Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-m42fx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-20T21:20:29.589Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

14 - Video Games and Learning

from Part III - Grounding Technology in the Learning Sciences

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2022

By
Constance Steinkuehler  and
Kurt Squire
Edited by
R. Keith Sawyer
R. Keith Sawyer
Affiliation:
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Get access

Summary

This chapter reviews research on how video games have been used in schools and other learning environments and how they impact learning outcomes. This chapter reviews four functions of video games in learning. Games as content teach specific disciplinary knowledge, for example in history, math, second language learning, physics, and medicine. Games as bait leverage the engaging aspects of video games to attract students to the game even when it is not obviously about learning. Games as assessment use the “leveling up” feature of games, where players advance to the next level as their skills increase, as a way to assess the player’s developing knowledge. Games as architectures for engagement are studied by examining how and why people play games and how they can be designed to best foster learning by fostering involvement, immersion, and investment – often using narrative structures. There is evidence that when games are designed on learning sciences principles, they contribute to deeper learning.

Keywords

simulationgamificationengagementlearning trajectoriesformative assessmentinteractive
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences , pp. 281 - 300
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Anderson, C., Dalsen, J., Kumar, V., Berland, M., & Steinkuehler, C. (2018). Failing up: How failure in a game environment promotes learning through discourse. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 30, 135–144.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arena, D. A. (2012). Commercial video games as preparation for future learning. [Dissertation]. Stanford University, School of Education.Google Scholar
Baek, Y., Kim, B., & Park, H. (2009). Not just fun, but serious strategies: Using metacognitive strategies in game-based learning. Computers & Education, 52(4), 800–810.Google Scholar
Barab, S., Arica, A., & Jackson, C. (2005). Eat your vegetables and do your homework: A design-based investigation of enjoyment and meaning in learning. Educational Technology, 45(1), 15–21.Google Scholar
Barab, S. A., Gresalfi, M. S., & Ingram-Goble, A. (2010). Transformational play: Using games to position person, content, and context. Educational Researcher, 39(7), 525–536.Google Scholar
Barab, S., Thomas, M., Dodge, T., Carteaux, R., & Tuzun, H. (2005). Making learning fun: Quest Atlantis, a game without guns. Educational Technology Research and Development, 53(1), 86–107.Google Scholar
Barab, S., Zuiker, S., Warren, S., et al. (2007). Situationally embodied curriculum: Relating formalisms and contexts. Science Education, 91(5), 750–782.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bartle, R. (2003). Designing virtual worlds. Indianapolis, IN: New Riders.Google Scholar
Bebbington, S., & Vellino, A. (2015). Can playing Minecraft improve teenagers’ information literacy? Journal of Information Literacy, 9(2), 6–26. doi:10.11645/9.2.2029Google Scholar
Behrens, J. T., Mislevy, R. J., Bauer, M., Williamson, D. M., & Levy, R. (2004). Introduction to evidence centered design and lessons learned from its application in a global e-learning program. The International Journal of Testing, 4(4), 295–301.Google Scholar
Belenky, D. M., & Nokes-Malach, T. J. (2012). Motivation and transfer: The role of mastery-approach goals in preparation for future learning. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 21(3), 399–432.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blanton, W. E., Moorman, G. B., Hayes, B. A., & Warner, M. W. (1997). Effects of participation in the Fifth Dimension on far transfer. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 16(4), 371–396.Google Scholar
Bransford, J., & Schwartz, D. (1999). Rethinking transfer: A simple proposal with multiple implications. In Iran-Nejad, A. & Pearson, P. (Eds.), Review of research in education (Vol. 24, pp. 61–101). Washington, DC: American Educational Research Association.Google Scholar
Brown, J. S., & Thomas, D. (2006, January 4). You play World of Warcraft? You’re hired! Wired, 14(4). Retrieved from www.wired.com/2006/04/learn/Google Scholar
