), and ideas and designs instead of source code (I find it easier to go from an idea to code than from code to an idea). Other sites, like Gamedev Tuts+, Gamedev, and Gamasutra, cover lots more topics than mine does.”

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Now Available: Introduction to Game Development Using Processing

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 It’s finally out!!

Introduction to Game Development Using Processing by Jim Parkerjim-6

This book guides you through the basic game development process, covering game development topics including graphics, sound, artificial intelligence, animation, game engines, Web-based games, etc. Real games are created, and significant parts of a game engine are built and made available for download. The companion DVD contains example code, games, and color figures.

 Try here for more on our books.

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Good Advice: Five Things I Didn’t Get About Making Video Games (Until I Did It)

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This was posted back in February, but it’s worth sharing.

Five Things I Didn’t Get About Making Video Games (Until I Did It).

1. Making games is a thousand times harder than I thought

2. Games look like complete ass for 90% of their production

3. When devs use the word “excited” they’re not blowing smoke up your ass

4. Game devs actually read a lot of critical writing on their work

5. If you think something sucks, that’s not really news to the dev team

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2015 IEEE Games, Entertainment, and Media (GEM) Conference

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2012-07-01-17-10-28b_wmIEEE-GEM.ORG.

There’s still time to submit your proposals.

The IEEE Consumer Electronics Society is pleased to announce the 2015 IEEE Games, Entertainment, and Media (GEM) Conference, the seventh conference in a series of successful IEEE Game Innovation Conferences. The venue will provide an opportunity for the demonstration and study of the ways in which games and game technologies are transforming the educational and cultural landscape. The exhibition area will allow researchers, developers, industry professionals, and artists to demonstrate how they are using these technologies in research, as teaching tools, and as means of modifying behavior in any number of fields.

The IEEE GEM 2015 conference is a platform for disseminating innovative research and development work on game, entertainment, and media technologies, applying lessons learned, and developing new ideas through audience interaction. Participation from all sectors including academia, industry, and government is welcome. The IEEE GEM 2015 conference brings together researchers, developers, industry, and government partners for formal and informal engagement and examination of emergent features of computer game development for entertainment, for learning/teaching, for serious purposes, and to impact society. IEEE GEM 2015 also provides an important forum for future game, entertainment, and media development talent to gain perspective on the knowledge, skills and attitude required to succeed in the game development world.

Important Deadlines:
Submission deadline:

  • Full, and short papers: Tuesday, June 30, 2015
  • Posters/Extended abstracts Friday, July 31, 2015
  • Workshop, tutorial, panel and demo proposals Friday, July 31, 2015

Notification:

  • Full, and short papers: Friday, July 31, 2015
  • Posters/Extended abstracts Friday, August 21, 2015
  • Workshop, tutorial, panel and demo proposals Friday, August 21, 2015

Final submission:

  • Full, and short papers: Monday, August 17, 2015
  • Extended abstracts Friday, August 28, 2015
  • Workshop, tutorial, panel and demo proposals Friday, August 28, 2015
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A Few Game Creation Resources

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1990-001b_wmI’m putting these here, so I’ll be able to find them again.

Create Games with Construct 2 – Scirra.com

 An HTML 5 Game creator. I haven’t tried it myself so can’t comment on how good it is. Looks interesting though. Meant for 2D games.

List of game engines – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 One of Wikipedia’s lovely lists. It includes the usual comparative table. A handy resource.

12 alternative game engines | Game Development Tools & Tech | Develop

What can I say? I’m a sucker for lists.

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