Video games for academic achievement?

— A Piktochart article review of “Our princess is in another castle: A review of trends in serious gaming for education,” by Young et al. (2013). Note: There is a transcript below.

Piktochart transcript

On a quest to investigate engaging and effective student learning through gaming, Young et al. conducted a meta analysis to ask the question: Do students experience more academic achievement when learning through video games than from traditional instructional practices?

The authors investigated more than 300 studies on video games and academic achievement and summarized trends across the topics of science, math, language learning, history, and physical education (exergames). They concluded that while there is some academic value in using video games for language learning, history, and physical education, there is little evidence of impact in the subjects of science and math. The authors concluded with a number of recommendations for video games research, and a caution that future research focused solely on game play may be “searching in the wrong castle.” Research must also incorporate affinity groups and associated activities (eg. blogs and discussion supports for hints, cheats, and modding) from which much of the learning may come. They suggest that the best way forward is through partnerships among researchers working together with educators and game players willing to experiment in the classroom, and further propose that game designers experiment by isolating the pedagogical affordances of various game mechanics when designing games for science and math.

What jumps out to me is that the authors chose not to highlight in the abstract the aspects of the science and math games that were counterproductive to learning. For science, the culprit seems to be that, rather than having a cohesive curricular sequence, science games isolate topics and lack essential questions and systematic learning objectives. The biggest insights regarding math game design are contained within table 2 from a 2008 study by Ke. Examples: Avoid poor game design where the learning is not integrated into the game play; level appropriately as hard, but doable; design for play-based communication that is learning-oriented; adopt a knowledge-construction format for game-based learning; game-based learning may not be engaging for everyone (such as the “quiet achiever”); and don’t forget about the value of the instructor — their guidance and support is critical.

Rather than a detail unworthy of mention in the abstract, don’t these findings represent important clues (and hope) for effective game design for education and a huge beacon for further research? If one is truly interested in whether students can be engaged and learn effectively through gaming, these leads need to be investigated..

Reference

Young, M. F., Slota, S., Cutter, A. B., Jalette, G., Mullin, G., Lai, B., … & Yukhymenko, M. (2012). Our princess is in another castle: A review of trends in serious gaming for education. Review of educational research, 82(1), 61-89.