Video games in education

 

Instructor: Matthew X. Curinga
Ed. Leadership & Technology: S/T 0806-723-001

(516) 237-8623
Fall 2011 • Tues., 307 Woodruff, 4:30-6:20PM
Office hours: Post Annex 1: M 4-6PM, Th: 2-4
Harvey 104 (game center): T noon-2pm

Harvey 104 Open Hours:
M: 1-4:30, T: noon-2:30, W: 1-2:30, Th: noon-2:30

Description

In this special topics course for the Fall 2011 semester, we will explore the opportunities and challenges of learning with video games by working together to design a “game for learning.” Consulting with Professor Rob Linné, we will produce a social studies game. This hands on approach will lend purpose to our readings, discussions, and game play assignments. At the end of the semester, the prototype we develop will live on, and we plan for it to reach the hands of teachers to be implemented in real social studies classrooms. During the term, we will have several special guests who work as game scholars and game designers.

Who should take this course

This course is open to anyone who is interested in how people learn from video games. We will look at games from various perspectives: cognitive, social, ethical, design, pragmatic, etc. You do not need specific technical experience in developing games and you do not need to be a “gamer” to join us.

Goals

The course has two main goals. Firstly, it introduces students to a range of game genres that have been popular in education. Secondly, it covers a range of learning principles, research topics, controversies, and potential applications for video games and simulations in education, and gives students the foundations for applying both analog and digital games in educational contexts.

By the end of the course, students should be able to:

  1. Understand major topics in educational games and simulations
  2. Situate video games and learning in its historical manifestations – military exercises, simulations, game theory, board games and digital (video) games
  3. Understand the difference between exogenous and endogenous games, and design a simple endogenous game that can be used to teach a specific topic
  4. Understand the key differences between popular game genres
  5. Analyze and reflect on the potential of existing games and their potential in educational contexts

Required books

Gee, J. P. (2007). What video games gave to teach us about learning and literacy (2nd Ed.). New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 140398453

Suggested books

Bogost, I. (2010). Persuasive games : the expressive power of videogames. Cambridge Mass. ;London: MIT Press.

Hung, A. (2011). The work of play : meaning-making in videogames. New York: Peter Lang.

Salen, K., & Zimmerman, E. (2003). Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals. Cambridge Mass.: The MIT Press.

Class sessions

Part One: Play, Games and Learning

9/6: Introduction to Video Games

9/13: Play and Learning

Readings due:

Sutton-Smith, B. (2001). The ambiguity of play. Cambridge Mass.; London: Harvard University Press. ch. 1, pp 1-16

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society: Development of Higher Psychological Processes (14th ed.). Harvard University Press. ch. 7, pp 92-104

Mead, G. (1974). Mind, self, and society: From the standpoint of a social behaviorist. (19th ed.). Chicago: Univ. Press. part 20, pp 153-163

Assignments due:
  • online post: What is fun?
    Please post a comment where you consider the question, “what makes a game fun?

Choose a game (digital or not) that you are familiar with and enjoy. Write a statement about why it is fun, to you. Consider the mechanics of the game, as well as the circumstances when you play(ed) it. Before class, please make sure that you comment on at least two of your classmate’s posts. (Post once, comment twice). Submit your first post by 8:00am on Monday morning. Submit your comments before the start of next class.

9/20: Fundamentals of Game Design

Readings due:

Costikyan, G. (1994) I have no words & I must design.

Salen, K., & Zimmerman, E. (2003). Rules of play: Game design fundamentals. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. moodle

Gee, chapters 1 & 2 moodle

(optional) Stanford University Institute of Design::Methods

Assignments due:
  • register on the course website at: http://games.curinga.com
  • play a game (of your choice) in the Adelphi Game Study Center
  • post a game reflection of the game you played, 300-500 words

9/27: Serious Games I

Readings due:

Hung, A. (2011). Chapter 2: Serious games in education in The work of play : meaning-making in videogames. New York: Peter Lang. moodle

Kim, J., Lee, E., Thomas, T., & Dombrowski, C. (2009). Storytelling in new media: The case of alternate reality games, 2001–2009. First Monday, 14(6).

