By David Freitas, Janet Buckenmeyer and Emily Hixon

The last time you asked a kid, “How was school today?” what was his or her response? More often than not when I asked my kids that question, I would get a groan or a blank stare, or if they were feeling particularly articulate that day, they would say “Booorring” or “It S*CK*D!” . . . With limited time and resources, how can we compete with Hollywood, reality TV, Nintendo, and YouTube for our students’ time and attention? . . .  One possible answer . . . play games in school!                                                           -- Atsusi “2c” Hirumi

“Video games in school? What’s this world coming to?” The noise is deafening. But place the “conventional wisdom” on hold for a few minutes. Are there potential benefits to using selected video games as instructional tools?

First, let’s test your awareness of video game saturation in our society according to the Entertainment Software Association.

1.    What percent of American households play computer or video games?

A.    10%

B.    38%

C.   54%

D.   72%

E.    97%

2.    What percent of video/computer game players are female?

A.    4%

B.    16%

C.   26%

D.   34%

E.    42%

3.    What percent of gamers play with friends and/or family in person?

A.    68%

B.    51%

C.   38%

D.   22%

E.    8%

Here are the answers.

1.    D. – Yes, 72% of our households play computer or video games. Consumers spent $25.1 billion on video games, hardware, and accessories in 2010.

2.    E. – Many believe males overwhelmingly dominate the gamers’ kingdom. This statistic is surprising to many. The percentage of female game players (42% currently) has been steadily rising over the past few years. The trend is expected to continue.

3.    A. – This answer certainly slays the widely held myth that most gamers

are anti-social, video game addicted hermits living in a man cave!

With the advent of mobile devices for the masses, gamers have discovered this medium as another viable delivery option. In fact, 70-80% of all mobile downloads today are made to acquire games. And 55% of gamers now use their mobile devices to play games. 

With this proliferation, we should consider instructional applications of gaming to enhance student achievement in schools today and ways to stimulate life-long learning opportunities for the majority of our citizens.

Playing Games in School: Video Games and Simulations for Primary and Secondary Education opens possibilities. The book, divided into four sections, includes 18 chapters from 24 authors.

·      Section I asks and convincingly answers the fundamental question, “Why Play Games” in school.

·      Section II “concentrates on the use and availability of games in the four core subject areas (math, science, language arts, and social studies) and in physical education”.

·      Section III offers “multiple perspectives on how to select and integrate games into schools to facilitate student learning”.

·      Section IV offers readers insights into a variety of additional topics including obstacles to implementing games in schools; incorporating game based learning principles into classrooms without computers; and the future of video gaming in education.

Here are a few highlights of particular note.

·      Chapter 4, “Playing Games and the NETS”, explains how video games are aligned with National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) for Students and for Teachers. This adds credibility and supports the claim that video games can be used to meet professional standards. They are more than just plain games. Some have educational value.

·      In “Five Steps for Integrating Gameplay”, their recommended Step I is to “Select a grounded instructional strategy based on specified objectives, learners’ characteristics, classroom context, and epistemological beliefs”. We wholeheartedly agree. Video games, along with other similar technologies, are only tools. Their use is not the primary objective. They are a vehicle (tool) to achieve specified objectives, such as NETS.

·      In Chapter 5-9, teachers of science, math, language arts, social studies, and physical education are offered numerous games to implement. We were highly impressed with the games selected from the perspectives of relevance and usefulness. Each chapter is written by a discipline expert with concise directions on how to infuse games to meet curricula objectives.

If you are contemplating adding video games to your personal array of instructional approaches, this weighty 437 page book is your guide.

It’s all coming – and soon. The future of video games and education is around us, here and now, it’s potential waiting to be tapped. No matter what you may think of video games right this moment, the simple truth is that they are changing at an incredible pace – to assume that they will forever remain little more than sources of entertainment is to hold fast to a premillennial perspective. Their integration into every facet of modern culture has occurred surprisingly smoothly and rapidly, all things considered. With this in mind, we must all plan accordingly; “interactive entertainment” will not just mean “games” for very long, and when that paradigm shifts, we need to be prepared to participate.                                                               Matthew Laurence

Playing Games in School
Video Games and Simulations for Primary and Secondary Education
Edited by Atsusi “2c” Hirumi
ISTE 2010

Dr. David Freitas has served in a number of leadership positions throughout his career including College Dean at three Universities, Tenured University Professor, University Vice Provost, Public School Teacher/Administrator, State of Illinois Teacher Certification Board Member, State Department of Education Official, and Elected City School Board Member. He is a frequent national and international presenter and author.

Janet Buckenmeyer, Ph.D., a former elementary school teacher, is currently a tenured Associate Professor and Chair of the Masters of Instructional Technology Program at Purdue University Calumet. She has published and presented nationally and internationally on various topics, with a primary focus on instructional technology and design.

Dr. Emily Hixon is an Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology and Instructional Technology at Purdue University Calumet. Her research projects have focused on the effective integration of technology at both the K-12 and higher education levels.