tag:theconversation.com,2011:/au/topics/educational-games-8097/articlesEducational games – The Conversation2022-08-17T20:05:57Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1886412022-08-17T20:05:57Z2022-08-17T20:05:57ZReview bombing is a dirty practice, but research shows games do benefit from online feedback<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479537/original/file-20220817-24-m7scnz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C0%2C5842%2C3930&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-gaming-keyboard-2115257/">John Petalcurin / Pexels</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Online user reviews have come to <a href="https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/abs/10.1287/isre.1080.0193">play a crucial role</a> in our decisions about which products to buy, what TV to watch, and what games to play. </p>
<p>But after initial enthusiasm, many platforms have pushed back against them. Netflix’s star ratings and written user <a href="https://mashable.com/article/netflix-removing-written-user-reviews">reviews</a> are a distant memory, and even <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/youtube-ceo-defends-removal-of-dislike-counts/435092/">YouTube no longer shows the number of “dislikes” a video receives</a>. </p>
<p>Negativity in particular is a no-no. Instagram and Facebook will let you “like” a post, but if you dislike it they don’t want to know. Steam, the world’s largest distributor of PC games, has <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/15/18267821/valve-steam-review-bombing-policy-remove-score-count-moderation">also struggled with negative reviews</a> – in particular, co-ordinated negative campaigns known as “review bombing”.</p>
<p>However, in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1096751622000306">recent research published in The Internet and Higher Education</a> we put a video game up for community review. After thousands of players and hundreds of written reviews we found that user feedback, properly managed, can lead to significant improvements. </p>
<h2>Review bombing</h2>
<p>One reason community reviews have become less popular is the rise of “review bombing”, the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/games/2019/mar/25/review-bombing-zero-star-reviews">co-ordinated practice of leaving large numbers of negative user reviews</a> on a game or product in order to reduce its aggregate review score.</p>
<p>Most review-bombing incidents appear to stem from more than just not enjoying a game. They may be driven by <a href="https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2104.01140">ideological disagreement</a> with the content of the game or <a href="https://gamerant.com/mass-effect-borderlands-3-modern-warfare-review-bombs/">dislike of the actions</a> of a developer.</p>
<p>Other times this activity is automated by bots to suppress media or send a warning to companies. To take one example, a gaming review YouTube channel called Gamer’s Nexus recently reported that one of its videos exposing a scam had <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/GamersNexus/community">received an attack of co-ordinated “dislikes”</a>.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/478863/original/file-20220812-23468-ui36t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/478863/original/file-20220812-23468-ui36t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=174&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478863/original/file-20220812-23468-ui36t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=174&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478863/original/file-20220812-23468-ui36t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=174&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478863/original/file-20220812-23468-ui36t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=219&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478863/original/file-20220812-23468-ui36t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=219&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478863/original/file-20220812-23468-ui36t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=219&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Gamer’s Nexus comment on the automated review bomb. Also, did you note that only the like counts are visible on this post?</span>
</figcaption>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/holographic-teachers-were-supposed-to-be-part-of-our-future-what-happened-108500">Holographic teachers were supposed to be part of our future. What happened?</a>
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<h2>Is removing reviews the answer?</h2>
<p>When community reviews work, <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/business/advertising-promoting-your-business/managing-online-reviews">the consumer benefits</a> by getting real-world information from the users of a product. </p>
<p>On YouTube, for example, the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/petersuciu/2021/11/24/youtube-removed-dislikes-button--it-could-impact-how-to-and-crafts-videos/">removal of dislike counts</a> makes it hard to quickly assess the quality of a video. This is particularly important information for DIY or crafting videos.</p>
<p>The removal of dislikes also makes it more likely that a viewer will be <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-59264070">caught out</a> by clickbait, or tricked into watching a video that does not host the content promised.</p>
<h2>When the system works</h2>
<p>Our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2022.100874">new study</a> shows the advantages of community reviews. It demonstrates how, when handled carefully and objectively, community feedback can go a long way towards helping a game develop.</p>
<p>We made an educational game called <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkCsxEiWf8I">The King’s Request</a> for use in a medical and health sciences program. The aim was to crowdsource more feedback than we could get from students in our classes, so we released the game for free on Steam. </p>
<p>Of the 16,000 players, 150 provided written reviews. We analysed this feedback, which in many cases provided ideas and methods, to improve the game.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AkCsxEiWf8I?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The King’s Request: a game that has been enhanced for learning through community reviews.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This is one example of where feedback from the gaming community, although opinionated in many cases, can genuinely help the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2022.100874">development process</a>, benefiting all stakeholders involved. This is particularly important as <a href="https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/advan.00074.2020">“serious” or educational games</a> are a <a href="https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-981-13-6106-7_118-1">growing component</a> of modern curriculums.</p>
<p>Censoring community reviews, even if the aim is to prevent misinformation, does make it harder for developers and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1096751622000306">educational designers</a> to receive feedback, for viewers to receive quick information, and for paying customers to have their voice.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/technology-and-learning-in-the-classroom-six-tips-to-get-the-balance-right-111430">Technology and learning in the classroom: six tips to get the balance right</a>
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<h2>What is the future for community reviews?</h2>
<p>The trend has been to remove negative community ratings. YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/youtube-ceo-defends-removal-of-dislike-counts/435092/">defended</a> the removal of dislike counts earlier this year, and Netflix appears to have no interest in <a href="https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/netflix-two-thumbs-up-ratings-1235228641/">bringing back</a> its five-star rating system.</p>
<p>However, not all outlets are following this trend. TikTok has been testing a dislike button for <a href="https://www.cnet.com/news/social-media/tiktok-testing-dislike-button-for-comments/">written contributions</a> in a way that enables the community to filter out unhelpful posts.</p>
<p>TikTok argues that, once released, this will foster <a href="https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/new-ways-to-foster-kindness-and-safety-on-tiktok">authentic engagement</a> in the comment sections.</p>
<p>And the Epic Games Store, a competitor of Steam, recently implemented <a href="https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/news/the-epic-games-store-ratings-and-polls-update">a system of random user surveys</a> to keep community feedback while avoiding review bombing. Google has also been trying new things, finding some success in tackling review bombing through <a href="https://www.engadget.com/google-maps-review-bombing-machine-learning-153740932.html">artificial intelligence</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188641/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Despite their vulnerability to co-ordinated attacks, community reviews can be a vital tool to make games better.Christian Moro, Associate Professor of Science & Medicine, Bond UniversityJames Birt, Associate Professor of Computer Games and Associate Dean Engagement, Bond UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1593042021-08-11T09:03:43Z2021-08-11T09:03:43ZHome schooling is hundreds of years old – here’s what its history teaches us about learning through play<p>The UK government’s <a href="https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/2021/02/17/building-back-better-reaching-englands-left-behind-children/">COVID recovery plans</a> for schools have been criticised for prioritising <a href="https://theconversation.com/englands-education-recovery-plan-should-focus-on-wellbeing-not-on-catching-up-155263">learning</a> over wellbeing. Education specialists routinely extol the benefits sports, creative activities and the <a href="https://www.artsprofessional.co.uk/magazine/article/post-pandemic-world-could-arts-rich-classroom-become-norm">performing arts</a> can bring to children. </p>
<p>This is particularly relevant <a href="https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/publications/covid-19-and-nations-mental-health-october-2020">in light</a> of the disruptions to schooling and childhood that COVID has wrought. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/mar/22/best-children-books-pandemic-katherine-rundell">Storytelling</a> has emerged as a powerful tool for children to process the crisis. COVID stories have encompassed <a href="https://www.storytimemagazine.com/we-are-heroes/">heroism</a> and <a href="https://www.wasafiri.org/article/covid-kids-by-kiera-vaclavik/">resilience</a>, <a href="https://www.qmul.ac.uk/sllf/comparative-literature-and-culture/research/childhood-heroes-ba-covid-19-research-project/">myth and fable</a>, entertaining and educating simultaneously. </p>
<p>Historical home learning shows that there need be no dichotomy between play (to improve wellbeing) and learning (to satisfy educational needs). As my research into educational literature from the 18th and 20th centuries shows, learning through play is an age-old concept.</p>
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<img alt="Engraving showing a mother and daughter sitting at a table laden with books, while son stands holding an atlas." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/414165/original/file-20210802-16-1vpg7nj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=305%2C1137%2C3758%2C3071&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/414165/original/file-20210802-16-1vpg7nj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1117&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/414165/original/file-20210802-16-1vpg7nj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1117&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/414165/original/file-20210802-16-1vpg7nj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1117&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/414165/original/file-20210802-16-1vpg7nj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1404&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/414165/original/file-20210802-16-1vpg7nj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1404&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/414165/original/file-20210802-16-1vpg7nj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1404&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An illustration by Gilbert, entitled Domestic Instruction, from Maria Hack’s book, Grecian Stories (London: Harvey and Darton, 1840)</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Historical perspectives</h2>
<p>For children aged between five and ten, attending formal school only became compulsory with the Elementary Education Act of 1880. Before that, charitable and religious organisations had provided basic education. Grammar schools theoretically were open to all, but children from poorer families mostly worked, and for those who studied, home was school. </p>
<p>The main educational format promoted in <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/gb/academic/subjects/literature/english-literature-1700-1830/child-reader-17001840?format=HB&isbn=9780521196444">18th-century</a> children’s books in Britain and Europe was <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Home-Education-in-Historical-Perspective-Domestic-pedagogies-in-England/Bellaigue/p/book/9781138393035">domestic instruction</a>. </p>
<p>Written in script form, they generally featured <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03054985.2015.1048114">idealised educational conversations</a> between a mother and her children, sometimes involving <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Mental_Improvement_etc/olJlBvPvxp0C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=wakefield+mental+improvement&printsec=frontcover">fathers</a>, or other family members or visitors. </p>
<p>Anna Laetitia Barbauld’s Lessons for Children Aged Two to Three Years, <a href="https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/289766">published in 1778</a>, is arguably the earliest example. It is <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Lessons_for_children_by_A_L_Barbauld_cor/R9cDAAAAQAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=barbauld+lessons&printsec=frontcover">a reading primer</a> featuring simple domestic questions and answers in large print: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Charles, what are eyes for?”
