Game On!

Game On!Game On!

Connecting Video Games and Connecting Video Games and Virtual Worlds to InstructionVirtual Worlds to Instruction

Video GamesVideo Gamesandand

Digital NativesDigital Natives

• 267.8 million units sold in 2007. ($9.5 billion in revenue)• Nine games sold every Nine games sold every

second in 2007.second in 2007.• First-day sales of Halo 3

outsold first-day ticket sales of Spiderman 3 and the first-day sales of the final book in the Harry Potter series.

65% of American households playcomputer and video games.

The average gameplayer is 3535 and hasbeen playing gamesfor 13 years13 years.

38%38% of homes have at least one

console (such as: Xbox, Playstation,

Nintendo).

• 40% of all gamers are women over 18 (and growing).

The Digital NativeThe Digital NativeToday’s High School Today’s High School

Student Has Never Known Student Has Never Known A Time Without:A Time Without:

CD PlayersCD PlayersMicrowavesMicrowavesNintendoNintendoThe World Wide WebThe World Wide Web

A typical college studenthas spent less than 5,000 hours reading books, but over 10,000 hours10,000 hoursplaying video games.

“The 10,000-hours rule says that if youlook at any kind of cognitively complexfield, from playing chess to being a neurosurgeon, we see this incrediblyconsistent pattern that you cannot begood at that unless you practice for10,000 hours, which is roughly tenyears, if you think about four hoursa day.”

-Malcolm Gladwell, author ofOutliers: The Story of Success

What if they spent that much time doing Biology

homework?

“When I go to school, I have to

power down.”

-Student“When I go to school, I have to

power down.”

-Student

Their Brains Work Differently

Maybe we need to rethinkMaybe we need to rethinkhow we teach them?how we teach them?

How Do You EngageThe Digital Native?

They crave:

Social Interaction

Customized Experiences

Achievement

Multimedia

Learning That’s Relevant

So, Why Video Games?

Customized Experiences

Social Interaction

Achievement

Learning That’s Relevant

Multimedia

Serious Games: What the Researchers are Saying

“...the designers ofmany good games have hit on profoundly good methods of getting people to learn and toenjoy learning.”

-James Paul Gee, University of Madison Wisconsin

“...within games, there are in fact multitudes of literacy practices – games are full of text, she asserted, to say nothing of the entirely text-based fandom communities online that take place in forums, blogs and social networks.”

-Constance Steinkhueler, FuturePlay 2007, Toronto

“Today's game designers have figured out something today's educators are still searching for: how to make learning engaging for today's kids. It would be a shame not to employ this knowledge in our classrooms.”

-Marc Prensky

What I’ve Seen...What I’ve Seen...

Students in Virtual WorldsStudents in Virtual Worlds

Warhammer Online Screenshot

Extreme Engagement!

Students are leading people from around

the world (often 40 or more) to

accomplish collective goals. These events

take planning, coordination, and decision-

making skills.

http://www.ljplus.ru/img4/j/i/jibo/pir2.JPG

Extreme Engagement!

They spend hours outside of the They spend hours outside of the

game collaborating and planning game collaborating and planning

in forums, researching maps, in forums, researching maps,

statistics, and strategies to statistics, and strategies to

improve their game.improve their game.

A Level Playing Field – Who are They Playing With?

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TeacherTeacher

Ph.D. Ph.D. CandidateCandidate

Stay-at-Stay-at-home home MomMom

County County SheriffSheriff

ResearcherResearcher

Business Business OwnerOwner

Editor for Editor for the the

SenateSenate

Produce Produce ClerkClerk

Business Business AnalystAnalyst

Instructional Instructional Technology Technology CoordinatorCoordinator

Technology Technology EngineerEngineer

Quality Quality Assurance Assurance SupervisorSupervisor

Water/Sewer Water/Sewer TechnicianTechnician

College College StudentStudentUniversity University

Admissions Admissions RepresentativeRepresentative

Director Director of ITof IT

Network Network AdministratorAdministrator

Protestant Protestant MinisterMinister

Source: http://www.harbingersoflight.com

They are collaborating, online, with people from all over the

world. Differences in race, age, gender, and nationality are no

longer an issue.

They are collaborating, online, with people from all over the

world. Differences in race, age, gender, and nationality are no

longer an issue.

So, how are educators using video games in instruction?

Larry Dugan, a college administrator, is using the

MMORPG, Lord of the Rings Online to teach Tolkien in an

immersive environment.

Revolution! – a Neverwinter Nights modification allows students to explore colonial Williamsburg in a 3D, immersive environment.

Dimension-M, by Tabula Digita allows students to learn and practice pre-

Algebra and Algebra skills in a multiplayer, action-oriented game

world.

Peggy Sheehy’s Middle Schoolers had an in-world trial

based on the novel, Of Mice and Men, in Teen Second Life.

Time to Learn?Time to Game!

Why Let Students Make and Play Games?

• Digital Storytelling That Engages• Requires Higher Order Thinking• Requires Students to Know Content• Taps Into The Innate Desire to Collaborate• Ninja-like Ninja-like Drill and Practice!(They’ll go over material again

and again without realizing!)

Photo by David S. Carter

Tools for Student Game Making(most are free)

• Use Microsoft Office! (Jeopardy in PowerPoint) – See Jeff Ertzberger’s Site

• YoYo Games’ Game Maker• Scratch, Squeak, Alice• RPG Maker• Teen Second Life• Atmosphir

A Screenshot from Atmosphir

•www.seriousgames.org•www.educationarcade.org•www.markprensky.com

•gaming.psu.edu•www.edurealms.com

Lucas Gillispie - [email protected]