Enhancing learning practices by understanding formal and informal ways of using computer games

Kristine Øygardslia

doi:10.5324/barn.v36i2.2768

Abstract

A 12-year-old boy – call him Lucas – is in the middle of a boss fight. This is a challenging test, in which he must beat an enemy harder than any he has encountered before. Through hours and hours of play, he has prepared for this moment. Now, he must combine and apply all of his skills to perform at his very best. If you were to try to speak to him, he would probably be so immersed in the game world that he would not even notice you. Tomorrow at school, however, he will tell his friends how he beat the boss and advanced in the game. He will be considered one of the experts within his peer group. He and his friends will then spend their breaks discussing strategies for the game, perhaps looking up YouTube videos of their favorite Internet celebrities playing the game. If it is anything like I was at that age, he will probably be thinking more on that day about the game than about the lesson his teacher has prepared about European Explorers. His teacher – call her Sally – notices this. She also knows that Lucas is not a special case; after all, most kids of his age in Norway regularly play digital games (Medietilsynet 2018). Sally would like to know if it is possible to design learning activities for her students in a way that connects the learning to what matters to them, making the topics they cover in class seem more relevant. At the same time, she wonders what it is about these computer games that enables an 11-year-old to remember hundreds of Pokémon, as well as details about how they evolve, their strengths, and where to find them (Gee 2005), while they struggle to put letters together correctly or to remember where to place Italy on a map. Perhaps, she thinks, games involve some learning principles that could be utilized when designing her lessons?

Highlights

A 12-year-old boy – call him Lucas – is in the middle of a boss fight
Learning through design Returning to Sally, the teacher referred to earlier, how can research on games in informal, semi-formal, and formal learning contexts help to enhance her design of learning practices? In this regard, it is useful to revisit the central elements of design and, designing for learning
After searching for images using Google, Samantha picked up the textbook and showed them an image of a boat from the appropriate time period. They compared the images from Assassin’s Creed with those in the book to ensure the historical accuracy of the boat in their game

Summary

Introduction

Media education: Researching new literacy at home, at school and in between. Considering play: Designing interactive learning environments based on the blending of microworlds, simulations, and games. Computer game design: Opportunities for successful learning. Kristine Øygardslia is a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology Her main research interests include computer games for education and social change. Her thesis “Students as game designers: Exploring collaborative game-based learning activities in the classroom” was written at the Department of Education and Lifelong Learning, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU. Media and Technology http://doi.org/17439884.2017.1421553/10.1080 and Øygardslia, K., and Aarsand, P.

Design of learning practices

Concluding summary

Findings