“To see with.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>In other books, this type of dialogue was used to explore <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5522814_Domestic_science_making_chemistry_your_cup_of_tea">chemistry</a>, history and <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1j7x5g0">geography</a>. For example, the family in Priscilla Wakefield’s 1794 <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Mental_Improvement_etc/olJlBvPvxp0C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=wakefield+mental+improvement&printsec=frontcover">book</a>, Mental Improvement; or, the Beauties and Wonders of Nature and Art in a Series of Instructive Conversations, discusses the challenges involved in tea and chocolate cultivation. The conversation leads into a discussion about character perfection, historically illustrated with an anecdote about the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates. </p>
<p>This style of learning revolved around having fun. While the context was usually an idealised middle-class home, where <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Written-Maternal-Authority-and-Eighteenth-Century-Education-in-Britain/Davies/p/book/9781409451686">parents and siblings</a> alike were at leisure to converse or read aloud, the key message was more widely relatable. It was about using everyday objects, <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Opening-The-Nursery-Door/Hilton-Styles-Watson/p/book/9780415148993">impromptu homemade games and crafts</a> and informal chat as the main tools for learning. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.manchesterhive.com/view/9781526128904/9781526128904.00009.xml">Magazines encouraged children</a> to imagine their hobby horses as the Trojan horse or to play at Noah’s ark in their kitchen sinks. They used a <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Victorian-Culture-and-the-Origin-of-Disciplines/Lightman-Zon/p/book/9780367228422">geological explanation of coal</a> to describe the 19th-century archaeological excavation of Troy, Homer’s mythical city.</p>
<p>Though Greek and Latin were so often the bastions of a stereotypically elite education, <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/victorian-epic-burlesques-9781350027176/">my findings</a> shows how the classics were gamified for audiences of different ages and social backgrounds. There were toys primarily marketed at middle- and upper-class families but also magazines featuring stories of girls learning Greek at grammar schools, reading lists for autodidacts, and popular comic and circus performances.</p>
<p>What’s more, <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/troy-carthage-and-the-victorians/not-classic-but-quite-correct-the-trojan-war-at-the-circus/C7A10B845CCBECF707CCA8F8FE0938C7">toy theatres</a> repackaged the classics as boisterous <a href="https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.7208/9780226676821-009/html">home entertainment</a>. Between 1750 and 1914, puzzles, toys, board and card games, magazines and community plays were all used for educational purposes. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/415281/original/file-20210809-19-dbjah4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A paper theatre set from the Victorian and Albert Museum of Childhood" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/415281/original/file-20210809-19-dbjah4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/415281/original/file-20210809-19-dbjah4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=491&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/415281/original/file-20210809-19-dbjah4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=491&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/415281/original/file-20210809-19-dbjah4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=491&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/415281/original/file-20210809-19-dbjah4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=617&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/415281/original/file-20210809-19-dbjah4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=617&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/415281/original/file-20210809-19-dbjah4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=617&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Toy theatres, puzzles, boardgames and magazines repackaged the classics as both entertainment and learning.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/kotomi-jewelry/5507659796/in/photostream/">Kotomi_ | flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The power of storytelling</h2>
<p>Storytelling was just as important as dialogue. In their six-volume collection, <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/206196/summary">Evenings at Home (1792-96)</a>, Barbauld and her brother John Aikin <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/53323/53323-h/53323-h.htm#Page_9">explained</a> that the characters of their story – the fictional Fairborne family – had many children. Some were educated at school and some at home by their parents. Frequent visitors would contribute stories to the family library too, to be enjoyed on holidays. </p>
<p>Parents today could well struggle to know what to make of many of these stories. They both perpetuate offensive content (racist accounts of travelling the globe) and incorporate radical ideas (pacifism, women’s contradictory position as politically disenfranchised educators). Ancient history and fable were told from an anti-war perspective, as later in Maria Hack’s <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320301929_Maria_Hack_1777-1844_Contrivance_and_Conversation">Grecian Stories</a> (1819), which also condemned ancient slavery and celebrated abolition.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780429277139-8/subject-peculiarly-adapted-cyclists-rachel-bryant-davies?context=ubx&refId=40f544a2-9167-4be0-88e1-f034c8a12b7a">Historical magazines</a> were a cheaper format through which many more children encountered <a href="https://eidolon.pub/encounters-with-classical-myth-in-childhood-and-beyond-d115f3c69b45">classical mythology</a> and archaeology, or experienced fictional Latin lessons, than could have learned classics at schools. They are a major, though under-appreciated, part of the long tradition of reading classical myth in childhood. </p>
<p>Stories often featured ancient heroes and heroines as role models for <a href="https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9780333641729">boys</a> and for <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Constructing-Girlhood-through-the-Periodical-Press-1850-1915/Moruzi/p/book/9781138270848">girls</a> to promote cultural expectations. Examples included contentious figures such as the Roman general Marius, or British queen Boudica.</p>
<p>Looking back at this playful learning from the past can help us move forward more confidently, to the real benefit of children. In particular, dissolving any perceived boundaries between play and learning - between creative activities and curriculum - should lift some stress from parents and teachers.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/159304/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rachel Bryant Davies has received funding from
The British Academy Covid-19 Special Grant COV19\20144
Addison Wheeler Research Fellowship, Durham University
Friends of the Princeton University Library Research Grant (Stanley J. Seeger Fund)
Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences Strategic Lectureship, Queen Mary University of London.</span></em></p>Historical perspectives on learning at home show that play, toys and storytelling have always been woven into learningRachel Bryant Davies, Lecturer in Comparative Literature, Queen Mary University of LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1439592020-10-01T20:36:56Z2020-10-01T20:36:56ZVideo games can add to kids’ learning during COVID-19 pandemic<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360870/original/file-20200930-20-13dd36f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=5%2C0%2C3715%2C2477&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">As the cold weather approaches and we look for indoor activities, video games are both fun and educational.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>This year has brought many changes into our everyday routine. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to physically distance ourselves as much as possible, while masks and other public health measures remain in place in the outside world. The number of COVID-19 cases are rising in <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/canada-very-well-might-be-starting-its-second-wave-of-covid-19-doctor-says-1.5105105">Canada</a> and remain high in the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html">United States</a>. </p>
<p>Schools have reopened, with much debate as to whether or not <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7251946/coronavirus-school-reopening-safety/">they should to reduce the risk of transmission</a>. As the days get shorter and the weather gets colder, and we anticipate the arrival of a second wave, we’ll all be looking for activities to stay inside.</p>
<h2>Gaming activities</h2>
<p>As an online gaming scholar, I am devoted to highlighting the importance of online gaming in today’s society. I have shown <a href="https://theconversation.com/critics-who-say-online-gaming-is-just-a-game-completely-miss-the-point-132845">the financial impacts and growth of the online gaming industry</a>, as well as the social benefits associated with playing video games. In addition, I have discussed how parents can manage their child’s game time. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/parents-of-online-gamers-need-to-think-twice-before-labelling-the-hobby-a-waste-of-time-143956">Parents of online gamers need to think twice before labelling the hobby a 'waste of time'</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Online gaming can be a space for continued learning within an online environment, providing numerous benefits for players, all while keeping them indoors. </p>
<p>Keeping in line with existing curricula, I will highlight how five subjects can benefit from video games in the classroom: English, math, science, history and physical education. These games are meant as a supplement rather than a substitute to our existing school systems. Playing games can create a fun learning environment designed to keep our physically distanced selves at home, while remaining social and continuing to learn. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360923/original/file-20200930-16-holxs2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Side profile of a young girl holding a tablet with a cartoon rabbit on the screen" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360923/original/file-20200930-16-holxs2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360923/original/file-20200930-16-holxs2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360923/original/file-20200930-16-holxs2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360923/original/file-20200930-16-holxs2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360923/original/file-20200930-16-holxs2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360923/original/file-20200930-16-holxs2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360923/original/file-20200930-16-holxs2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">While not a substitute for school curricula, video games can be used to enhance learning different school subjects.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Literacy and language</h2>
<p>A recent survey from the United Kingdom’s National Literacy Trust has shown that <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/05/health/video-games-literacy-creativity-children-trnd/index.html">more than 35 per cent of children who play video games believe they are better readers</a>; the study also found that more than half of the participants <a href="https://literacytrust.org.uk/research-services/research-reports/video-game-playing-and-literacy-survey-young-people-aged-11-16/">read and write materials related to gaming at least once per month</a>.</p>
<p>I would argue that many video games have better narratives than the stories read in school. While picking the best story games is a subjective task (BioShock is a personal favourite, although it is rated M for mature players over 17 years old), I recommend <a href="https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-20-best-interactive-story-games">interactive story games</a>, which allow players to make choices that impact the rest of the game. </p>
<p><a href="https://telltale.com/">Telltale Games</a> has a great collection of pop culture-based story games from <a href="https://www.telltale.com/batman-a-telltale-story/">Batman</a> to <a href="https://www.telltale.com/the-wolf-among-us/">DC’s Fables series</a> all rated for teens or older. </p>
<p>Games encourage creativity and promote literacy: two qualities of an excellent English class.</p>
<h2>Mathematics</h2>
<p>Math is “<a href="https://www.gamedesigning.org/learn/game-development-math/">the foundation of game design</a>” — trigonometry, calculus and algebra all come into play when developing games. If students wish to create and develop their own video games, math will be essential to learn.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.prodigygame.com/">Prodigy Games</a> provides free math games for students and schools designed to engage students with math. Designed for students in grades 1 through 8, these games have been found to increase <a href="https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/research">test scores</a>. Video games are “<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jordanshapiro/2013/08/29/video-games-are-the-perfect-way-to-teach-math-says-stanford-mathematician/#4d6cecd1385b">the perfect way to teach math</a>” and can help engage children in developing their math skills.</p>
<h2>Science</h2>
<p>Playing video games can result in numerous <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/freedom-learn/201502/cognitive-benefits-playing-video-games">cognitive benefits for the online gamer</a>. These benefits include positive effects on one’s basic mental processes like attention, perception, decision-making and memory. </p>
<p>Video games can also improve performances in jobs that require good hand-eye coordination and quick decision making. Video games have been found to improve performance in training for both <a href="https://doi.org/10.3357/ASEM.2958.2011">pilots</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00268-009-0151-y">surgeons</a>. </p>
<p>There are many <a href="https://www.rankred.com/best-physics-game/">physics-based games</a>, and I would suggest that students begin with the <a href="https://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/portal">Portal franchise</a>, one of the most popular games of all time. Pay close attention to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/11/arts/video-games/portal-2-a-video-brain-game-review.html">Portal 2 and how the physics-based elements have been enhanced</a>. The Portal games are rated E for everyone.</p>
<h2>History</h2>
<p>History can be taught by video games because they allow us to experience events of the past. Games like the <a href="https://gamerant.com/assassins-creed-ubisoft-games-historically-accurate-ranked/">Assassin’s Creed franchise</a> (rated Teen or higher) allow players to experience historically accurate settings and interact with historical figures from the Crusades, Renaissance Italy, the French and American Revolutions, as well as Ancient Greece and Egypt. While the events within the games might not be historically accurate, developer Ubisoft is proud of the research that goes into their <a href="https://financialpost.com/technology/gaming/how-ubisoft-montreal-used-historians-to-make-ancient-egypt-authentic-in-assassins-creed-origins">authentic settings</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360894/original/file-20200930-16-16lbl1a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A giant billboard showing a gladiator from the video game Assassin's Creed overlooks a crowd of people." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360894/original/file-20200930-16-16lbl1a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360894/original/file-20200930-16-16lbl1a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360894/original/file-20200930-16-16lbl1a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360894/original/file-20200930-16-16lbl1a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360894/original/file-20200930-16-16lbl1a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360894/original/file-20200930-16-16lbl1a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360894/original/file-20200930-16-16lbl1a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">People visit Games Week 2018, an event dedicated to video games and electronic entertainment on Oct. 5, 2018 in Milan, Italy.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A favourite of both scholars and gamers alike is <a href="https://civilization.com/">Sid Meier’s Civilization franchise</a>. Civilization (rated E for everyone) is a historical simulation game that has the player become a ruler of a historical civilization and strategically manoeuvre through the <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2018/05/11/142919/video-games-could-be-serious-tools-for-historical-research/">complex economic, political, technological, religious and cultural issues involved in building an empire</a>. </p>
<p>While not completely historically accurate, these games can be an entertaining introduction to notable settings, people and challenges of the past.</p>
<h2>Physical education</h2>
<p>After sitting for most of the day, it is time to get active. Historically, Nintendo has done the best job of getting gamers up and active, with the <a href="https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Support/Parents/Hardware/Wii/What-is-Wii-/What-is-Wii--920239.html">Nintendo Wii Console</a>, a motion-controlled system. The Nintendo Wii remains Nintendo’s most popular system of all time, with active games such as Wii Sports and Wii Fit being <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/248204/top-selling-nintendo-wii-titles-worldwide/">two of the top ten best selling games of all time</a>. </p>
<p>Wii Fit has been used in the medical fields to <a href="https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3600">improve balance training</a> in both home and clinical settings.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360921/original/file-20200930-16-plun2o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A young teenager in a pink t-shirt and denim waistcoat holding a Wii controller." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360921/original/file-20200930-16-plun2o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360921/original/file-20200930-16-plun2o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360921/original/file-20200930-16-plun2o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360921/original/file-20200930-16-plun2o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360921/original/file-20200930-16-plun2o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360921/original/file-20200930-16-plun2o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360921/original/file-20200930-16-plun2o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Wii Fit can be controlled by a wide range of movements, and was designed to encourage physical activity.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Nintendo has continued to get gamers up and active with their latest fitness game <a href="https://ringfitadventure.nintendo.com/">Ring Fit Adventure</a> for the Nintendo Switch. The game is too new for scholarly review, however user and journalistic reviews are <a href="https://www.metacritic.com/game/switch/ring-fit-adventure">overwhelmingly positive</a>. Ring Fit Adventure combines elements of yoga, strength training, cardio and pilates into a role-playing game. User reports suggest that it <a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/01/ring_fit_adventure_player_shows_off_his_healthy_transformation_after_one_month">can have an impact on health and fitness</a>, all while being <a href="https://www.polygon.com/2020/5/25/21266228/ring-fit-adventure-quarantine-fitness-toxicity-nintendo-switch">fun and accessible</a>. Both games are rated E for everyone.</p>
<h2>Not a substitute</h2>
<p>While I am not suggesting the replacement of the modern school system with video games, video games provide benefits that can supplement — and even enhance — what is learned elsewhere. As schools go online, and society begins to hibernate away from the cold and the pandemic, staying inside and playing video games will continue to provide learning opportunities, friendships and, most importantly, fun. </p>
<p>Class dismissed.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/143959/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joe Todd does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Video games can be useful in learning English, math, history, physics and yes, even physical education. While they’re not a substitute for schooling, video games are a great indoor activity.Joe Todd, PhD Student in Recreation and Leisure Studies, University of WaterlooLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1114852019-02-21T00:12:26Z2019-02-21T00:12:26ZDecrease anxiety about learning English with mobile gaming<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/259822/original/file-20190219-43281-1lkwv2f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">If game players focus on evading asteroids in a space game, they may not necessarily fixate on speaking-related anxiety.
