Using Computer Games in Education

With any new technology there are always those who debate its usefulness and evangelise its evils.  Therefore teachers must understand the types of computer games available and investigate the advantages and disadvantages of their use, both in the home and school environment, to evaluate their educational worth before integrating any computer games into the curriculum.

Categories of Computer Games

Computer games generally fall into one of seven categories or may be a combination of the seven.  Action Games involve the use of connecting platforms enabling the player to move between different locations and may involve a main character who has the ability to shoot.    Adventure Games contain puzzles that are solved in a virtual world and may contain violence.  Combat Games like Action Games are usually violent fighting games involving martial arts skills.   Puzzle Games involve the player manipulating puzzle pieces that enter view from the top or side of the screen.  In Role Playing Games the player chooses a character, which often uses violence, to solve problems.  This character may be part of a Simulation Game that leads him/her through a number of situations in order to reach a goal.  Strategy Games involve the players in developing tactics and are often based around historical conflicts such as wars and once again involve a violent component.(Kirriemuir & McFarlane, 2006., Young Media Australia, 2003)

Advantages of Computer Games in Home and School Environments

Children who have access to technology and computer games within their home environment clearly have an advantage to their peers raised in an environment devoid of technology.  Computer games may enable parents to teach such skills as content evaluation, time management, turn taking, sharing, boundaries and the following of rules thus integrating skills necessary for good health and socialisation (Young Media Australia, 2003., Becta, 2001., Downes, 2002, p187-188).  The computer game enables the child to explore new situations within the safety of their home and may increase computer literacy at a faster rate due to the added support of a one-to-one adult or sibling’s expert assistance (Downes, 2002, p183, p186).

Computer games may be of huge benefit to a student’s learning.  A study in the United Kingdom in 2001 involving teachers using computer games to enhance the curriculum found that there were a number of benefits to using games software in education.  These benefits included: higher levels of engagement in the lesson especially from males, improved motivation, greater self-esteem, enhancement of ICT (Information Communication Technologies) skills, an increased access to library facilities, improved collaborative learning and  the encouragement of discussion on citizenship issues (Becta, 2001). 

Computer games used in the classroom context involve the children in “Learning by Doing” thus creating deeper understandings.  As computer games lead the children through simulations, role plays and the like, engaging a number of senses at a time, they teach skills such as: problem solving, collaboration, using data bases and menus to search for information, multitasking, creative planning and peer tutoring and new literacies through the use of multimodal texts (Young Media Australia, 2003., Prensky, 2002, p9., Becta, 2001., Tomlinson-Baille & De Jong, Australian Centre for Moving Image: acmi, p10-14., Nardi, Ly &Harris, 2007, p9., Kirriemuir & McFarlane, 2006).  Further computer games provide instant feedback and reward, enhance fine motor skills, improve the speed of decision making and response to visual stimulus and allow children to work through problems at their own pace alleviating frustration (Young Media Australia 2003, Nardi, Ly & Harris, 2007, p8, Restak, 2009, p155, 161).

A great book on improving your brain skills that has an excellent chapter on the benefits of computer games

Disadvantages of Computer Games in the Home and School Environment

In Australian society with many families being made up from of working parents, or in households with a single parent, parental supervision of computer games may be limited and have the potential to harm.  Children may spend inordinate amounts of time on computer games to the detriment of their health, decreasing the amount of time spent in physical exercise and socialising with their family members and peers, sometimes to the point of addiction otherwise known as “EverCrack”(Downes, 2002., acmi, Bachl, 2006., Moses, 2006., Prensky, 2002, p2).  Without adult direction children may be exposed to: believing in a false reality, violence promoting aggressive behaviours both sexual and physical, and gender stereotyping (see appendix A) (Young Media Australia, 2003).

Though there are numerous advantages to using computer games in the classroom the Becta study found that there were also many disadvantages.  At the time of the study there were few high quality educational games and the computer games used presented technical problems to the school networks as they were made for single interface uses.  Many of the games contained gender bias in favour of males.  The language and interfaces used in the games were often outside the children’s level of understanding and the games themselves were not easily adapted or alterable for the length of a school lesson (Becta, 2001).  A study since this time has found that although ‘edutainment’ games have been developed they are too simple, require repetitive tasks, are poorly designed, have limited activities and lead learners to feel they are being coerced into learning (Kirriemuir & McFarlane, 2006).  Teachers may find it difficult to make the time to find games and match or alter their content to meet the learning of core school competencies relevant to assessment.  Further the game and reward aspect has the potential to minimise learning content (see Appendix B).