Charsky, D., & Mims, C. (2008). Integrating commercial off-the-shelf video games into school curriculums. Tech Trends, 52(5), 38–44.Google Scholar
Clark, D. B., Tanner-Smith, E. E., & Killingsworth, S. S. (2016). Digital games, design, and learning: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 86(1), 79–122. doi:10.3102/0034654315582065CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Clark, R. E., Yates, K., Early, S., & Moulton, K. (2010). An analysis of the failure of electronic media and discovery-based learning: Evidence for the performance benefits of guided training methods. In Silber, K. H. & Foshay, R. (Eds.), Handbook of training and improving workplace performance: Vol. I. Instructional design and training delivery (pp. 263–297). Somerset, NJ: Wiley.Google Scholar
Cole, M. (1996). Cultural psychology: A once and future discipline. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Cole, M. (2006). The Fifth Dimension: An after school program built on diversity. New York, NY: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Cordova, D. I., & Lepper, M. R. (1996). Intrinsic motivation and the process of learning: Beneficial effects of contextualization, personalization, and choice. Journal of Educational Psychology, 88(4), 715–730.Google Scholar
Corredor, J., Gaydos, M., & Squire, K. (2014). Seeing change in time: Video games to teach about temporal change in scientific phenomena. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 23(3), 324–343.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dangauthier, P., Herbrich, R., Minka, T., & Graepel, T. (2008). TrueSkill through time: Revisiting the history of chess. Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems, 20, 931–938.Google Scholar
Davidson, D. (Ed.). (2011). Well played. Pittsburgh, PA: Entertainment Technology Press.Google Scholar
Davidson, D., & Lemarchand, R. (2012). Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – How to become a hero. In Steinkuehler, C., Squire, K., & Barab, S. (Eds.), Games + Learning + Society (pp. 75–107). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deterding, S. (2013). Designing gamification: Creating gameful and playful experiences. SIG-CHI Workshop. Proceedings of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Devlin-Scherer, R., & Sardone, N. B. (2010). Digital simulation games for social studies classrooms. Clearing House, 83(4), 138–144.Google Scholar
Duncan, S. C. (2011, October 29). Minecraft, beyond construction and survival. Well Played, 1(1), 1–23.Google Scholar
Eiben, C. B., Siegel, J. B., Bale, J. B., et al. (2012, January 22). Increased Diels-Alderase activity through backbone remodeling guided by Foldit players. Nature Biotechnology, 30(2), 190–192.Google Scholar
Ekaputra, G., Lim, C., & Eng, K. I. (2013, December). Minecraft: A game as an education and scientific learning tool. In The Information Systems International Conference (ISICO) 2013 (pp. 237–242). Retrieved from http://is.its.ac.id/pubs/oajis/index.php/home/detail/1219/Minecraft-A-Game-as-an-Education-and-Scientific-Learning-TooGoogle Scholar
Gaydos, M. (2013). Design-based research and video game based learning: Developing the educational video game “citizen science” [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of Wisconsin–Madison.Google Scholar
Gee, J. (2005). Learning by design: Good video games as learning machines. E-Learning, 2(1), 5–16.Google Scholar
Gee, J. P. (2007). What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
Gee, J. P., & Hayes, E. R. (2010). Women and gaming: The Sims and 21st century learning. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
Gottlieb, O. (2015, May). Mobile, location-based game design for teaching Jewish history: A design-based research study (Publication No. 3705255). [Doctoral dissertation, New York University]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.Google Scholar
Gottlieb, O. (2018). Time travel, labour history, and the null curriculum: New design knowledge for mobile augmented reality history games. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 24(3), 287–299. doi: 10.1080/13527258.2017.1325768CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gottlieb, O., Mathews, J., Schrier, K., & Sly, J. (2014). Mobile history games: Challenges, frameworks, and design principles. In Proceedings GLS 10 Games + Learning + Society Conference, Madison, WI (pp. 14–16). ETC.Google Scholar
Graf, D. L., Pratt, L. V., Hester, C. N., & Short, K. R. (2009). Playing active video games increases energy expenditure in children. Pediatrics, 124(2), 534–540.Google Scholar