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s normal to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1986.tb05256.x">experience some anxiety when speaking a second language</a>. When paired with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12305">large class sizes and limited opportunities for practice</a> during class time, however, this anxiety can limit a person’s ability to perform in the language classroom.</p>
<p>In order to become proficient in a second language, learners require <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/videogames-that-bring-families-together-1455208649">extensive practice with the language</a> such as with new vocabulary words and grammar. </p>
<p>The more learners practise the target language, the more fluent they become: language use becomes more automatic and natural. </p>
<p>In our recent study, <a href="https://doi.org/10125/44662">we found that mobile gaming may reduce anxiety and encourage oral fluency in second language learners</a>.</p>
<h2>Shaking up how it’s usually done</h2>
<p>Due to limited class time, <a href="https://books.google.ca/books?id=KeOPAgAAQBAJ">language teachers tend to focus more on teaching new items rather than having students practise what they have already taught</a>. So having adequate time to practise is important, especially when it does not require the presence of a teacher. This can be accomplished <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/1462394012010303">via peer feedback, which has been shown to benefit language learning</a>. </p>
<p>Enter a mobile game for language classrooms which allows learners to practise, and which allows for peer feedback with language: <a href="http://spaceteamesl.ca/">Spaceteam ESL</a>. The game, which can be played on smartphones or other mobile devices, is a modified version of <a href="https://spaceteam.ca/">Spaceteam</a>, created by Henry Smith of Sleeping Beast Games. Two researchers from Concordia’s Centre for the Study of Learning and Performance, David Waddington and Walcir Cardoso, developed the modified version in collaboration with Smith. This educational game is now free to download for Android and iOS. </p>
<p>In the original game, players rapidly exchange nonsensical technobabble in a process of keeping a spaceship from crashing. What matters is speaking back the nonsensical words in an accurate way. Smith worked with the researchers to modify the game vocabulary so that the back-and-forth communication would be in English to incrementally develop language skills. </p>
<p>In the adapted game, vocabulary is based on lists of the most frequently used words in English, presented in five levels of difficulty. Words that beginners in English tend to be familiar with and are <a href="https://books.google.ca/books?id=KeOPAgAAQBAJ">important for fluency development</a> are in the first levels. The last levels include words used less frequently which, consequently, are typically considered to be harder to pronounce.</p>
<p>Players speak and exchange timed English-language instructions in a way that other players can understand. Players must read instructions that appear on their own screens and communicate them aloud while simultaneously listening for instructions from teammates. </p>
<p>If players don’t complete an instruction because, for example, a teammate did not pronounce a word clearly, their spaceship will start to crash!</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/r6iFMmDWeZk?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Spaceteam ESL.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These communication breakdowns serve to provide peer feedback to players. A player can ask the speaker to repeat the word or someone can offer the correct pronunciation. There is only a limited amount of time to complete each command, so players need to act fast and work as a team to be successful. </p>
<p>The game is also designed to remove some of the pressure from second language speaking: because players need to focus on completing the task and evading asteroids, they may not necessarily fixate on speaking-related anxiety. </p>
<h2>Our study</h2>
<p>We conducted a study with two English as a second language classes in a CEGEP in Québec. One group played the game as a warm-up activity at the beginning of class while the other class completed paper-based activities that also encouraged students to complete tasks within time constraints.</p>
<p>Activities in both classes were completed in small groups of two to four students, and all required the students to speak using familiar vocabulary.</p>
<p>To measure the development of oral fluency, all students were recorded speaking about their summer vacation at the beginning and end of the study, and once again one week after the study was completed. These recordings were measured for syllables produced per minute, and were also rated by language teachers on oral fluency, as well as speech rate and length and frequency of pauses, which are also indicators of oral fluency. </p>
<p>At the end of the study, seven students from the class that played the game also participated in interviews to share their experiences.</p>
<h2>Increased fluency, lowered anxiety</h2>
<p>Our results suggest that learners who played Spaceteam ESL were rated higher for oral fluency by teachers than the students who did not play the game.</p>
<p>There was not a significant difference between the groups for speech rate or pauses and syllables produced per minute, or, in other words, the measures for improvement for speed of speech. But students who played the game did show more consistent improvement than those who did not play the game.</p>
<p>Based on a qualitative analysis of the interviews, students reported that they felt less anxious when speaking during the game. Some students said they actually felt more comfortable playing the game than when engaging in other speaking tasks in the classroom.</p>
<p>One student even said he was able to practise speaking significantly more in 15 minutes of playing the game than in a three-hour class because he felt less anxious and had more opportunities to speak.</p>
<p>However, while students were more willing and motivated to communicate while playing the game, the activity did not necessarily make students more motivated to speak in class afterwards.</p>
<p>Whether used inside the classroom or at home, Spaceteam ESL offers students a new and exciting way to practise language while taking away the pressures of typical face-to-face communication.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/111485/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jennica Grimshaw receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr. Walcir Cardoso works for Concordia University, where Spaceteam ESL was developed; he's one of the creators of the game. He receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p>Educational mobile gaming can offer students a way to practice language while taking away the pressures of typical face-to-face communication.Jennica Grimshaw, Research Assistant, Department of Education, Concordia UniversityWalcir Cardoso, Professor, Department of Education, Concordia UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/881392018-01-07T10:31:54Z2018-01-07T10:31:54ZWhy African board games should be introduced into the classroom<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/198543/original/file-20171211-10977-1jj13aq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Two men playing Morabaraba. Board games are a part of the social fabric of many African societies. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">ConstantineD/flickr</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>When most of us think about learning, we imagine a teacher and a classroom. In reality most of the things we know, and a great number of the skills we acquire as children and adults, are learned outside the classroom – in conversations with peers, engaging in community service, on the playground. </p>
<p>Educators and researchers are increasingly recognising opportunities for growth presented <a href="https://due.mit.edu/initiatives/learning-outside-classroom">outside the classroom</a>, and are working to <a href="https://clalliance.org/why-connected-learning/">integrate</a> them into classroom learning experiences.</p>
<p>Games, in particular, are being seen as <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/06/01/408540387/exploding-myths-about-learning-through-gaming">learning spaces</a>. This is because they enable players to develop <a href="https://news.stanford.edu/2013/03/01/games-education-tool-030113/">non-cognitive skills</a>, such as patience or discipline, which are important for career and life success. Gameplay also develops a number of <a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/8132613/insight_3-1_vision.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A&Expires=1512683511&Signature=X%2FqgRB0QmdmxowTGHKm2JlW9Bwk%3D&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DHarnessing_the_power_of_games_in_educati.pdf">cognitive skills</a>, including critical thinking and problem solving.</p>
<p>The African continent has a <a href="https://www.tripsavvy.com/games-played-in-africa-1454491">long history</a> of gameplay that <a href="http://www.africa-games.com/africa_games.html">extends back</a> to pre-slavery and precolonial times. Board games, in particular, have been used to teach, or reinforce, <a href="http://www.jpanafrican.org/docs/vol2no4/2.4_Shona_Traditional_Children.pdf">values</a> as well as <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/chapter/655354">cognitive</a> and <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/chapter/655357">motor skills</a>. </p>
<p>Games have been part of the social fabric of many African societies for hundreds of years. The Morabaraba board game was historically used to share <a href="http://www.africa-games.com/morabaraba.html">cattle herding strategies</a> in parts of southern Africa (for example South Africa, Bostwana and Lesotho) and discuss information related to <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/39602/moruba">war strategies</a>. And legend has it that Oware was used in 1700s Ghana by Ashanti King <a href="http://www.thekingdomofasante.com/nana-opoku-ware-i/">Katakyie Opoku Ware I</a> to resolve <a href="http://mancala.wikia.com/wiki/Oware">issues between married couples</a>. Today, board games remain equally <a href="http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/african_diaspora_isp/1/">popular</a> and culturally significant. </p>
<p>Though a growing number of researchers around the world are making the connection between <a href="https://news.stanford.edu/2013/03/01/games-education-tool-030113/">playing and learning</a>, the learning potential of African board games remains severely under-explored. <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0305764X.2017.1371671">My research</a> – which focuses on <a href="http://gamestudies.org/0802/articles/sicart">mechanics, rules</a> and context – suggests that the creative use of these games could play an important role in formal education.</p>
<h2>Similar but different</h2>
<p>The board games explored in <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0305764X.2017.1371671">my research</a> include Oware (Ghana), Bao (Tanzania), Moruba (South Africa), Morabaraba (South Africa), as well as Omweso or Mweso (Uganda). </p>
<p>I broke down some of the mechanics and rules of each game, as well as the context in which they were and are played. This enabled me to identify some of the learning outcomes of each game’s mechanics. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/196385/original/file-20171126-21820-rbdt9g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/196385/original/file-20171126-21820-rbdt9g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/196385/original/file-20171126-21820-rbdt9g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=595&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/196385/original/file-20171126-21820-rbdt9g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=595&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/196385/original/file-20171126-21820-rbdt9g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=595&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/196385/original/file-20171126-21820-rbdt9g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=748&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/196385/original/file-20171126-21820-rbdt9g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=748&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/196385/original/file-20171126-21820-rbdt9g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=748&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Popular board games across the continent.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The boards games could be referred to as “strategic games” as they involve strategic thinking. Most – with the exception of Morabaraba – are also from the same family of games, <a href="https://www.penn.museum/documents/publications/expedition/PDFs/43-1/Mancala.pdf">Mancala</a>. </p>
<p>My analysis shows that the board games should be viewed as unique, and different. Each has its own mechanics, requires specific skills and produces distinctive learning outcomes. This means that the games could potentially be used to teach a variety of concepts and skills across a number of subjects and at different educational levels. </p>
<h2>Focus on Oware</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.oware.org/">Oware</a> is one of the most played and known African board games in the world – and its rules show its learning potential.</p>
<p>It is played on a <a href="http://www.oware.org/abapa.asp">board of 12 holes</a>, with 48 seeds or pebbles equally distributed between two players. The seeds or pebbles are dropped one by one into consecutive holes by players who take turns to <a href="http://www.oware.org/abapa.asp">play</a>. The aim of the game is to capture 25 seeds. This requires players to use multiple strategies and techniques. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/198556/original/file-20171211-27680-1o13zr4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/198556/original/file-20171211-27680-1o13zr4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/198556/original/file-20171211-27680-1o13zr4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/198556/original/file-20171211-27680-1o13zr4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/198556/original/file-20171211-27680-1o13zr4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/198556/original/file-20171211-27680-1o13zr4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/198556/original/file-20171211-27680-1o13zr4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Oware is one of the most popular games on the continent.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Adam Cohn/flickr</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Playing Oware teaches <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0305764X.2017.1371671">strategic thinking and arithmetic</a>. Patience, spatial thinking, communication, decision making and negotiation skills are some of the other <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0305764X.2017.1371671?scroll=top&needAccess=true">learning outcomes</a> it facilitates. </p>
<p>But the game mechanics of Oware suggest that it could even prove to be useful in a biology classroom. The life cycle of a cell is defined by a series of events that lead to its <a href="http://cyberbridge.mcb.harvard.edu/mitosis_3.html">division and replication</a>. Like the cell, Oware gameplay is characterised by a <a href="http://www.oware.org/abapa.asp">series of cyclical</a>, repetitive movements, guided by the game mechanics or rules. Thus, using Oware mechanics or rules, the concept of cell life cycle can be explained to students in a biology course.</p>
<p>The full learning potential of games like Oware is yet to be completely uncovered, but it’s clear that it can be used to introduce students to new concepts they may easily understand because of their familiarity with game. Learning is made fun and enjoyable. </p>
<h2>What’s next?</h2>
