Can a serious game still be effective if no-one plays it?

Approximate Reading Time: < 1 minuteI’m not sure how I feel about putting a cutsie skin on tetris when the blocks are made to represent slaves (i.e. people) and the ‘board’ is a slave ship. I think I get the idea they are trying to … Continue reading

Is Fun Really Necessary for Serious Games?

Approximate Reading Time: < 1 minuteMany people in Education seem to believe that fun and education are at odds with each other. Some years ago I did a survey with public school teachers to see if they were using games in school, and if not, … Continue reading

Game Based Pedagogy and the Importance of Teacher Support

Approximate Reading Time: 2 minutesIn my upcoming book I talk about the importance of teacher support for educational games. It is the 3rd pillar in my 4PEG model. In order to gain acceptance in a traditional classroom, GBL ‘objects’ need to be “canned”, meaning they need to … Continue reading

4PEG Review: Gambling Never Pays [Magic Bullet Games]

Approximate Reading Time: < 1 minuteA number of chapters in my upcoming book talk about how to review games, and I go into my 4PEG model in detail. I review 7 games in the book. Here’s another. This review is of an educational game, and … Continue reading

7 Ways to Use Games in the Classroom

Approximate Reading Time: < 1 minuteThere are many ways to use games in the classroom. Games can be used as: Content – The content of the game directly addresses some curricular need. Example – In this case the game is being used as an example of or an artifact … Continue reading

Games vs Game-based Learning vs Gamification – My Version

Approximate Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn response to the other day’s post about the differences between these terms, I have produced my own table outlining the differences. You’ll notice mine is a little more complex. That’s because the differences are more complex than the original … Continue reading

Games vs Game-based Learning vs Gamification

Approximate Reading Time: 3 minutesSo many people are confused about the differences between these terms. Unfortunately, this article just muddies the waters further.

Games vs Game-based Learning vs Gamification | The Upside Learning Blog.

It’s a great effort, but I’m afraid none of these are quite right.

Continue reading

Game-Based Learning vs Game Pedagogy

Approximate Reading Time: < 1 minutePutting everything that has to with learning and games under one name obscures the complexity of the field. We should use TWO terms: Game-Based Learning for the learner’s perspective, and Game Pedagogy for the teacher’s perspective. bookblog:game-based_learning_vs_game_pedagogy [Magic Bullet Games]. 1 … Continue reading