Green, C., & Bavelier, D. (2003). Action videogame modifies visual attention. Nature, 423(6939), 534–537.Google Scholar
Green, C. S., Pouget, A., & Bavelier, D. (2010). Improved probabilistic inference as a general mechanism for learning with action video games. Current Biology, 23(17), 1573–1579.Google Scholar
Griffin, L., Kim, S., Sigoloff, J., et al. (2016). Designing scientific argumentation into the Mission HydroSci game based learning curriculum. Paper presented at the 2016 Games + Learning + Society Conference, Madison, WI.Google Scholar
Halverson, E. R. (2008). Fantasy baseball: The case for competitive fandom. Games and Culture, 3(3–4), 286–308.Google Scholar
Halverson, R., Berland, M., & Owen, V. (2015). Games-based assessment. In Spector, J. M. (Ed.), The SAGE encyclopedia of educational technology (Vol. 1, pp. 45–48). Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Halverson, R., Owen, E., Wills, N., Shapiro, R. B. (2012, July). Game-based assessment: An integrating model for capturing learning in play. ERIA Working Paper.Google Scholar
Hammer, J., & Black, J. (2009). Games and (preparation for future) learning. Educational Technology, 49(2), 29–34.Google Scholar
Harris, A., Yuill, N., & Luckin, R. (2008). The influence of context-specific and dispositional achievement goals on children’s paired collaborative interaction. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 78(3), 355–374.Google Scholar
Hayes, E. (2008). Game content creation & IT proficiency. Computers & Education, 51(1), 97–108.Google Scholar
Hickey, D., Ingram-Goble, A., & Jameson, E. (2009). Designing assessments and assessing designs in virtual educational environments. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 18(2), 187–208.Google Scholar
Honey, M. A., & Hilton, M. L. (Eds.). (2011). Learning science through computer games and simulations. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.Google Scholar
Horn, M. S., Banerjee, A., Davis, P., Stevens, R. (2017). Invasion of the Energy Monsters: A spooky game about saving. In Proceedings from the 12th Annual Games + Learning + Society Conference, Madison, WI. Entertainment Technology Press.Google Scholar
Johnson, D., Deterding, S., Kuhn, K. A., Staneva, A., Stoyanov, S., & Hides, L. (2016). Gamification for health and wellbeing: A systematic review of the literature. Internet Interventions, 6, 89–106. doi:10.1016/j.invent.2016.10.002CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Juul, J. (2005). Half-real: Video games between real rules and fictional worlds. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Kafai, Y. B., & Dede, C. (2014). Learning in virtual worlds. In Sawyer, R. K. (Ed.), The Cambridge handbook of the learning sciences (pp. 522–542). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ke, F. (2008). A case study of computer gaming for math: Engaged learning from gameplay? Computers & Education, 51(4), 1609–1620.Google Scholar
Ke, F. (2009). A qualitative meta-analysis of computer games as learning tools. In Ferdig, R. E. (Ed.), Handbook of research on effective electronic gaming in education (Vol. 1, pp. 1–32). Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference.Google Scholar
Klopfer, E., Osterweil, S., & Salen, K. (2009). Moving learning games forward. Cambridge, MA: Education Arcade.Google Scholar
Leander, K., & Lovvorn, J. (2006). Literacy networks. Curriculum & Instruction, 24(3), 291–340.Google Scholar
Lee, J. K., & Probert, J. (2010). Civilization III and whole-class play in high school social studies. Journal of Social Studies Research, 34(1), 1–28.Google Scholar
Levy, R., & Mislevy, R. J. (2004). Specifying and refining a measurement model for a simulation-based assessment. International Journal of Testing, 4(4), 333–369.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Love, B., Winter, V., Corritore, C., & Faimon, D. (2016). Creating an environment in which elementary educators can teach coding. In Proceedings of The 15th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children (pp. 643–648). New York, NY: ACM. doi:10.1145/2930674.2936008Google Scholar
Magnussen, R., & Elming, A. (2015). Cities at play: Children’s redesign of deprived neighbourhoods in Minecraft. In Munkvold, R. & Kolås, L. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 9th European Conference on Games Based Learning: ECGBL 2015 (pp. 331–337). Reading, England: Academic Conferences and Publishing International. Academic Bookshop Proceedings Series.Google Scholar