<p>Games are certainly <a href="https://dmlhub.net/newsroom/expert-interviews/games-learning-literacy-in-the-21st-century/">alternative spaces for learning</a> and can <a href="https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/07/03/games-can-advance-education-a-conversation-with-james-paul-gee/">advance education</a>. The educational potential of African board games has long been argued by ethnomatheticians (who study the relationship between mathematics and culture) and anthropologists – including scholars such as <a href="http://www.krepublishers.com/02-Journals/IJES/IJES-08-0-000-15-Web/IJES-08-2-000-15-Abst-PDF/IJES-8-2-313-15-440-Owusu/IJES-8-2-313-15-440-Owusu-Tx%5b8%5d.pdf">James Owusu-Mensah</a>, <a href="http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/%7Epowellab/docs/articles/PowellTemple(2001)TCM.pdf">Arthur Powell, Oshon Temple</a>, and <a href="http://aa-rf.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/SAICE-2015-Proceedings.pdf#page=221">Kofi Poku Quan-Baffour</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199191/original/file-20171214-27575-1birlio.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199191/original/file-20171214-27575-1birlio.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199191/original/file-20171214-27575-1birlio.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199191/original/file-20171214-27575-1birlio.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199191/original/file-20171214-27575-1birlio.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199191/original/file-20171214-27575-1birlio.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199191/original/file-20171214-27575-1birlio.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199191/original/file-20171214-27575-1birlio.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Mancala games can be played almost anywhere.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">leo.laempel/flickr</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The field of <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/category/discipline/game-studies">Game Studies</a> is emerging and, across the world, educators and researchers are exploring games to understand and enhance learning. But many of the digital games that are celebrated for their educational value are <a href="https://gamerant.com/video-game-prices-breakdown-514/">expensive</a> and inaccessible to most people. African board games, on the other hand, are simply made and can even be reproduced, or designed, in a playground by digging holes on the ground.</p>
<p>The moment is therefore ripe for African board games to assume their proper place in this emerging field. An <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271269323_The_South_African_Indigenous_Games_Research_Project_of_20012002_research_article">inventory of these games</a> is an excellent first step, but there is much work to be done.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/88139/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rebecca Y. Bayeck does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>African board games are learning spaces for players to develop cognitive and non-cognitive skills given the mechanics or rules embedded in these games.Rebecca Y. Bayeck, PhD Candidate, Learning Design & Technology & Comparative & International Education, Learning Performances Systems Department, College of Education, Penn StateLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/859832017-10-29T19:10:12Z2017-10-29T19:10:12ZWhy we’re building a climate change game for 12-year-olds<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/191929/original/file-20171026-28039-1yv9rx8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">By the age of 16, most teenagers have already made up their mind about climate change. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/technology-students-group-computer-lab-classroom-308434286?src=YbUv0AhSJ7bmousCPhOSEQ-4-65">from www.shutterstock.com </a></span></figcaption></figure><p>There is no doubt that <a href="https://theconversation.com/our-kids-need-to-learn-about-climate-change-33833">we need to teach kids about climate change</a>. </p>
<p>But although the <a href="https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/">Australian Curriculum</a> embeds climate change into its senior high school program, children are typically aged around 16 before they receive any formal teaching on the topic. We argue that this is too late. </p>
<p>Here’s a possible solution: “<a href="http://climate.anu.edu.au/news-events/changing-game-climate-change">CO2peration</a>” is an interactive, online game we developed for children aged 12-14. It teaches climate science in a politics- and emotion-free zone. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/our-kids-need-to-learn-about-climate-change-33833">Our kids need to learn about climate change</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pd_SvFN05zk?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">CO2peraton - a climate science game for children.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In most countries, the topic of climate change is usually introduced at around the age of 16. Unfortunately, <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-014-1228-7">students at this age have largely made up their minds about climate change</a>. Any efforts to teach them about the science may <a href="http://wires.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WiresArticle/wisId-WCC332.html">cement those opinions</a> (both for and against) – particularly if it threatens their existing opinion. </p>
<p>This “made up their mind” phenomenon is known as a worldview – and it is the single biggest <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/13676261.2015.1020927">predictor</a> of an individual’s opinion related to climate change. </p>
<h2>Working with 12-year-olds</h2>
<p>At the age of around 12, children undergo a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Teenage-Brain-Neuroscientists-Survival-Adolescents/dp/0062067850">rapid developmental change</a> that, over the next 12 years, will take them fully into adulthood. </p>
<p>This change preempts some exciting intellectual developments. It prepares the child for some of the challenges of adulthood - such as building social networks, finding work or becoming financially responsible. It also <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1080/00207598708246796/abstract">allows them to start processing complex issues</a> like nuclear energy or social justice. </p>
<p>So around age 12, children’s worldview <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-014-1228-7">is still open to change</a> and they can take on board new information in a way that their older selves may not.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/191318/original/file-20171023-26683-15nmta8.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/191318/original/file-20171023-26683-15nmta8.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=282&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191318/original/file-20171023-26683-15nmta8.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=282&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191318/original/file-20171023-26683-15nmta8.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=282&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191318/original/file-20171023-26683-15nmta8.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191318/original/file-20171023-26683-15nmta8.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191318/original/file-20171023-26683-15nmta8.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Players in CO2peration pursue a science mystery: why is there so much water on Earth?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Screen shot from CO2peration</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Although many communication researchers challenge the notion of “<a href="http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/v4/n9/full/nclimate2348.html">knowledge deficit</a>” whilst communicating with adults (in essence questioning those who emphasise filling gaps in an individual’s understanding), this age group is at a stage when they do need to learn. Why else would they be in school? </p>
<p>Recent research also suggests that we may have dismissed the value of understanding the science of climate change <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1080/00207598708246796/abstract">too soon</a>. <a href="https://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/v5/n11/full/nclimate2728.html">Specific knowledge</a> relating to climate change – including <a href="http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/v6/n8/full/nclimate2997.html?WT.feed_name=subjects_culture">its physical characteristics, causes and consequences</a> – is an important consideration in opinion development. </p>
<hr>
<p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://theconversation.com/science-curriculum-needs-to-do-more-to-engage-primary-school-students-74523">Science curriculum needs to do more to engage primary school students</a></em> </p>
<hr>
<p>Another important element in teaching children about climate science is their emotional well-being: will it alarm them? Climate communicators often use <a href="http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/v2/n8/full/nclimate1610.html">fear appeals</a> and emotional pleas to promote engagement with climate science – often with unintended consequences. Such appeals can polarise an individual’s attitudes, and have been shown to be ineffective or even ethically questionable. How do we get around that? </p>
<h2>Focus on science</h2>
<p>When we teach children about their gastrointestinal systems, they learn that the stomach exists, the small intestine exists. They accept that these are real without ever having seen these organs inside their own bodies. </p>
<p>Teaching climate science as a series of physical processes and mechanisms establishes a factual foundation - in the same way we learn anatomy. This forms a knowledge foundation that can then, in higher grades, be used to talk about the socio-political aspects – when they are developmentally ready for such discussions. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-hot-weather-records-continue-to-tumble-worldwide-86158">Why hot weather records continue to tumble worldwide</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Eliminating fear appeals gives children an opportunity to be exposed to abstract science without emotional noise. Teaching climate change in this way - as a specific, pure science - may diminish the influence of misinformation they’ll likely encounter at a later age, simply because they’ll understand it better. Research has shown, too, that <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ997146">younger students are less alarmed</a> when learning about climate change than older adolescents.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/191326/original/file-20171023-26656-r3hm18.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/191326/original/file-20171023-26656-r3hm18.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191326/original/file-20171023-26656-r3hm18.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191326/original/file-20171023-26656-r3hm18.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191326/original/file-20171023-26656-r3hm18.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191326/original/file-20171023-26656-r3hm18.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191326/original/file-20171023-26656-r3hm18.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Starting with a space probe called Messenger, players in CO2peration go on missions to collect samples and data.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Screen shot from CO2peration</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Climate science is quite hard to teach, as <a href="https://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1794/19302/Crayne_oregon_0171N_11321.pdf;sequence=1">textbooks and lectures</a> <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13504622.2013.812720">don’t effectively illustrate</a> the scale and interdisciplinary nature of its features. This is where <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1462901105001188">3D environments</a> and <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4471-2161-9_2">gaming</a> offer new opportunities.</p>
<h2>Teaching in 3D</h2>
<p>Although some developers have <a href="http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/v5/n5/full/nclimate2566.html">already identified gaming</a> as a way to explore climate change, none focus on teaching <em>specific</em> climate science. </p>
<p>To fill this gap, we have created a 3D interactive climate science game for 12-year-olds. “<a href="http://climate.anu.edu.au/news-events/changing-game-climate-change">CO2peration</a>” turns the player into a particle of sunlight (also known as a photon), and takes them on a journey to find out why we have liquid water at Earth’s surface. </p>
<p>Starting with a space probe called Messenger, players go on fact-finding missions to collect samples and data in order to work out why Earth has a water-rich surface. It’s a scientific mystery that follows some of the pathways that led scientists to realise Earth’s climate is changing. From Mercury to Venus, Earth and Mars, players explore each rocky planet in our Solar System, and experience climate science in an exciting, abstract and empowering way – with no political or social context. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/191328/original/file-20171023-26651-tw9drt.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/191328/original/file-20171023-26651-tw9drt.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=303&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191328/original/file-20171023-26651-tw9drt.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=303&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191328/original/file-20171023-26651-tw9drt.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=303&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191328/original/file-20171023-26651-tw9drt.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191328/original/file-20171023-26651-tw9drt.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191328/original/file-20171023-26651-tw9drt.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Why is Venus, though further from the sun, hotter than Mercury?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Screen shot from CO2peration</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Players find out why Venus, although further away from the Sun, is hotter than Mercury. They explore, close up, how ice ages occur, and the extraordinary influence of <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Milankovitch/">Milankovitch cycles</a> at work (the wobbly, changing orbits of Earth around the Sun). Children build and test 3D greenhouse gas molecules in minuscule infrared activity chambers. They zoom through the layers of Earth’s atmosphere – dodging space junk to discover the role our atmosphere plays in keeping our planet habitable. </p>
<p>Once we have launched the game, the same recruits who helped develop and test the first version of CO2peration (now 13 years old), will be tested again - as well as a new group of 12-year-olds. These tests will use game analytics and player surveys to determine what aspects of our game achieve the learning outcomes, and which areas are the most difficult to understand. We’re also interested to see (from an entertainment perspective) how long and how often players want to play. </p>
<p>Using this feedback, we can improve our game and hopefully create a versatile learning tool to teach children in Australia and the world about climate science. </p>
<hr>
<p><em>CO2peration is being tested as part of a <a href="http://cpas.anu.edu.au/about-us/people/inez-harker-schuch">PhD at the Australian National University</a>. More information about how to get a copy of the game is available <a href="http://climate.anu.edu.au/news-events/changing-game-climate-change">here</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/85983/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Inez Harker-Schuch receives funding from the Australian Government 'Research Training Program' (RTP) Scholarship.
