Game Studies and Game-Based Learning Resources

These are resources I recommend you check out as you continue to explore critical explorations of games and play as well as game-based learning. There's a lot here, and it's quite varied, so let me know if you want help narrowing it down. For me, Gee is the "must read" of the list for designing a course that incorporates games or game mechanics.

• Bogost, Ian. How to Do Things with Videogames. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2011. Print.
• ---. Persuasive Games: The Expressive Power of Videogames. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2007. Print.
• Bogost, Ian, Simon Ferrari, and Bobby Schweizer. Newsgames Journalism at Play. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2010. Open WorldCat. Web. 3 Mar. 2016.
• Flanagan, Mary. Critical Play: Radical Game Design. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2009. Print.
• Gee, James Paul. What Video Games Have to Teach Us about Learning and Literacy. Rev. and updated ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007. Print.
• Kahne, Joseph, Ellen Middaugh, and Chris Evans. The Civic Potential of Video Games. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2009. Print.
• McGonigal, Jane. Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World. New York: Penguin Press, 2011. Print.
• Tekinbaş, Katie Salen. The Ecology of Games: Connecting Youth, Games, and Learning. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2008. Print.

Those are all good starting points. If you want to go deeper into a certain application let me know. There's been a lot written on the game Civilization, for example, as well as Minecraft.

And here are some good lists of "serious games" that try to persuade players through game mechanics.

• http://www.missiontolearn.com/learning-games-for-change/
• https://gamesandimpact.org/games/
• http://www.gamesforchange.org/learn/game-databases/

Of course, I'm happy to meet with you individually to discuss assignments, units, or courses that you're considering adding games or game elements to improve learning outcomes for students. A few big challenges with games and game-based learning are 1) scope of what can be done given the institutional time and space we're given, 2) framing activities so students understand what it is they're doing and why before, during, and after a play session, and 3) making sure you don't unwittingly create a lot of extra work for yourself.

I hope this unit on games and game-based learning was useful for you! I look forward to seeing how you're thinking about applying games in your courses.

GBL Discussion Led by Trent 2/29/16

Thank you to everyone for making time to join the conversation about Game Based Learning on Monday evening. Thank you to Tamar for joining us, bringing DHSS to mind, and providing a wonderful dinner. Thank you to Andrea for hosting us—video games playing the background were such an appropriate atmosphere. And extra thanks to Trent for leading our discussion and for reminding us of the range of opportunities that game based learning portends.

We will gather at Juilee's on Monday, March 28th around 5:30. Please bring a drink. We'll sort out readings, directions, food, and other details ab it later. 

Btw, I failed to take any photos during our group meeting, but did manage to capture a few of the remains of the dinner.

Lovely mango cashew salad.

There may be a few chips left in the bag on the left.

Fizzy water. It may be bad for your teeth,
as Michael relayed to us, but it sure tastes lovely.

Extra Credit List of Games for Education

The team at Extra Credit, a web video series dedicated to games and game culture, have compiled a very useful list of games they deem suitable for educational purposes in the online store Steam. Check it out!

shameless plug: narRITives project space

Andrea and I have begun working with Brian Larson in CIAS to develop narRITives, an interdisciplinary project to develop and curate digital stories from RIT. See here.

Andrea and I will talk about this project when we meet up in March (after the February meeting focusing on GBL with Trent). We will also discuss each of our approaches to project-based and problem-based learning. More information forthcoming!

Next meeting: 2/29/16 for dinner and conversation

I finally found a use for this image—love it! Juilee

 

For 2/29 Trent has asked us to:
1) read two articles
2) play one game  "Aviti: The Cost of Life"& 
3) take a stab at designing an assignment, unit, or course that takes advantage of some game or game-based principle.

When we meet, we will discuss the readings and workshop ideas and plans.
See you at 5:45!
(photo credit: See https://mathsimulationtechnology.wordpress.com/game)

Before you head to U of R, begin at RIT for talk on gameplay & iterations

When:    Friday, February 5, 2016
Where:   Golisano College 70-1455
Time:     11:00 am
Experimental Gameplay and the Iterative Process
Presentation by
Ian Schreiber

PhD Research Colloquium in Computing and Information Sciences
Rochester Institute of Technology

Lecture @ U of R: “Video Games & Learning”

Friday, February 5, 2016