Malkiewich, L. J., Lee, A., Slater, S., & Chase, C. C. (2017). Tenacious assessments using in-game behaviors to measure student persistence and challenge navigation. In Proceedings from the 12th Annual Games + Learning + Society Conference, Madison, WI. Entertainment Technology Press.Google Scholar
Malone, T. W. (1981). Toward a theory of intrinsically motivating instruction. Cognitive Science, 4, 333–369.Google Scholar
Malone, T. W., & Lepper, M. R. (1987). Making learning fun: A taxonomic model of intrinsic motivations for learning. In Snow, R. E. & Farr, M. J. (Eds.), Aptitude, learning, and instruction: Vol. 3. Cognitive and affective process analyses (pp. 223–253). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar
Mayer, R. E., Blanton, W., Duran, R., & Schustack, M. (1999). Using new information technologies in the creation of sustainable afterschool literacy activities: Evaluation of cognitive outcomes. Final Report to the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.Google Scholar
Mayer, R. E., Quilici, J. H., Moreno, R., Duran, R., Woodbridge, S., & Simon, R. (1997). Cognitive consequences of participation in a Fifth Dimension after-school computer club. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 16, 353–370.Google Scholar
Méndez, M. D. C. L., Arrieta, A. G., Dios, M. Q., Encinas, A. H., & Queiruga-Dios, A. (2016). Minecraft as a tool in the teaching-learning process of the fundamental elements of circulation in architecture. In International Joint Conference SOCO’16-CISIS’16-ICEU-TE’16 (pp. 728–735). Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-47364-2_7Google Scholar
Moshirnia, A., & Israel, M. (2010). The educational efficacy of distinct information delivery systems in modified video games. Journal of Interactive Learning Research, 21(3), 383–405.Google Scholar
National Research Council (NRC). (2011). Learning science through computer games and simulations (Committee on Science Learning: Computer Games, Simulations, and Education, Honey, M. A. & Hilton, M. L., Eds.). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, Board on Science Education, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education.Google Scholar
Owen, V., & Baker, R. (2020). Fueling prediction of player decisions: Foundations of feature engineering for optimized behavior modeling in serious games. Technology, Knowledge and Learning, 25(2), 225–250. doi:10.1007/s10758–018-9393-9Google Scholar
Peterson, M. (2010). Computerized games and simulations in computer-assisted language learning: A meta-analysis of research. Simulation & Gaming, 41(1), 72–93.Google Scholar
Pusey, M., & Pusey, G. (2015). Using Minecraft in the science classroom. International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 23(3), 22–34.Google Scholar
Puttick, G., Tucker-Raymond, E., & Barnes, J. (2017). Environmental attitudes in youth-created computer games about climate change. In Proceedings from the 12th Annual Games + Learning + Society Conference, Madison, WI (pp. 181–187). Entertainment Technology Press.Google Scholar
Reese, D. D. (2007). First steps and beyond: Serious games as preparation for future learning. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 16(3), 283–300.Google Scholar
Ringland, K. E., Wolf, C. T., Faucett, H., Dombrowski, L., & Hayes, G. R. (2016). Will I always be not social?: Re-conceptualizing sociality in the context of a Minecraft community for autism. In Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1256–1269). New York, NY: ACM. doi:10.1145/2858036.2858038CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Russoniello, C. V., O’Brien, K., & Parks, J. M. (2009). EEG, HRV and psychological correlates while playing Bejeweled II: A randomized controlled study. Annual Review of Cybertherapy and Telemedicine, 7, 189–192.Google Scholar
Sawyer, B. (2003). Monster gaming. Phoenix, AZ: Paraglyph.Google Scholar
Schoettler, S. (2012). Learning analytics: What could you do with five orders of magnitude more data about learning? Keynote address at the 2012 Strata conference, February 29, Santa Clara, CA.Google Scholar
Shute, V. J., & Becker, B. J. (2010). Innovative assessment for the 21st century. New York, NY: Springer.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Simkins, D., & Steinkuehler, C. (2008). Critical ethical reasoning & role-play. Games & Culture, 3(3–4), 333–355.Google Scholar
Simmons, E. C., Blanton, W. E., & Greene, M. W. (1999). The Fifth Dimension clearinghouse: One strategy for diffusing, implementing and sustaining core principles. In Price, J. et al. (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 1135–1140). Chesapeake, VA: AACE.Google Scholar
Sitzmann, T. (2011). A meta-analytic examination of the instructional effectiveness of computer-based simulation games. Personnel Psychology, 64(2), 489–528.Google Scholar