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Will J Grant does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Players in the climate science game ‘CO2peration’ become a particle of sunlight, and travel on a journey to find out why we have liquid water at Earth’s surface.Inez Harker-Schuch, PhD candidate, Australian National UniversityWill J Grant, Senior Lecturer, Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/524052016-01-07T11:15:59Z2016-01-07T11:15:59ZPlaying ‘serious games,’ adults learn to solve thorny real-world problems<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/107205/original/image-20160104-29000-4pf45t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">It takes more than protest: demonstrators at a 2012 climate change conference in Doha, Qatar.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/omarsc/8246909842/in/photolist-dyKz99-dyE6KB-dyKyM1-dyKyYJ-dyKz7s-dyE6Np-8XBPhB-dyE6F6-dyE6Ax-dyKz59-dyKyTh-8XEXRC-6d8Ns7-8ZbXdd-o2EFGs-oCWgy9-avm3BR-8Z8UyK-8ZbWAJ-8Z8Uak-8Z8UK6-8ZbWYL-3apwUs-3apDRA-8Z8TV8-8Z8UAD-8Z8UBM-8Z8UGc-8Z8TDr-8Z8TFx-8Z8Uvp-8ZbWHf-8Z8Ue2-8ZbX8N-8ZbXgd-8ZbWRo-6By9fc-5gF9ok-5gF984-5gF9rM-8ZbWUL-8ZbX1J">Omar Chatriwala/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It is never easy for interest groups with conflicting views to resolve public policy disagreements involving complex scientific issues. To successfully formulate complex treaties, such as the recent Paris Climate Change Agreement, countries must find a way to meet the interests of almost 200 national representatives, while simultaneously getting the science right. Lowest common denominator political agreements that don’t actually solve the problem are useless. </p>
<p>Similarly, within countries, national policymakers need to mesh the conflicting concerns of public officials, civil society organizations and business interests to set health and safety standards that work. To do this, they must bring everyone up to speed on the scientific and technical aspects of the problem they are addressing. Merely wrangling a political agreement isn’t enough. </p>
<p>Likewise, at the municipal level, communities are confronting issues such as <a href="https://scienceimpact.mit.edu/cambridge-climate-change-impacts-and-public-health-risks">the local public health risks of climate change</a>. They need to make sure that public officials and key segments of the public understand the problems and the responses most likely to work. </p>
<p>The standard approach is to hold public meetings where representatives of all interest groups gather and air their views. But public meetings alone will not produce informed decisions. First, stakeholders have to learn about the complex systems involved. Second, to negotiate a truly informed agreement, they have to understand the concerns of other groups. It is not easy to pull together agreements that will have widespread support. We need tools to highlight our common interests or trades we can all accept, instead of emphasizing our differences and disagreements. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/107233/original/image-20160105-28980-49k548.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/107233/original/image-20160105-28980-49k548.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=209&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107233/original/image-20160105-28980-49k548.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=209&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107233/original/image-20160105-28980-49k548.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=209&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107233/original/image-20160105-28980-49k548.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=263&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107233/original/image-20160105-28980-49k548.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=263&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107233/original/image-20160105-28980-49k548.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=263&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Public meetings like this hearing on a hydraulic fracturing waste facility in Pennsylvania often fail to bring people together.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/29184238@N06/8488196504/in/photolist-atEzhv-oNRfbQ-dW5e6A-dVYBQ4-dW5dw3-8Mjxqp-fQdbwX">J.P. Pribanic/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Finding common interests through games</h2>
<p>We have been testing the use of role-playing games to promote collaborative decision-making by nations, states and communities. Unlike online computer games, players in role-playing games interact face-to-face in small groups of six to eight. The games place them in a hypothetical setting that simulates a real-life problem-solving situation. People are often assigned roles that are very different from their real-life roles. This helps them appreciate how their political adversaries view the problem. </p>
<p>Players receive briefing materials to read ahead of time so they can perform their assigned roles realistically. The idea is to reenact the tensions that actual stakeholders will feel when they are making real-life decisions. In the game itself, participants are asked to reach agreement in their roles in 60-90 minutes. (Other games, like the <a href="http://www.pon.harvard.edu/shop/the-mercury-negotiation-simulation/">Mercury Game</a> or the <a href="https://www.pon.harvard.edu/shop/global-management-of-organochlorines/">Chlorine Game</a>, take longer to play.) If multiple small groups play the game at the same time, the entire room – which may include 100 tables of game players or more – can discuss the results together. In these debriefings, the most potent learning often occurs when players hear about creative moves that others have used to reach agreement. </p>
<p>It can take up to several months to design a game. Designers start by interviewing real-life decision makers to understand how they view the problem. Game designers must also synthesize a great deal of scientific and technical information to present it in the game in a form that anyone can understand. After the design phase, games have to be tested and refined before they are ready for play. </p>
<p>Research shows that this immersive approach to learning is <a href="http://jtd.sagepub.com/content/13/1/85.short">particularly effective for adults</a>. Our own research shows that elected and appointed officials, citizen advocates and corporate leaders can absorb a surprising amount of new scientific information when it is embedded in a carefully crafted role-playing game. In <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Managing-Climate-Risks-Coastal-Communities/dp/1783084898">one study of more than 500 people in four New England coastal communities</a>, we found that a significant portion of game players (1) changed their minds about how urgent a threat climate change is; (2) became more optimistic about their local government’s ability to reduce climate change risks; and (3) became more confident that conflicting groups would be able to reach agreement on how to proceed with climate adaptation. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u61qOG2N8TE?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Video from the New England Climate Adaptation Project inviting residents of Cranston, Rhode Island to participate in role-playing workshops on adapting their community to climate change.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Our conclusion is that <a href="https://scienceimpact.mit.edu/sites/default/files/documents/Can%20Games%20Really%20Change%20the%20Course%20of%20History%3F.pdf">“serious games” can prepare citizens and officials</a> to participate successfully in science-based problem-solving. In related research in <a href="http://www.cbuilding.org/tools/bpcs/roleplay-simulations-and-managing-climate-change-risks">Ghana and Vietnam</a>, we found that <a href="http://www.cbuilding.org/tools/role-play-simulations">role-playing games</a> had similarly valuable effects. While the agreements reached in games do not necessarily indicate what actual agreements may be reached, they can help officials and stakeholder representatives get a much clearer sense of what might be possible. </p>
<p>We believe that role-playing games can be used in a wide range of situations. We have designed games that have been used in different parts of the world to help all kinds of interest groups work together to <a href="http://www.pon.harvard.edu/shop/dirtystuff-ii/">draft new environmental regulations</a>. We have brought together adversaries in <a href="http://www.pon.harvard.edu/shop/dioxin-waste-to-energy-game/">energy facility siting and waste cleanup disputes</a> to play a game prior to facing off against each other in real life. This approach has also facilitated decisions in <a href="http://www.pon.harvard.edu/shop/floodinghelping-cities-adapt-to-climate-change-risks/">regional economic development disputes</a>, <a href="https://www.pon.harvard.edu/shop/indopotamia-negotiating-boundary-crossing-water-conflicts/">water allocation disputes in an international river basin</a> and <a href="http://www.pon.harvard.edu/shop/long-river-confronting-the-challenges-of-instream-flow/">disputes among aboriginal communities, national governments and private industry</a>. </p>
<p>In any situation where groups with different interests and values are likely to talk past each other or ignore scientific information in a political context, role-playing games can prepare them to deal with their differences more effectively.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/52405/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lawrence Susskind works for the MIT Science Impact Collaborative, the MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning, the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School and the not-for-profit Consensus Building Institute. He has received funding from the U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ella Kim does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>How can diverse societies agree on strategies for tackling complex problems? Lawrence Susskind and Ella Kim of MIT explain how role-playing games can help people learn to collaborate.Lawrence Susskind, Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)Ella Kim, PhD Candidate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/379682015-07-12T20:23:30Z2015-07-12T20:23:30ZWhich apps are educational and why? It’s in the eye of the beholder<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/87090/original/image-20150702-27106-wd2ovp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">With over 80,000 educational apps in the iTunes store, it's hard to know which ones will benefit your kids.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/barrettelementary/6695935031/in/photolist-bcGqcH-fTxFN1-9mKWS2-8ej7Gj-bcGpyt-bcGpS6-bcGpJc-n4waHp-9rLtDM-na8J2u-oSzNHH-oA6say-q3e3v2-dgah17-dJLkxp-nwS15C-oDCfeU-pQ2BZU-fJxbKk-i5ZJa1-9mKViM-rVGNM4-9q6Tut-9E3dBm-bcGpp8-ah4ZV2-s1DaS9-aDED93-deMHzZ-rGhV6X-rXCNGv-s7XBBC-d8mdGf-e8d7N4-9q6SKX-ocZX3s-nNjbB2-cTFq2d-hwJRzW-jibEdU-ov3eWa-dduFUX-9zz36H-bcGqvK-gcayev-buqPW6-9wdKdC-dTSySe-9q6Szv-roPjVy">KW Barrett/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Toys and apps for kids are a multi-million-dollar industry, and being able to label something as “educational” is a major selling point. However, “educational” is often in the eye of the beholder and the potential of any app, or toy, relates to what you can creatively do with them with children. </p>
<p>With more than 80,000 educational apps in the iTunes store, it’s usually very difficult for parents to know which ones are worth buying. </p>
<p>A group of academics recently <a href="http://tinyurl.com/o653fko">provided guidance</a> on what sorts of apps are educational. Particular types of apps are often derided in broad statements like, “avoid closed apps with limited potential”. </p>
<p>Closed apps are apps with fixed features and activities that you cannot deviate from except the order that you might choose to complete them. They might, for example, be a spelling or addition game with a single answer. Some are “graded” and you cannot move on to a new level unless you have demonstrated mastery of a previous level. </p>
<p>Criteria for “good” apps are usually framed in terms of their capacity to allow active, engaged and meaningful learning and social interaction. These are all laudable attributes. Yet some of the simple, closed apps can also be fun and useful to learn the basics of literacy and numeracy. </p>
<p>Apps are continually compared as alternatives to existing educational resources rather than being complementary. Most guidelines insist that apps be evaluated in terms of learning theories (for example <a href="http://www.icels-educators-for-learning.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46&Itemid=61">Jean Piaget’s Theory of Development</a>) that were formulated prior to the advent of computers, or by creating standards that other children’s materials, such as jigsaw puzzles or children’s books, aren’t ever asked to live up to.</p>
<h2>There are benefits to some ‘closed’ apps</h2>
<p>Not all closed apps are to be avoided. With Jigsaw Maker, for example, children can take photos of each other and their environment and then generate electronic jigsaws to solve. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/86664/original/image-20150629-9059-13wcd8d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/86664/original/image-20150629-9059-13wcd8d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/86664/original/image-20150629-9059-13wcd8d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86664/original/image-20150629-9059-13wcd8d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86664/original/image-20150629-9059-13wcd8d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86664/original/image-20150629-9059-13wcd8d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86664/original/image-20150629-9059-13wcd8d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86664/original/image-20150629-9059-13wcd8d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Jigsaw Maker.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Taking the photos, and the conversations about the process of creating their own jigsaw, represent wonderful learning opportunities for children who are experimenting with words and language as they grow more confident. </p>
<p>Some so-called “closed” apps present ways of experiencing the foundation skills in literacy and numeracy which can happen before school begins. Apps like Bugs and Numbers, Number Train, Shapes, First Words, Monkey Lunchbox, Food Words and Futaba all enable very young children to acquire such skills by playing with them in a fun context.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/86802/original/image-20150630-2074-ul9tf3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/86802/original/image-20150630-2074-ul9tf3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=339&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86802/original/image-20150630-2074-ul9tf3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=339&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86802/original/image-20150630-2074-ul9tf3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=339&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86802/original/image-20150630-2074-ul9tf3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=426&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86802/original/image-20150630-2074-ul9tf3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=426&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86802/original/image-20150630-2074-ul9tf3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=426&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Nighty Night.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>One of my personal favourites is an app called Nighty Night, which is set on a farm and a circus. Each animal has to be put to bed by finding a switch and turning off the light. At the end it is apparent that the only person left awake is the child playing the game and the realisation that it is bedtime becomes self-evident!</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/87103/original/image-20150702-10603-1pjklp6.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/87103/original/image-20150702-10603-1pjklp6.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/87103/original/image-20150702-10603-1pjklp6.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/87103/original/image-20150702-10603-1pjklp6.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/87103/original/image-20150702-10603-1pjklp6.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/87103/original/image-20150702-10603-1pjklp6.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/87103/original/image-20150702-10603-1pjklp6.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bugs and Numbers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Screenshot</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="http://tinyurl.com/lmvyqjm">Research I undertook</a> with a <a href="http://tinyurl.com/m7bzamk">team at Victoria University</a> showed that you need a range of apps. In play-based kindergarten, closed apps can be used with open-ended apps for playful explorations and both provide contexts for new learning.</p>
<p>We’ve also found that for children struggling with the “basics” in the first year of school, learning the concepts with targeted apps can be beneficial. </p>
<p>For example, we worked with prep children (aged 5-6 years) who had been at school for six months and still were not able to recognise the numerals zero to nine, write them, or advise what number came before or after each one. Thus, they were struggling with number concepts and not able to move on to new work with the rest of the class who had progressed to the numbers 10 to 20. We spent 20 minutes with six children at a time over six weeks with number apps on the iPad.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/87104/original/image-20150702-10590-474ikg.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/87104/original/image-20150702-10590-474ikg.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/87104/original/image-20150702-10590-474ikg.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/87104/original/image-20150702-10590-474ikg.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/87104/original/image-20150702-10590-474ikg.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/87104/original/image-20150702-10590-474ikg.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/87104/original/image-20150702-10590-474ikg.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bugs and Numbers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Screenshot</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>At the end of the first session they were able to name all the numerals to nine, tell us what came before and after each one and write the numeral on a piece of paper. This knowledge was consolidated over the following weeks, with 20-minute sessions once a week. </p>
