23.4: Game-Based Learning Examples

To move from theory into practice, some concrete examples show how games are being used for learning from K–12 through university and professional training levels.

• Educational Games Central: A pioneer in the use of computer-based games for learning, the Carrefour virtuel du jeux éducatifs, operated by the SAVIE research centre at the Université du Québec à Montréal, has recently been translated into English as Educational Games Central (EGC). The site (www.savie.qc .ca/carrefourjeux/an/accueil.htm) provides “frame games”—generic frameworks for well-known board games and game-show contests (e.g., Tic Tac Toe, Trivial Pursuit, Concentration, Snakes and Ladders) into which questions, problems, answers, and feedback can be entered to create specific games in any content area. Because each game shell is designed to let a teacher produce a game in an hour or two (once the content is developed), EGC can be used in the classroom or in a training context without extensive training or infrastructure. Its games are accessed on the Internet by individual players or teams; the newly released ENJEUX multiplayer environment (http:// www.savie.ca/enjeux) supports their use for multiple players online at different sites. Performance and research statistics can be collected for each play session. Although EGC games are based on more traditional question-and-answer exercises, they have proved very successful in using play and competition to engage learners from young children to adults. EGC games have recently been used for several health-related applications as part of the SAGE for Learning research project (www.sageforlearning .ca) on games and simulations for learning.
• COTS games in the schools: Commercial off-theshelf (referred to as COTS) games have being applied in many learning contexts. In one example, a school in the US reports using Roller Coaster Tycoon projects to teach momentum, speed, mass, and other concepts in junior-high physics classes (Kirremuir, 2006a). In another case, SimCity is being used for a complex Grade 6 to 8 project to create and manage a small city’s infrastructure and environmental impact (Kirriemuir, 2006b). In a third example, the Education Arcade project at MIT used Civilization III to teach high school and middle school social studies. The researchers found that students used much more complex concepts than expected. One student commented, “What I learned is that you can’t separate economics from politics or geography. What natural resources I have or where I’m located affects how I can negotiate with other civilizations.” (Jenkins & Squire, 2003).
• University, adult and professional learning: A project at Purdue University is building the Critical Mass video game to teach university chemistry through an adventure mission that requires solving chemistry problems (web.ics.purdue.edu/~kmartine/). Virtual-U (www.virtual-u.org/) lets players experience the intricacies of university management. Public Health Games (www.publichealth games.com/), a centre at the University of Illinois at Chicago, is creating “state of the art games for public health workers and emergency responders for a multitude of catastrophic scenarios,” including an anthrax attack response simulation. The Objection! simulation (http://www.objection.com/), customizable for any state’s legal system, is used in US law schools to teach trial skills and is approved for continuing legal education.
• Mobile games: Naismith et al. (2004) use case studies to review how a number of mobile games implement current learning theories. One example is Environmental Detectives (http://education.mit.edu/ar/ed .html), an augmented reality game, in which Grade 5 to 8 students use a constructivist approach, playing the role of environmental engineers searching for data to solve problems related to a toxic chemical spill. Simulation events are triggered by real-world locations as players navigate through a physical space.

Note

Search the Internet to find examples for your discipline. Some sites to start you off are the FutureLab showcase (http://www.futurelab.org.uk/showcase /show.htm), BBC Schools (http://www.bbc.co.uk /schools/games/), FunBrain.com (www.fun brain.com/), and the EDUCAUSE Games and Simulations page (www.educause.edu/Games andSimulations/11263).