Klopfer, E. et al. (2009) Moving educational games forward Cambridge MA: MIT The Education Arcade
A useful introduction to some of the issues around educational gaming. From the report:
The paper starts by making a case for learning games grounded in principles of good fun and good learning. From there the paper explores the commercial games market, gleaning lessons from this rapidly growing and diversifying place. ….. As there are many applications of games related (more or less) to learning games, the paper lays out the ecology of games with a purpose beyond play. Much of the rest of the paper establishes principles and best practices for moving the field forward in a positive direction. The paper should provide a good grounding in the field and both motivate and inform those wanting to participate in this rapidly growing domain.
Dr. Tony Bates is the author of eleven books in the field of online learning and distance education. He has provided consulting services specializing in training in the planning and management of online learning and distance education, working with over 40 organizations in 25 countries. Tony is a Research Associate with Contact North | Contact Nord, Ontario’s Distance Education & Training Network.
Educational games are moving towards the next generation. The paper is well written and comprehensive in its approach. Certainly the advent of Wii and 3G phones have opened new horizons for the application of say maths and science games. Getting children to use them develops fun and induces the practice element that is key to learning retention.