<p>Ultimately, what could not be achieved in six months in a classroom with traditional materials was achieved and consolidated in three weeks and then extended with other more creative tasks. These included using an app called MadPad to make a montage of (12) number and counting activities and creating an eBook about numbers with creative and open-ended apps (like Book Creator and Comic Life).</p>
<p>Simultaneously, those children in the class who had moved on to the larger numbers were also given the opportunity, in a data-collection activity related to a farm visit, to survey half the group about their favourite farm animal and record their findings on a graph created with Scribblepress. This generated much excitement, conversation and learning about animals, farms and reviewing and interpreting the data - regarded as essential for mathematical understandings in primary school.</p>
<h2>Apps with creative potential are educational</h2>
<p>Our research showed that after a basic level of mastery of literacy and numeracy skills and applications in diverse contexts, the more open-ended – or creative – apps can be used in much more sophisticated ways.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/86803/original/image-20150630-2060-1so3rjh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/86803/original/image-20150630-2060-1so3rjh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=451&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86803/original/image-20150630-2060-1so3rjh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=451&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86803/original/image-20150630-2060-1so3rjh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=451&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86803/original/image-20150630-2060-1so3rjh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=567&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86803/original/image-20150630-2060-1so3rjh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=567&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86803/original/image-20150630-2060-1so3rjh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=567&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Play School Art.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This might include a matrix of ideas and sounds in the app called MadPad, creating music with Garage Band, or making eBooks to summarise investigations of a topic of genuine interest (such as “living things” in science). </p>
<p>Then there is the (free) Play School Art Maker, which enables young children to create various scenes with their favourite Play School characters (on the farm, beach or undersea) and then create a one-minute movie telling their story.</p>
<p>There are also electronic books (like Teddy’s Day), which are interactive and bring a new dimension to the reading process not available in traditional books. </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/86801/original/image-20150630-2066-lghif9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/86801/original/image-20150630-2066-lghif9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86801/original/image-20150630-2066-lghif9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86801/original/image-20150630-2066-lghif9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86801/original/image-20150630-2066-lghif9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86801/original/image-20150630-2066-lghif9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86801/original/image-20150630-2066-lghif9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Peppa Pig - Fun at the Fair.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>You can have the book read to you, or contribute to the storyline with voice or some form of visual/textual input (like Peppa Pig – Fun at the Fair).</p>
<p>Apps such as Angry Birds, Cut the Rope and Birds ‘n’ Blocks are often derided as not being educational. In fact, they provide opportunities to explore trajectories, cause and effect, motion and friction, spatial arrays and decision-making if used appropriately in educational settings.</p>
<p>Some apps might be regarded simply as pacifiers to keep kids entertained, but when parents and adults interact with children playing the apps you will be surprised at the amazing learning conversations you might have and the things you will learn – and that’s educational.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/37968/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nicola Yelland receives funding from IBM and DET (Victoria) for research</span></em></p>“Educational” is often in the eye of the beholder and the potential of any app relates to what you can creatively do with them with children.Nicola Yelland, Professor of Education, Victoria UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/336722014-12-21T18:51:09Z2014-12-21T18:51:09ZCan toys really be ‘educational’? Well that depends on the parents<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63696/original/phw2hj2g-1415162141.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Toys often advertise themselves as being educational, but how true is this?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/torh/3542641985">Flickr/Tor Hakon Haugen</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Being a child in the 21st century is very different, and some would say more complex, than in previous times. What remains constant is that children love playing and that play is regarded as the most effective way of learning in childhood. </p>
<p>In play scenarios young children are being imaginative, creative, posing problems and solving them in contexts that are meaningful and engaging to them while learning about the world and ideas that shape it. With free play sessions <a href="https://theconversation.com/should-we-just-let-them-play-24670">increasingly being recognised</a> as an essential component of quality early childhood programs, parents are eager to support this with appropriate props and educational toys. </p>
<p>Yet, everyone has a story about how their child enjoyed playing with the box that the toy came in, rather than the toy itself! And baby boomers lament how they used to play with sticks for wands, and old sheets for decorating cubbys that we used to scavenge from very creative sources.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63698/original/v3vp7z4t-1415162325.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63698/original/v3vp7z4t-1415162325.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63698/original/v3vp7z4t-1415162325.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63698/original/v3vp7z4t-1415162325.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63698/original/v3vp7z4t-1415162325.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63698/original/v3vp7z4t-1415162325.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63698/original/v3vp7z4t-1415162325.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63698/original/v3vp7z4t-1415162325.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">How do you know if toys are actually educational?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/86024504@N05/9832083776">Flickr/Christina Kessler</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>So does this 21st century plethora of choices and constant claims that toys are educational really stack up? The brochures and <a href="http://www.parenting.com/gallery/baby-learning-toys">websites</a> implore parents to “check out these brain boosting and skill building infant learning toys […] for the developing mind” and <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/.../2014/.../the-top-10-toys-that-kindle-creativity/">say they have toys</a> that “honour the creative process”.</p>
<p>No evidence is provided to support such claims and, in reality, the toys are expensive, and often limited in scope unless parents interact and teach their children the associated skills and concepts. In many instances they are in fact tied to franchises (Disney, Pixar) that basically want to promote their items with negligible concerns about learning or educational value. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/65315/original/image-20141124-19618-jgb63u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/65315/original/image-20141124-19618-jgb63u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/65315/original/image-20141124-19618-jgb63u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=185&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/65315/original/image-20141124-19618-jgb63u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=185&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/65315/original/image-20141124-19618-jgb63u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=185&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/65315/original/image-20141124-19618-jgb63u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=232&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/65315/original/image-20141124-19618-jgb63u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=232&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/65315/original/image-20141124-19618-jgb63u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=232&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A pull along caterpillar has little scope for creativity.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pintoys/6155146723/in/photolist-anUJFn-hhuTxA-bnUYXz-aiZoUt-oQ651E-4wVXyM-dgCR3w-dxfQe4">Flickr/Pintoy We love</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For example, there are 14 toys promoted by the online parenting magazine as being the best educational toys for “brain boosting, skill building, and the developing mind” of infants and toddlers. A <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015D8AG2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=parentingmagazine-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B0015D8AG2">pull along caterpillar</a> comes with the claim that it is “an imagination building toy that kids can use to enjoy hours of fun”. Yet, with no suggestions about what these might consist of apart from pulling it along.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/65320/original/image-20141124-19636-o6ok6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/65320/original/image-20141124-19636-o6ok6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=266&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/65320/original/image-20141124-19636-o6ok6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=266&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/65320/original/image-20141124-19636-o6ok6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=266&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/65320/original/image-20141124-19636-o6ok6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=334&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/65320/original/image-20141124-19636-o6ok6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=334&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/65320/original/image-20141124-19636-o6ok6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=334&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">With just three shapes and three correct answers, the robot puzzle on its own is hardly educational.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.yoyo.com/p/pkolino-3-piece-puzzle-beginner-shapes-robot-181168">yoyo.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Then, the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004VT7ZJ0/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=parentingmagazine-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B004VT7ZJ0">robot puzzle</a> which is very well made in good quality wood and colourful paint, says that it will allow the children to become skilled in matching pictures - with just three shapes. It will probably do this but its a lot to pay for something with only one right result to match the three shapes.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63700/original/hgffknwt-1415162391.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63700/original/hgffknwt-1415162391.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63700/original/hgffknwt-1415162391.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63700/original/hgffknwt-1415162391.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63700/original/hgffknwt-1415162391.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63700/original/hgffknwt-1415162391.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63700/original/hgffknwt-1415162391.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63700/original/hgffknwt-1415162391.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Goldieblox: engineering for girls.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/search/?q=goldieblox&l=cc&ct=0&mt=all&adv=1">Flickr/Sue Davis</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The educational value only comes from the parents interacting with their child, questioning them as they play and asking about strategies and providing them with knowledge about robots and caterpillars and taking them to see real ones as part of their daily lives.</p>
<p>The annual <a href="http://www.toyassociation.org/tia/events/toty/past_toty_winners/events2/toty_awards/2014_toty_winners.aspx?hkey=87b5bc55-20d7-46d1-ab18-a03e4bd4f80d#.VFg41oe0ZhI">toy of the year awards</a> provide insight into the toys that are regarded as the best in the industry. There are 15 categories with both the people’s choice and educational toy of the year in 2014 being awarded to Goldieblox and the spinning machine. In winning this prize the toy is <a href="http://www.toyassociation.org/tia/events/toty/past_toty_winners/events2/toty_awards/2014_toty_winners.aspx?hkey=87b5bc55-20d7-46d1-ab18-a03e4bd4f80d#.VFg41oe0ZhI">deemed:</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>The best toy that through play helps children develop special skills and/or knowledge. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>It was especially pleasing to discover that this company has as its <a href="http://www.goldieblox.com/products/goldieblox-and-the-spinning-machine">stated aim</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>GoldieBlox is a toy company out to inspire the next generation of female engineers. Construction toys help kids develop spatial skills and get them interested in math and science. For decades it’s been a boy’s club until now. GoldieBlox is an interactive book and construction toy starring Goldie, a kid inventor who solves problems by building simple machines. It’s time to build a new story so our girls can help build our future.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The great thing about this series of toys for girls is that they encourage girls to play with construction in a context of a story that will be appealing to them. It’s not about princesses that need to be rescued and all the items are not pink. The girls are able to construct various systems of cogs and blocks to create contexts for problem solving.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/65330/original/image-20141124-19612-a1ckae.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/65330/original/image-20141124-19612-a1ckae.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/65330/original/image-20141124-19612-a1ckae.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/65330/original/image-20141124-19612-a1ckae.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/65330/original/image-20141124-19612-a1ckae.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/65330/original/image-20141124-19612-a1ckae.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/65330/original/image-20141124-19612-a1ckae.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Movie character figures have pre-determined personalities are are designed to promote the film.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nealedgeworth/5415649540">Flickr/Neal Edgeworth</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The awards did have a separate boy and girl winner category, won by a Despicable Me 2 action figure and rainbow loom (also from Goldieblox) respectively. The former was in fact from the movie franchise and as such provides limited opportunities for children to go beyond re-enacting scenes with characters that have pre-determined personalities. </p>
<p>So, while there are indeed inspiring companies that claim to support feminism, there would seem to be an overabundance of toys that are linked to particular franchises that not only maintain traditional gender roles but also restrict play, because they limit a child’s capacity to be creative with them. Hence, they can in no way be regarded as being educational.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/65321/original/image-20141124-19624-1lk1q9z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/65321/original/image-20141124-19624-1lk1q9z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/65321/original/image-20141124-19624-1lk1q9z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/65321/original/image-20141124-19624-1lk1q9z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/65321/original/image-20141124-19624-1lk1q9z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/65321/original/image-20141124-19624-1lk1q9z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/65321/original/image-20141124-19624-1lk1q9z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/65321/original/image-20141124-19624-1lk1q9z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Rainbow loom has endless combinations and projects, allowing kids’ creative juices to flow.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/shoppingdiva/11011252914/in/photolist-nEEptQ-h2EUyn-7Sqr4H-hM1Cac-hM1BQz-pbSHg9-9vc8Ne-hM2Lha-9zQPt7-dAvetq-hM27FS-jHmvCH-615wHs-jHngRv-jHngHV-jHpj33-hM2xSb-hM1CY6-hM1CS4-mTUk8e-9yQ7Kf-kKh1mn-jHngpP-pkBbaB-7cd1cG-oSnvXL-hM1BV4-kKgZXM-ngpz7F-caE3VC-hM2xBw-oMMioG-p2w9H7-BmL35-hM27YA-hM27hA-hM2LJc-hM2xy5-hM2wSq-hM2LRX-hM2xnU-pgBtfJ-hM1BZc-hM1CMp-hM2883-hM2wMf-hM27wy-hM1Cgp-hM27JC-gzrnmx">Flickr/Christine Urias</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Parents have to be involved in the learning</h2>