Squire, K. D., & Jan, M. (2007). Mad City Mystery: Developing Scientific Argumentation Skills with a Place-based Augmented Reality Game on Handheld Computers. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 16(1), 5-29. doi:10.1007/s10956-006-9037-z

(optional) Duke, R. (1974). Gaming: The future’s language. New York: Sage Publications. (read chapter 4, pp. 43-65) moodle

10/4: Serious Games II

Readings due:

Aarseth, E. (2003). Playing research: Methodological approaches to game analysis

Lemke, J. L. (2006). Toward critical multimedia literacy: Technology, research, and politics. In M. C. McKenna, L. D. Labbo, R. D. Kieffer & D. Reinking (Eds.), International Handbook of Literacy and Technology Vol. 2 (pp. 3-14). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Squire, K. (2006). From content to context: Videogames as designed experience. Educational Researcher, 35(8), 19-29. moodle

10/11: Game Design Session

Readings due:
  • Gee, chapter 4

Part Two: Genres

10/18: Games as Strategic Interaction (Strategy games)

Assignments due:
  • online, post your 300 word “pitch” (before start of class)
  • in class, prepare a 5 minute pitch on your game idea
Suggested games:
  • Civilization V
  • Age of Empires III
  • Dawn of Discovery

10/25: Games as Systems (Simulation and Sports games)

Readings due:

Frasca, G. (2003). Simulation versus narrative. In M. J. P. Wolf & B. Perron (Eds.), The video game theory reader (pp. 221-236). New York: Routledge. moodle

Squire, K. (2003). Video games in education. International Journal of Intelligent Simulations and Gaming, 2(1), 49-62. moodle

Gee, chapter 6

Suggested games:
  • SimCity 4
  • The Sims 3
  • CityVille

11/1: Games as Problem-Solving (Platformers and Puzzle games)

Readings due:
  • Gee, chapter 7
Suggested games:
  • Limbo
  • LittleBigPlanet
  • Osmos
  • Angry Birds
  • Portal 2

11/8: Games as Collaboration (First-person shooter and online games)

Readings due:

Steinkuehler, C. (2004). Learning in massively multiplayer online games. In Y. B. Kafai, W. A. Sandoval, N. Enyedy, A. S. Nixon & F. Herrera (Eds.), Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference of the Learning Sciences (pp. 521-528). Mahwah: Erlbaum. moodle

Gee, chapter 8

Suggested games:
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
  • Bad Company 2

11/15: Games as Narrative (Role-playing and Adventure games)

Readings due:

Frasca, G. (1999). Ludology meets narratology: Similitudes and differences between (video)games and narrative.

Juul, J. (2001). Games telling stories? A brief note on games and narratives. The International Journal of Computer Game Research.

Crawford, C. (2003). The Art of Interactive Design a Euphonious and Illuminating Guide to Building Successful Software. San Francisco: No Starch Press. Chapter 28, Interactive storytelling. moodle

Suggested games:
  • Elder Scrolls: Oblivion
  • Heavy Rain
  • Fallout 3
  • Mass Effect 2
  • Fable II

Part Three: Perspectives

11/22: Games and Violence

Readings due:

Jones, G. (2002). Killing monsters: Why children need fantasy, super heroes, and make-believe violence. New York: Basic Books. (Selections)

Ferguson, C. J. (2010). Video games and youth violence: A prospective analysis in adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence.

Spina, S. U. (2004). Power plays: Video games’ bad rap. In S. R. Steinberg & J. L. Kincheloe (Eds.), Kinderculture: The corporate construction of childhood (pp. 254-283). Oxford: Westview Press.

Suggested games:
  • Grand Theft Auto IV
  • God of War III

11/29: Games and Gender

Readings due:

Kafai, Y. B., Heeter, C., Denner, J., & Sun, J. Y. (Eds.). (2008). Beyond Barbie® and Mortal Kombat: New perspectives on gender and gaming. Cambridge: The MIT Press. (Selections)

Suggested games:
  • God of War III
  • Resident Evil 5

12/6: Games and School

Readings due:

Ito, M. (2009). Engineering play: A cultural history of children’s software. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. (Selections)

12/13: Final game play session and observations

we will invite outside players to test our games

Assignments & Grading

Participation (20%)

Students are expected to engage with the readings as well as the games. Both of these make up an overall grade in participation.

Class discussion and online forums

We will use in-class discussion and online forums to discuss the course readings and students’ experience with the games they have played. Students will be asked to lead in-class and online discussions.

Play sessions

Students need to actively understand the key elements that make up a genre. As such, they are required to spend some time with at least one game in the suggested list of games under the genre studies.

Short papers

Game pitch (15%)

After learning more about the social studies game from Professor Linné, each student will post a 300-500 word game pitch to the course website and will present a 5 minute pitch in class. The class will use these proposals to form groups for their final game design project. Click for game pitch details

Game analysis (15%)

Choose a game that you have experience playing and analyze its structure and design in terms of its educational potential. Consider what the students can learn within the game that might translate to classroom learning goals. Alternatively, or additionally, evaluate how the game could be used to integrate with other classroom projects and discussions. Describe when and how the game would be implemented. (1000 words)

Quests (15%)

During the course of the semester, you will have to complete at least 5 quests. You can find quests on the website, as posts tagged quest. Each quest has specific instructions on how to complete it, how much to write, etc.