Sousa, C., & Costa, C. (2018). Videogames as a learning tool: Is game-based learning more effective?. Revista Lusófona de Educação, 40, 199–210. doi:10.24140/issn.1645-7250.rle40.13Google Scholar
Squire, K. D. (2005a). Changing the game: What happens when video games enter the classroom? Innovate: Journal of Online Education, 1(6). Retrieved from www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=82Google Scholar
Squire, K. D. (2005b). Educating the fighter. On the Horizon, 13(2), 75–88.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Squire, K., & Barab, S. A. (2004). Replaying history. In Proceedings of the 2004 International Conference of the Learning Sciences (pp. 505–512). Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Press.Google Scholar
Squire, K. D., DeVane, B., & Durga, S. (2008). Designing centers of expertise for academic learning through video games. Theory into Practice, 47(3), 240–251.Google Scholar
Squire, K. D., Giovanetto, L., Devane, B., & Durga, S. (2005). From users to designers: Building a self-organizing game-based learning environment. Technology Trends, 49(5), 34–42.Google Scholar
Statista. (2021). Market size of the video games industry in the United States from 2010 to 2021. Retrieved from www.statista.com/statistics/246892/value-of-the-video-game-market-in-the-us/Google Scholar
Steinkuehler, C. (2005). Cognition and learning in massively multiplayer online games: A critical approach [Unpublished dissertation]. University of Wisconsin–Madison.Google Scholar
Steinkuehler, C. A. (2006). Massively multiplayer online videogaming as participation in a discourse. Mind, Culture, & Activity, 13(1), 38–52.Google Scholar
Steinkuehler, C. (2007). Massively multiplayer online gaming as a constellation of literacy practices. eLearning, 4(3), 297–318.Google Scholar
Steinkuehler, C. A. (2008). Cognition and literacy in massively multiplayer online games. In Coiro, J., Knobel, M., Lankshear, C., & Leu, D. (Eds.), Handbook of research on new literacies (pp. 611–634). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar
Steinkuehler, C. (2012). The mismeasure of boys: Reading and online videogames. In Kaminski, W. & Lorber, M. (Eds.), Proceedings of Game-Based Learning: Clash of Realities Conference (pp. 33–50). Munich, Germany: Kopaed Publishers.Google Scholar
Steinkuehler, C. (2016). Video games, language and literacy. Keynote address to Cambridge Language University, Cambridge, England, April 26.Google Scholar
Steinkuehler, C., & Duncan, S. (2008). Scientific habits of mind in virtual worlds. Journal of Science Education & Technology, 17(6), 530–543.Google Scholar
Steinkuehler, C., Squire, K., & Barab, S. (Eds.). (2012). Games, learning, and society: Learning and meaning in the digital age. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Thai, A., Lowenstein, D., Ching, D., & Rejeski, D. (2009). Game changer: Investing in digital play to advance children’s learning and health. New York, NY: Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop.Google Scholar
Virk, S. S., Clark, D. B., & Sengupta, P. (2017). The design of disciplinarily-integrated games as multirepresentational systems. International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations, 9(3), 67–95. doi:10.4018/IJGCMS.2017070103Google Scholar
Vogel, J. J., Vogel, D. S., Cannon-Bowers, J., Bowers, C. A., Muse, K., & Wright, M. (2006). Computer gaming and interactive simulations for learning: A meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 34(3), 229–243.Google Scholar
Watson, W. R., Mong, C. J., & Harris, C. A. (2011). A case study of in-class use of a video game for teaching high school history. Computers & Education, 56(2), 466–474.Google Scholar
Wernholm, M., & Vigmo, S. (2015). Capturing children’s knowledge-making dialogues in Minecraft. International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 38(3), 230–246. doi:10.1080/1743727X.2015.1033392Google Scholar
Wouters, P., Van Nimwegen, C., Van Oostendorp, H., & Van der Spek, E. D. (2013). A meta-analysis of the cognitive and motivational effects of serious games. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105(2), 249–265.Google Scholar
Yee, N. (2006). Motivations for play in online games. CyberPsychology and Behavior, 9(6), 772–775.Google Scholar
Young, M. F., Slota, S., Cutter, A. B., et al. (2012). Our princess is in another castle: A review of trends in serious gaming for education. Review of Educational Research, 82(1), 61–89.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×