<p>Parents and caregivers should not be duped into thinking that learning is going to spontaneously happen if they just leave the child with the toy. The role of adults in the play environment is critical. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63702/original/9vpnzsv6-1415162494.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63702/original/9vpnzsv6-1415162494.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63702/original/9vpnzsv6-1415162494.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63702/original/9vpnzsv6-1415162494.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63702/original/9vpnzsv6-1415162494.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63702/original/9vpnzsv6-1415162494.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63702/original/9vpnzsv6-1415162494.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63702/original/9vpnzsv6-1415162494.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">You can’t just leave your child in a room with an educational toy and expect a genius to emerge.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/toymaster/491821159">Flickr/David Zellaby</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It is important for parents to realise that young children need time to explore and play, and to understand that interacting with your child when they are playing is not only a significant opportunity for them to communicate with you in a conducive environment, but also provides a catalyst for using language which is so essential for effective understandings about the world and the communication of ideas to others. </p>
<p>Many parents seem to purchase toys and learning materials with the aim that children will play with them and learn, but also in order to keep the child occupied, so they can have time for themselves to do other things. While this might be the case with good toys, it is also apparent that this play time represents a significant opportunity to explore and talk to your child so that they are scaffolded in their explorations and provided with model language they can use and extend in other settings.</p>
<p>Playing with your children is an integral role for parents who wish to provide the most effective learning environment for their child. Parents might ask children questions like, What is this? What does it do? Or, What colour is this? Can you show me…? Can you tell me how many? They should also ask questions like What do you think will happen if…? And, Can you think of another way to build/open/create…? </p>
<p>Such interactions not only enable children to identify and locate things but also provide contexts in which they can think, suggest and test ideas in a non-threatening environment.</p>
<p>So as we approach Christmas, the biggest toy buying season of the year, parents need to be a bit creative themselves and relearn how to play, and more importantly how to support their children’s learning with open ended questions as they play together with their child. The ability of toys to help kids learn is more about how they’re used than what it says on the box.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/33672/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nicola Yelland has received research funding from the ARC.</span></em></p>Being a child in the 21st century is very different, and some would say more complex, than in previous times. What remains constant is that children love playing and that play is regarded as the most effective…Nicola Yelland, Professor of Education, Victoria UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/317182014-09-18T05:27:13Z2014-09-18T05:27:13ZTransmedia storytelling with apps could expand but also exploit children’s stories<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/59330/original/jsdf48gd-1410971720.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Storytelling has come on a long way.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Millais_Boyhood_of_Raleigh.jpg">John Everett Millais/Tate</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The app market is <a href="http://www.sourcebits.com/#!/blog/category/app-marketing">estimated to generate US$77 billion</a> (£47.2 billion) in revenue each year – and the segment of children’s apps has grown particularly strongly. However, given that developing an app <a href="http://www.zco.com/blog/how-much-does-it-cost-to-develop-a-mobile-app/">costs between $10,000-70,000</a> and each only sells for usually around a dollar, an app needs thousands of downloads to ensure a return on investment. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/sep/16/superawesome-safe-mobile-ads-childrens-apps">Children’s app producers find it hard to survive</a> and are desperately searching for a sound business model.</p>
<h2>Children’s app business models</h2>
<p>After <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25748292">Apple had to refund £19.9m</a> and <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-29075417">Google £11.6m</a> to settle formal complaints over unauthorised in-app purchases by children, few would argue that in-app-purchases and in-app advertising models are appropriate for children’s software. </p>
<p>They also don’t work well in schools, a market many app-producers want to expand into. Adding app-related products such as worksheets, downloadable activities, and a bank of curriculum-related ideas may persuade the school headteacher, although whether or not the children will go for them is a different matter.</p>
<p>No wonder then that many developers of children’s apps are calling on psychologists and educators to help them <a href="http://kidscreen.com/2014/09/04/top-tips-from-gdc-next-speakers-on-designing-apps-for-kids/">understand a child’s psyche</a>, in an effort to find the element that might spark an explosion of interest and make the app “go viral”. </p>
<p>Others try to establish a bigger customer base by introducing international versions of the same app and by ensuring it runs on both Apple’s iOS and Android platforms. One business strategy which could ensure a better return on investment and introduce more innovation into the entire children’s app ecosystem is the idea of <a href="http://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2010/08/features/what-is-transmedia">transmedia</a>. </p>
<h2>Making more of a story idea</h2>
<p>Transmedia refers to extending a story across various other types of media, and is often defined as simply <a href="http://transmediacoalition.com/jstewartson/story/yes-transmedia-is-an-empty-buzzword-until-it-isnt">storytelling</a>. The emphasis is on enriching the story, not replicating it in each different medium, so that the centre of experience is the story rather than the format in which it is delivered.</p>
<p>Think of transmedia working as a rich story experience in which a specific app is just one part. With apps connected to wider stories, the story experience can be connected across various channels including books, toys, cartoons or films.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/59319/original/5d2vhbww-1410967173.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/59319/original/5d2vhbww-1410967173.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/59319/original/5d2vhbww-1410967173.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/59319/original/5d2vhbww-1410967173.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/59319/original/5d2vhbww-1410967173.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/59319/original/5d2vhbww-1410967173.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/59319/original/5d2vhbww-1410967173.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/59319/original/5d2vhbww-1410967173.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Different stories in a fictional world stretched across different media.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zenfilms/4771140077/in/set-72157624224404512">zenfilms</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Traditionally this might be seen as cultivating a franchise and its merchandising opportunities. For example the Harry Potter franchise includes a series of Harry Potter apps for fans to download in addition to reading the Harry Potter books (or listening to the audio-books), watching the films, playing with the toys, computer games, or Lego construction kits. </p>
<p>But apps could be used to provide more interesting and more absorbing transmedia experiences. For example, apps can provide different entry points to the story world, focusing on different characters, different points in the plot timeline, or from different perspectives. The interactivity and touch-sensitivity possible with phones and tablets provide potential for treatments unavailable in books or films. For example, through the story of Cinderella as revealed through a book, young children can share reading with their parents and enjoy the illustrations. With Cinderella apps, they can make the story characters move, choose the colours of Cinderella’s dress, record their own voices to tell the story and share it remotely with their friends. </p>
<p>It is the potential of apps to bring the story experience closer to the child that makes transmedia an exciting educational opportunity. It has the potential to make learning more relevant for children, link it to their skills and interests and, as the authors of <a href="http://www.joanganzcooneycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/t_is_for_transmedia.pdf">T is for Transmedia</a> write, empower them to develop “multiple literacies and multiple intelligences.” </p>
<h2>Making commercial successes</h2>
<p>There are various transmedia strategies and it’s important to be aware of the commercial motives behind many of those designed for young children. Despite JK Rowling’s explicit wish not to over-commercialise the story, Harry Potter has become <a href="http://www.economist.com/node/1858939">over-merchandised</a>. Similarly, the children’s cartoon character Dora The Explorer recently received <a href="https://theconversation.com/multicultural-dora-the-explorer-grows-up-but-she-wont-make-all-kids-bilingual-31393">mixed reviews</a> about her potential to encourage bilingual education, dragged down by endless merchandising, from toys to Dora-emblazoned children’s pyjamas.</p>
<p>The difficulty of transmedia is that it is caught between two worlds: that of sound learning models accompanied by almost philosophical academic rhetoric, and that of a tool to structure a business model.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/59318/original/nbswg26y-1410966620.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/59318/original/nbswg26y-1410966620.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/59318/original/nbswg26y-1410966620.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/59318/original/nbswg26y-1410966620.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/59318/original/nbswg26y-1410966620.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/59318/original/nbswg26y-1410966620.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/59318/original/nbswg26y-1410966620.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/59318/original/nbswg26y-1410966620.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Transmedia products require planning and forethought to bring the threads together.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zenfilms/4539892477/in/photostream/">zenfilms</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Benefits and concerns</h2>
<p>For app producers, producing transmedia apps represents an opportunity for better and more pervasive business intelligence: if apps become regular parts of children’s transmedia experiences, they become another aspect of the user’s data trial that can provide business opportunities. But this leads to concerns and criticisms.</p>
<p>First, that these strategies contribute to the increased <a href="http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/">commercialisation of childhood,</a> especially if transmedia are linked to advertising and marketing. Because transmedia capture children at various story stages, they offer the potential to grow together with the child and thus provide a convenient pathway for sustained customer engagement. This may contribute to conceptualising children as future clients rather than future readers and informed citizens. </p>
<p>Second, one should bear in mind that information privacy and security laws are often incomplete, with parents or schools having little say in what information is collected by apps. This may <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/15/technology/with-tech-taking-over-in-schools-worries-rise.html?_r=1">soon change in some US school settings</a>, but we run the danger of handing transmedia companies not just fragments of data but entire patterns of engagement, with which they could establish considerable influence on children’s lives.</p>
<p>Third but no less important, app developers need to think about the developmental stage children are at when engaging with various parts or extensions to the story. A <a href="http://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/viewFile/2612/1205">recent paper</a> summarises how the failure to take into account children’s abilities at certain ages means that they may enjoy, but not fully understand, the story. Worse, some content may be inappropriate, or simply poor quality, giving children repeat visits to something which may limit their imaginative play.</p>
<p>Transmedia may become a sound business model in addition to a noble cause, but it needs to <a href="http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/nursery-world/opinion/1144929/childre-centre-thinking-about-digital-technology">place the child at the centre</a>, follow the <a href="http://henryjenkins.org/2013/03/t-is-for-transmedia.html">general principles of good transmedia storytelling</a> and not fall into being just a marketing tool. In the relatively unregulated and rapidly changing <a href="http://gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/GLR_TechnologyGuide_final.pdf">Digital Wild West</a> of apps, this may prove easier said than done.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/31718/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Natalia Kucirkova receives funding as a KTP Associate. She is affiliated with The Open University and Booktrust.</span></em></p>The app market is estimated to generate US$77 billion (£47.2 billion) in revenue each year – and the segment of children’s apps has grown particularly strongly. However, given that developing an app costs…Natalia Kucirkova, KTP Associate for Booktrust, The Open UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/302272014-08-11T12:45:52Z2014-08-11T12:45:52ZBrain training games won’t help children do better at school<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/56170/original/k8wc7c4s-1407750432.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A quick game on the way to school won't help ace the maths test. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-175169153/stock-photo-boy-on-tablet-pc.html?src=b5u2d+IN2fA327Y59NOgeQ-1-66">Boy on tablet by Twin Design/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>There has been a big increase recently in the number of computerised <a href="http://www.braingamereview.com/online-brain-games-brain-training-programs/">“brain training” programs</a> marketed at young children. These programs make impressive claims – that they can help <a href="http://www.alcentres.co.uk/about/brain-training/">children learn better</a>, that they improve children’s <a href="http://powerbrainedu.com/">focus and memory</a>, and that they can help children <a href="http://www.learningrx.com/help-for-preschool-and-first-graders.htm">succeed in school</a>.</p>
<p>There’s no doubt that brain training is big business. But scientific evidence suggests that these claims are premature. These programs can help train children at specific tasks, but there is little evidence that this has an impact on their performance in maths, reading or other every-day activities. </p>
<h2>Working memory training</h2>
<p>Many of these brain training programmes target improvements in <a href="http://www.york.ac.uk/res/wml/Classroom%20guide.pdf">working memory</a>. Working memory is a cognitive skill that allows us to store and mentally manipulate information in our heads. It’s crucial for learning, and for all kinds of every day situations. For example, we use working memory to follow conversations, or when remembering what to buy from the supermarket. </p>
<p>Working memory has a <a href="http://cdp.sagepub.com/content/19/1/51.short">limited capacity</a>. This means that there is a limit on how much information we can hold in our minds at any one time. We know that this capacity <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/rev/114/1/104/">varies between people</a>. Children in particular have a <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/dev/40/2/177/">very small capacity</a> that increases gradually throughout childhood. </p>
<p>The idea behind brain training is similar to the way we strengthen a muscle through exercise: by constantly challenging working memory by playing difficult games, we may be able to increase its capacity. This in turn should lead to improvements in other skills that rely on working memory, such as <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2012.01854.x/full">mathematics</a>, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24389706">reading, and academic achievement</a>. That’s the idea – but does it work?</p>
<p>There has been much scientific interest in whether working memory can be improved through training. A good training study will meet two important criteria. First, it will assess whether training leads to general improvements in working memory – in other words, do children get better on <em>all</em> working memory tasks, or only on the ones they’ve been trained on? </p>
<p>Second, it’s important that the trained children are compared to an active control group. The active control group should complete similar tasks to the training group, except that their tasks shouldn’t require any working memory. This allows us to distinguish between improvements that are caused by training, and improvements caused by less interesting factors such as increased motivation, or practice at interacting with a computer.</p>
<p>Studies using these rigorous criteria have shown reliable, short-term improvements in children’s working memory following training. <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22612437">These studies</a> have used a variety of different computerised training programmes, and have tested children from five to 18 years of age.</p>
<h2>Limited transfer to the classroom</h2>
<p>It seems, then, that working memory can be trained. But very few studies have examined whether these training improvements actually extend to improvements in everyday behaviours that rely on working memory. This is a problem, since the usefulness of working memory training programs will depend upon them being able to lead to improvements in real-life behaviour. </p>
