Knowing ‘X’ does not imply knowing ‘Y’

Approximate Reading Time: 2 minutesEarlier this spring, I had a lovely conversation with a fellow game researcher and enthusiast (Jostein Hassel) about how digital games are related to non-digital games. I learned a lot from this conversation (more on that in an upcoming post). … Continue reading

Designing Things You Don’t Understand

Approximate Reading Time: 2 minutesJust because you use some application or piece of software does not mean you know it. There is a reason why race car drivers often start out as (professional or amateur) mechanics: In order to get the best performance out … Continue reading

Why Educational Games are still boring…

Approximate Reading Time: 3 minutesOne of the things I keep coming up against again and again is the ‘language’ problem. Having come from computer science and only recently introduced to ‘formal’ education (I”ve been teaching at university for ~30 years), I was at first … 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

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

Videogames – Ya Got Trouble!~

Approximate Reading Time: 3 minutesSome years ago I was at a conference where Dmitri Williams was talking about the social history of videogames. He made reference to this song as a way of illustrating how the societal reaction to videogames isn’t really new. Since … Continue reading

What is a Game? [Part 1]

Approximate Reading Time: < 1 minuteWhat is a Game? Games are classified in many different ways and even after going round and round repeatedly, we still can’t seem to agree on what a game actually is. Here are a few examples: Some examples of casual … 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