Game design (35%)

Kurt Squire describes endogenous games as games whose contexts and design are closely intertwined, as opposed to exogenous games, which serve as empty receptacles for bits of knowledge. We are all familiar with exogenous games. They are the trivia-type games that are popular on TV and in classrooms. They are popular in classrooms because they are easy to design and implement. However, they do not represent “good” games in the sense that they do not represent a meaningful ideological world.

Most of the game design work will happen outside of class, with the instructor helping to develop a schedule and assign tasks. Students will play various roles: curriculum development, research, game design, project management, engineering, and graphic design. In the final session, your group will deliver a complete game prototype, and we will play-test the games in class. Click here for details

Bibliography

Aarseth, E. (2001). Computer game studies, year one.

Aarseth, E. (2003). Playing research: Methodological approaches to game analysis.

Bogost, I. (2005). Procedural literacy: Problem solving with programming, systems and play. Telemedium, Winter/Spring, 32-36.

Costikyan, G. (1994) I have no words & I must design.

deHaan, J., Reed, W. M., & Kuwada, K. (2010). The effect of interactivity with a music video game on second language vocabulary recall. Language Learning & Technology, 14(2), 74-94.

Duke, R. (2000). A personal perspective on the evolution of gaming. Simulation & Gaming, 31(1), 79-85.

Ferguson, C. J. (2010). Video games and youth violence: A prospective analysis in adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence.

Frasca, G. (1999). Ludology meets narratology: Similitudes and differences between (video)games and narrative.

Halverson, R. (2005). What can K-12 school leaders learn from video games and gaming? Innovation, 1(6).

Juul, J. (2001). Games telling stories? A brief note on games and narratives. The International Journal of Computer Game Research

Keegan, M. (2002). How did the bad students do so well? International Journal of Instructional Media, 29(3), 269-273.

Lenhart, A., Jones, S., & Macgill, A. R. (2008). Adults and video games.

Lenhart, A., Kahne, J., Middaugh, E., Macgill, A. R., Evans, C., & Vitak, J. (2008). Teens, video games and civics.

Squire, K. (2002). Cultural framing of computer/video games. Game Studies, 2(1).

Squire, K. (2006). From content to context: Videogames as designed experience. Educational Researcher, 35(8), 19-29.

Suggested games

These are some of the games that will be discussed in the course and used for assignments. Students are not required to have their own game system and we will make an effort to make games available for students to play on campus.

  • Civilization V (PC)
  • Age of Empires III (PC)
  • Dawn of Discovery (PC)
  • SimCity 4 (PC)
  • The Sims 3 (PC)
  • CityVille (Web)
  • Just Dance (Wii)
  • Wii Sports/Fit (Wii)
  • Limbo (X360)
  • Mass Effect 2 (X360)
  • Fable II (X360)
  • LittleBigPlanet (PS3)
  • Osmos (iPad)
  • Angry Birds (iPad)
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (X360/PS3)
  • Bad Company 2 (X360/PS3)
  • Elder Scrolls: Oblivion (X360/PS3)
  • Heavy Rain (PS3)
  • Fallout 3 (X360/PS3)

University Statement on Academic Assistance for Students with Disabilities

If you are a qualified student with a disability seeking accommodations under the Americans with Disability Act, you are required to self-identify with the Office of Disability Services, 3rd floor, University Center (516) 877-3145. Please see me at the soonest possible time for special arrangements, seating and other accommodations if necessary. At any point during the semester if you encounter difficulty with the course or feel you could be performing at a higher level, please feel free to see me.

University Statement on Academic Integrity

You are expected to behave with the highest level of academic integrity. Cheating and other forms of dishonesty will not be tolerated and will result in the proper disciplinary action from the university. Classroom behavior that interferes with the instructor’s ability to conduct the class or ability of students to benefit from the instruction will not be tolerated. All beepers and cellular phones should be turned off while class is in session. You are expected to come to class prepared – this means having read and studied the assigned chapters before class. By having prepared in this manner, you will be able to maximize your time spent in class.

Adelphi University demands the highest standards of academic integrity. Proper conduct during examinations, the proper attribution of sources in preparation of written work, and complete honesty in all academic endeavors is required. Submission of false data, falsification of grades or records, misconduct during examinations, and plagiarism are among the violations of academic integrity. Students who do not meet these standards are subject to dismissal from the University.

Use of Candidate Work

All teacher education programs in New York State undergo periodic reviews by accreditation agencies and the state education department. For these purposes samples of students’ work are made available to those professionals conducting the review. Student anonymity is assured under these circumstances. If you do not wish to have your work made available for these purposes, please let the professor know before the start of the second class. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

1 response to Video games in education

  1. Avatar Image
    duffym01 said: On 11.3.2011

    is it possible to have a list of all available games in the library and in Harvey 104, on the syllabus here?

    Reply

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