<p>There is some <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09297049.2014.899336#.U-NvCfldWVM">limited evidence</a> that working memory training may improve reading ability in seven to nine-year-olds. But a <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/desc.12068/full">second study</a> in 2013 that analysed performance on a variety of tasks found that there was no benefit of brain training to everyday skills that rely upon working memory. </p>
<p>In this study, Darren Dunning and colleagues at the University of Cambridge gave seven to nine-year-olds up to 25 sessions of either <a href="http://www.cogmed.com/">CogMed</a> working memory training or active control tasks. Then they measured whether training improved performance on additional measures of working memory, and broader skills including mathematics, reading, writing and classroom-based skills (such as following instructions). They found improvements on working memory. Crucially, however, these improvements did not extend to improvements on any of the broader skills. </p>
<p>The authors concluded that the benefits of training may be restricted only to tasks that are very similar to the tasks children have been trained on. This may be because training works by helping children to develop <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13421-014-0410-5">strategies</a> (such as using visual imagery, or verbally rehearsing the items that they need to be remember on a task), that are then difficult to apply to common everyday activities.</p>
<h2>Pinch of salt</h2>
<p>This study sheds important new light on the topic of brain training, since it suggests there are major limitations on the utility of working memory training. Further research is needed examining the effect of training on academic and everyday behavioural and learning measures. </p>
<p>We know that working memory training can improve working memory. Therefore, part of this research should involve determining how training improves working memory in the first place – for example, is it through strategy use, increased capacity, or an increase in the ability to process information quickly? This will allow us to understand definitively whether it is possible to extend these improvements to other skills. </p>
<p>Until we know the answers to these questions, we should take the impressive claims of brain training companies with a pinch of salt.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/30227/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emma Blakey receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Wellcome Trust.</span></em></p>There has been a big increase recently in the number of computerised “brain training” programs marketed at young children. These programs make impressive claims – that they can help children learn better…Emma Blakey, PhD researcher in developmental psychology, University of SheffieldLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/243192014-03-13T14:32:53Z2014-03-13T14:32:53ZBAFTA wins reflect British flavour in modern gaming<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/43843/original/36r7cf7j-1394712605.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Come on old chap, let's get you a nice cup of tea and a bourbon cream.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/smademediagalleria/9271565273/sizes/o/">smademedia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As early as 2009, Keiji Inafune, then head of R&D at games company Capcom saw the writing on the wall. “Japan is over. We’re done. Our game industry is finished,” <a href="http://www.1up.com/news/capcom-inafune-japan-games-industry%5D">he warned</a>. And the 2014 <a href="http://www.bafta.org/games/awards/">BAFTA Games Awards</a> might just have proved him right.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/43850/original/zs5qzk9p-1394715467.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/43850/original/zs5qzk9p-1394715467.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/43850/original/zs5qzk9p-1394715467.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=340&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/43850/original/zs5qzk9p-1394715467.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=340&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/43850/original/zs5qzk9p-1394715467.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=340&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/43850/original/zs5qzk9p-1394715467.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/43850/original/zs5qzk9p-1394715467.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/43850/original/zs5qzk9p-1394715467.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The papery world of Tearaway.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://tearaway.mediamolecule.com/">Mediamolecule</a></span>
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<p>The headline winner on the night was US title <a href="http://www.thelastofus.playstation.com/">The Last of Us</a>, which won best game, best story and a host of other awards, but a number of other big successes were British made. Grand Theft Auto V took best multi-player game while [Tearaway](<a href="http://tearaway.mediamolecule.com/">https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CC0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftearaway.mediamolecule.com%2F&ei=fa4hU6SILOrR7Ab774CoDQ&usg=AFQjCNF0utX3ioSTjxyzamsSm9_1xeTRNw&bvm=bv.62922401,d.ZGU</a>, a game which gets players to navigate a world made entirely of paper, was named best family title. And across the nominees and awards, the rise of a quintessentially British flavour is evident.</p>
<p>The current trend for games with a quirky edge, satirical humour and offbeat story lines is in contrast to the old days in which Japanese games ruled the roost. Something is changing and it raises the question of the relationship between games and national identity.</p>
<h2>Global games, national quirks</h2>
<p>It has been suggested that there are particular national styles of game. The British are renowned for their humour, Scandinavian games for gore and French games, according to journalist David Crookes, for a “<a href="http://www.nowgamer.com/news/912422/videogame_nation_interview.html">wide stylistic range and emotion</a>”.</p>
<p>Japanese games, on the other hand, are known for artistic graphical style and a heavily stylised form of the portrayal of violence, as can be seen in No More Heroes, Mad World or Devil May Cry. It seems that gamers have become a little tired of these values and are on the hunt for something different.</p>
<p>Tearaway and Grand Theft Auto V both offer outstanding gameplay and have been celebrated for their technical prowess but also celebrate what may be seen as quintessentially British whimsy and humour. Next to its controversial story lines, Grand Theft Auto is perhaps best known for its satirical edge as evidenced in the in-game radio stations, billboard advertising and its outrageous portrayal of American capitalism. </p>
<p>This is not necessarily a new feature of British gaming. Classic retro games such as Manic Miner and the quirky humour within the Lego Star Wars series are other examples, as are some <a href="http://www.rare.co.uk/games">Rare</a> games and <a href="http://littlebigplanet.playstation.com/">LittleBigPlanet</a> (from the makers of Tearaway), which is narrated in thoroughly British fashion by Stephen Fry.</p>
<p>But the success of games like these in the 2014 BAFTAs suggest it is in playing to such national characteristics that videogames can succeed both critically, commercially and artistically.</p>
<h2>Play like a Brit</h2>
<p>The shift is not just about artistic style either. The type of gameplay that was popular while Japan ruled the roost is on the way out too.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/43857/original/rg835tvm-1394717087.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/43857/original/rg835tvm-1394717087.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/43857/original/rg835tvm-1394717087.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/43857/original/rg835tvm-1394717087.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/43857/original/rg835tvm-1394717087.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/43857/original/rg835tvm-1394717087.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/43857/original/rg835tvm-1394717087.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/43857/original/rg835tvm-1394717087.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Animal Crossing.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/spike55151/4205252262/sizes/o/">Spike55151</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
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<p>Japanese games are known for their promotion of story lines that centre on a culture of collection, such as that seen in the hugely successful Pokemon series, or for letting players simply enjoy play rather than having specific objective or goal, like in the Animal Crossing series.</p>
<p>These different mechanisms of play are indeed seen by many as a distinctive art form but while the traits that made Japanese games so popular remain, there has not been much innovation. It’s a characteristic frequently seen in the broader Japanese political economy – iteration and improvement are more prevalent than radical innovation.</p>
<p>The rise of British games in recent years not only suggests that there is a bright future ahead for nationally distinctive innovative teams but also speaks to a bigger political picture. Defining games as nationally distinctive is, in part, a political act. In doing so, we make games part of our national heritage and might start to look at them as we would look on the work of our national artists. It’s all part of the growing place of gaming in our cultural and economic identity.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/24319/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nick Robinson receives funding from the Swedish Research Council.</span></em></p>As early as 2009, Keiji Inafune, then head of R&D at games company Capcom saw the writing on the wall. “Japan is over. We’re done. Our game industry is finished,” he warned. And the 2014 BAFTA Games…Nick Robinson, Associate Professor in Politics, University of LeedsLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/201482013-12-09T19:43:08Z2013-12-09T19:43:08ZEdu-games hit the market, but not all are are created equal<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/36007/original/zbrtvv7v-1385347524.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Games like Minecraft can be retooled to be used for spatial math puzzles, proportions, spacing and creativity, but do all games have the same educational value?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dean Groom/Flickr</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The re-purposing of video games as learning tools continues to gather pace with the recent release of high-profile educational incarnations of games like <a href="http://www.simcityedu.org/">SimCity</a> and <a href="http://minecraftedu.com/page/">Minecraft</a>.</p>
<p>Different educational games have their own different origins, and not all of them are created equal. Educational or not, schools and other institutions are being asked to place their trust in something they have historically banned or ignored. </p>
<p>So which games should educators invest their time and trust in?</p>
<h2>Just games or real learning?</h2>
<p>In the past, educational games have always differentiated themselves from commercial games – branding themselves as serious – and avoiding double-positioning of educational and commercial entertainment.</p>
<p>But now commercial game developers have have begun “edu-versioning” their best-selling entertainment titles, and extending sales through educational editions.</p>
<p>Video games are big business. It’s difficult to know exactly how big the industry is, but the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/video-games-thumped-by-apps-20130213-2edda.html">reported</a> retail sales for 2012 were A$1.161 billion, not including downloaded games and other downloadable content. </p>
<p>Interest in the potential of video games accelerated in 2008, after the Pew Research Centre <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/Commentary/2008/September/New-Pew-InternetMacArthur-Report-on-Teens-Video-Games-and-Civics.aspx">reported</a> “97% of US teens play video games.” Talk of the educational potential of games also became a popular topic for TED Talks. Jane McGonigals “<a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world.html">Gaming can make the world better</a>” or Gabe Zimmerman’s “<a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/gabe_zichermann_how_games_make_kids_smarter.html">How games make kids smarter</a>” claimed games are not only educational but transformative ways to learn.</p>
<h2>Learning re-branded</h2>
<p>Educational video games are still mainly produced by academic institutions or by commercial developers.</p>
<p>Institutions have begun working with independent developers – for example, <a href="http://www.filamentgames.com/">Filament Games</a> and <a href="http://elinemedia.com/">E-Line Media</a> – to translate academic theories and research into games. These are usually designed for student use at school.</p>
<p>Online community projects – like <a href="http://minecraftinschool.pbworks.com/">Minecraft in Schools</a> – editable by academics and others are in a similar category. These involve using an existing framework and adapting them to include lesson ideas and assessment tools.</p>
<p>Often these types of games include “teacher only” powers to enforce particular learning styles or behaviours on students. And they sit outside of institutional or commercial control, normally used independently by teachers.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Australian school teachers have taken to using educational version of Minecraft to teach spacial and numeracy skills.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Games described as educational are also sold through online stores like Apples iTunes or Google Play. Though prolific in number, they appear devoid of alignment with educational institutions and are generally cheap or free forms of entertainment.</p>
<p>The newest form of edu-game are well-funded commercial games retooled for education markets. There are several examples such as Electronic Arts’ (EA) <a href="http://www.thesims.com/">The Sims</a>, Mojang’s Minecraft and Valve’s <a href="http://www.valvesoftware.com/games/portal.html">Portal</a>. </p>
<p>Portal, rebranded <a href="http://www.teachwithportals.com/">TeachWithPortals</a>, attempts to combine Valve’s seminal game with school science problems. Here, non-gaming teachers can find resources for easier classroom implementation than in non-commercial open software games, which require some assumed knowledge.</p>
<p>But this approach is frequently criticised for fundamentally changing the nature of the game. While keeping familiar aesthetics, these adaptations shift the gaming environment to one teachers feel more comfortable with.</p>
<h2>What is a good educational game?</h2>
<p>Educational games are often sold as a “better than nothing” proposition, which demotivates some students, and does little to build a new understanding with educators about the extent new media like video games can play in education.</p>
<p>They also allow the companies developing these games to find a new educational distribution channel. For schools, this new era of educational games is a confusing mix of popular culture, social media’s ascendancy, new channels of communication, and a growing research base.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Valve has tried to leverage an existing game into an educational product, but not everyone is convinced it will helped students learn.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Numerous <a href="http://cmapspublic3.ihmc.us/rid=1KC10V38V-C21PMV-GG/Barriers%20To%20Technology.pdf">studies</a> have shown teachers must feel the digital technologies are competent and reliable – in essence, trust these technologies – in order to use them with students. </p>
<p>To establish which game-titles are better than others requires teachers to work out how learning occurs in games – empowering students to exchange ideas rather than continue to see the games as a new way of delivering the same teacher-dominated pedagogy.</p>
<p>Good educational games will provide an enriched, personalised learning experience, the ability for the teacher to alter the goals, support for both formal and informal learning opportunities and the potential for social networking. </p>
<p>Games like <a href="https://minecraft.net/">Minecraft</a>, <a href="http://www.terraria.org/">Terraria</a>, <a href="http://www.kag2d.com/en/">King Arthurs Gold</a> offer these kinds of shared spaces, co-creation, adventure, immediacy, interactivity, persistence and community.</p>
<p>Teachers have become more comfortable with some long-established games – most notably <a href="http://atlantisremixed.org/">Quest Atlantis</a> – being in classrooms as part of a broader push to bring new technology to learning.</p>
<p>A newer example is the <a href="http://splash.abc.net.au/home">ABC Splash</a> project, which combines film, book, game and live events that school-systems have struggled to sustain or maintain interest in.</p>
<h2>The good and the bad</h2>
<p>In many public schools, video-games have long been banned or locked away. Even good projects have battled internal resistance for years. </p>
<p>But times are changing, and it remains to be seen if those educational games which sell best, such as Minecraft in Schools, also become the type of dominant educational game in the future.</p>
<p>But we can’t ignore the reality that for many kids, media-rich homes, media-rich schools and progressive school cultures towards digital media is the exception not the rule. </p>
<p>And while education games are unlikely to resolve ongoing controversy over curriculum and school funding, there are signs increasing numbers of online communities are willing to develop substantive theories of how to use video-games to teach children who might otherwise not get the opportunity. </p>
<p>Video games are proving a highly disruptive technology – whether banned or embraced.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/20148/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dean Groom does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The re-purposing of video games as learning tools continues to gather pace with the recent release of high-profile educational incarnations of games like SimCity and Minecraft. Different educational games…Dean Groom, Manager, Educational Development, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.