what we can learn from work in "serious" video games - maya israel
TRANSCRIPT
What We Can Learn from Work in “Serious” Video Games
Maya Israel, Ph.D.College of Education
Roadmap
Rationale for (video)gaming in STEM education
Preliminary data on gaming
Implications for Game Design
Qualifier…I’m talking about video games
• BUT……
this is my living room closet.
• AND……
Info learned in video game studies can influence tabletop game design!
How Popular are Video Games?
Lenhart, A. (2008) Teens, video games and civics. Pew Internet and American Life Project *Note: error +/- 3 pointsAnderson, J.Q., & Rainie, L. (2012) The future of gamification. Pew Internet and American Life Project
Where do they play?• 86% on consoles• 73% on computers• 60% on portable
devices• 48% on cell phones
Digital games generated $25 billion
in sales in 2010
Who plays video games?• 99% of boys • 94% of girls • 54% play daily (500k
middle school students with LD)
• 34% of boys & 18% of girls play for >2 hours daily
In general, gaming promotes:
• Problem solving
• Collaboration
• Persistence in the face of frustration
• Systems-thinking
• BUT….major disconnect between commercial games and educational ones
– Engagement gets lost!!!
What we know about STEM education…Many are left behind
STEM=Reading Test More new vocabulary than in the
first year of a high school foreign language course
Complex expository texts that limit of poor readers’ comprehension New information is covered at a rapid pace
Scientific method=Rigid ,multi-step process Laborious lab reports
If you are not an efficient reader, you won’t likely succeed in STEM
Preliminary Research on Gaming and Struggling Learners
Can be more effective than traditional instruction
Increases motivation
Promotes self-esteem
Improves skills for extended periods after the game ends (Beaumont & Sofronoff, 2008)
Accel
(Israel, Marino, Basham, & Spivak, in press)
But….data is inconsistent!
Some preliminary data
No opinion Read Video game Lab Internet0
10
20
30
40
50
60
IEP
Below basic
Basic
Proficient
AdvancedPerc
enta
ge o
f Stu
dent
s
Reader
Reader
For disability
Preferred Method of Learning Science
Marino, Israel, Beecher, & Basham, 2013)
Reader
Reader
For example: Cross-Game Study
• Study Design: Multilevel Modeling • 366 middle school students across all game conditions• Looked at gender, reading ability, disability, attitudes
about science, and attitudes about video games
Results• Students made gains across all gaming conditions,
but….• Reading ability, gender, and attitudes about science
influenced outcomes across gaming conditions– Cell Command: Interaction between gender and
attitudes about science/interest in STEM careers– Crazy Plant Shop: Disability made a difference– You Make Me Sick!: LOTS of interactions including
gender, attitudes about video games, and interactions among gender and attitude variables
• WHY????• Implications for Game Design????