Teachers have a duty of care to ensure the content they include in the curriculum enhances learning and develops the social skills necessary for the child’s future success.  By carefully considering the advantages and disadvantages of new technologies such as computer games they may safeguard that the lessons they prepare are on the cutting edge of the information technology revolution.

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/games/

This is a site for young children that includes more than teletubby games.  The acitivities teach mouse skills (click, drag, drop) and have many games that include concepts taught in Foundation and Year 1.

Appendix A

A year seven boy, from a single parent family, enrolled at a school in Queensland, drew a picture on a whiteboard illustrating his teacher with a knife through her head and blood dripping down the board.  On investigation it was found that he had been spending excessive amounts of time in front of violent computer games unsupervised.  Not only that but the games had been stolen, illegally downloaded from a relative, without his father’s knowledge. 

(Source: the author’s personal experience)

Appendix B

While working at a school in Queensland the author spoke to a teacher who was the parent of several children in the primary school about the benefits of Mathletics (an online ‘edutainment’ program).  The teacher concerned was also the Mathletics co-ordinator.  The teacher stated that she had turned off the games section of the program in Mathletics for her own children as they were spending more time in the gaming section of the program than learning concepts.  She also mentioned that once the gaming element was removed their motivation to participate also decreased. (Source: authors personal experience)

Click here for more current research from Becta than the research used in this article

http://archive.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/project_reports/becta/Games_and_Learning_educators_report.pdf

Further great things that are happening in the UK with using computer games

http://www.scribd.com/doc/28070566/Vision-10-from-FutureLab-UK

References

Acmi Australian Centre for the moving image. PARENTS, KIDS & VIDEOGAMES – WHAT’S THE SCORE? [electronic version]. Retrieved from: Avondale College Moodle, EDUC32400, Issues in Educational Computing: parentguide (3)

Bachl, M. (2006). Computers breed new addiction. Sydney Morning Herald [electronic version]. Retrieved from: Avondale College Moodle, EDUC32400, Issues in Educational Computing:  Computers_breed_new_addiction_-_National_-_smh.com.au (1)

Becta. (2001). Computer Games in Education Report  [electronic version]. Retrieved from: Avondale College Moodle, EDUC32400, Issues in Educational Computing: Games_Review_Future_Lab (2)

Downes, T. (2002). Children’s and Families’ Use of Computers in Australian Homes. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 3(2) [electronic version]. Retrieved from: Avondale College Moodle, EDUC32400, Issues in Educational Computing: 3_Downes_CIEC_3_2 (1)

Kirriemuir, J. K. & McFarlane, C. A. (2006). Report 8: Literature Review in Games and Learning [electronic version]. Retrieved from: Avondale College Moodle, EDUC32400, Issues in Educational Computing: Games_Review_Future_Lab (2)

Moses, A. (2006). How to spot an internet addict. Sydney Morning Herald [electronic version]. Retrieved from: Avondale College Moodle, EDUC32400, Issues in Educational Computing:  How_to_spot_an_internet_addict_-_web_-_Technology_-_smh.com.au (1)

Nardi, B. A., Ly, S. and Harris, J. (2007). Learning Conversations in World of Warcraft [electronic version]. Retrieved from: Avondale College Moodle, EDUC32400, Issues in Educational Computing:  Nardi-HICSS (2)

Prensky, M. (2002). The Motivation of Gameplay or, the REAL 21^st century learning revolution [electronic version]. Retrieved from: Avondale College Moodle, EDUC32400, Issues in Educational Computing: Prensky_-_The_Motivation_of_Gameplay-OTH_10-1 (1)

Restak, R. (2009). Think Smart. New York, USA: Penguin Books

Tomlinson-Baillie, K. & De Jong, T. What is it about digital media games that engrosses young boys? A study in the sub-culture of Yu-Gi-Oh and its potential for improving educational outcomes [electronic version]. Retrieved from: Avondale College Moodle, EDUC32400, Issues in Educational Computing: conf_P_442_ACECPaper28Marc (4)

Young Media Australia. (2003). Overview of computer and video games [electronic version]. Retrieved from: Avondale College Moodle, EDUC32400, Issues in Educational Computing: 05_01_overview_comp_games (1)