On Dissertations and Theses

Approximate Reading Time: 3 minutesWhen I was writing my thesis I looked for examples of dissertations to get some ideas about how to formulate my own – you know general style, chapter organization, etc. It was suggested that I go to my school’s library … Continue reading

Is Computer Science Dead?

Approximate Reading Time: 2 minutesJust heard on Mark Guzdial’s blog that “Georgia Tech’s College of Computing is now considering a proposal to remove Smalltalk from the required curriculum in favor of C++.” This is another nail in the coffin of CS. There is great … Continue reading

More Trouble in River City

Approximate Reading Time: < 1 minuteHere’s a well-written explanation for why most of the media-effects studies really don’t tell us anything: WHY VIDEO GAME RESEARCH IS FLAWED By CHRIS LAVIGNE Studies that spread the idea that video games are harmful to children are conducted by … Continue reading

Be professional enough to do a decent literature review…

Approximate Reading Time: 2 minutesSHEESH! I get a lot of papers to review in Game Studies; Serious Games; Educational Games., etc. I used to learn a lot from reading these papers. Not anymore. Not only is much of what I read “old news” (i.e. … Continue reading

On: On Sheep Dogs and Wolves

Approximate Reading Time: 7 minutesI don’t usually do this, but this is a response to another blog, found here.  The piece I am commenting on is part of a larger post about what Canadian troops are doing in Afghanistan. It is in support of … Continue reading

Yet another “Trouble in River City” Article – this one by SUSAN GREENFIELD

Approximate Reading Time: 10 minutesI’ve actually been pondering this since it first came out. I’m getting pretty tired of the “Games are bad for society” rhetoric. Why can’t people get past hating things and look at something that can actually make a difference, like … Continue reading

Take That, R.E.Clark….

Approximate Reading Time: 2 minutesAmong the points highlighted in Clark’s recent article trashing serious games are that “…the research shows no instructional advantages of games over the other instructional approaches (such as lectures)…” and that “only poorly designed studies find learning benefits from games“. … Continue reading

R.E.Clark is at it again….

Approximate Reading Time: 2 minutesClark, R. E. (2007). Learning from Serious Games? Arguments, Evidence, and Research Suggestions. EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY, May-June 2007, 56-59. Richard E. Clark says, “My goal in this column is to offer a brief view of the current state of the evidence … Continue reading