Games in Learning

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Games in Learning
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What do I know?

• Im investigating possible uses of games to
  develop information literacy skills
• Im a Librarian, not an academic
• Not much of a gamer

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What does it mean?

• Video games PlayStation, Xbox, Gamecube
• Computer games
• Portable video games Gameboy, PSP, DS
• Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs), e.g.
  World of Warcraft, Everquest, Lineage

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The Sleeper Curve

• Johnson, Steven. Everything Bad is Good for You.
• Library shelfmark 306.0973 JOH
• Games are growing more challenging because our
  brains like to be challenged.

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Why is it significant?

• The goal of education is to make you want to do
  what you have to do.
• Plato

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Whos doing it?

• Harvard River City Second Life
• Carnegie Mellon Kotodama
• University of North Carolina Greensboro Econ101
• US Military Full Spectrum Warrior and Tactical
  Iraqi
• Indiana Quest Atlantis

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• A game that teaches Japanese language culture
  -http//www.etc.cmu.edu/projects/jlls/kotodama/

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River City

• (Multi User Virtual Environment)
• http//muve.gse.harvard.edu/rivercityproject/index
  .html

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Second Life

• Harvard on Second Life
• Cyberone Law in the Court of Public Opinion

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How does it work?

• Use entertainment game, such as Civilisation and
  follow up with critical analysis in class.
• Produce purpose-built educational game such as
  River City or Quest Atlantis with learning
  outcomes built-in.

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What are the downsides?

• Resource intensive need developers, time and
  money
• Existing technological constraints
• OU firewall
• Bandwidth?
• New skill mixes in teams academics developers

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Where is it going?

• Virtual Environments like Second Life, River City
  and Quest Atlantis

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What are the implications for teaching learning?

• Engage
• Innovate
• Communicate (interact/roleplay)
• Challenge

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Contacts

• OU Games in Learning interest group
• Mailing list lib-games-list
• Subscribe at http//mail-lists.open.ac.uk
• Caspian Learning
• http//www.caspianlearning.co.uk/home.php
• Futurelab
• http//www.futurelab.org.uk/showcase/show.htm

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Reading Resources

• MMOG seminar available until 5th Nov 2006
• To access the archive visit http//tinyurl.com/m2
  ddt
• To view the recording use password tgbyhn
• Presentation http//www.academicimpressions.com/p
  reconference/sep_27og.pdf
• Library wiki - http//librarywiki.open.ac.uk/Wiki.
  jsp?pageGamesInLearning
• Games in Learning bibliography on Refworks -
  http//tinyurl.com/fm5z3

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Development Tools

• Xbox game development software
• Panda 3D www.panda3d.org
• Blade Engine for creating visual novels
  -http//www.bladeengine.com/

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• Keren Mills
• Digital Services Development Officer
• The Open University Library
• Email k.mills
• Ext 52368