Michelle Boule, Social Sciences Librarian at University of Houston, writes an interesting article on Serious Games that gives several examples of fascinating games that produce public awareness on various issues. These games include:

• optical communicationsDarfur is Dying (mtvU and Reebok Human Rights Foundation). A Flash-based game that promotes awareness about the genocide in Darfur. Players take on the role of a villager in Darfur and try to survive by foraging for water without being captured and killed Janjuweed. One soon realizes how dire the conditions are; you can’t really win, and that’s ultimately the point.
• Escape From Diab. This is a game that is meant to teach kids how to eat healthy. One plays a healthy youth who becomes trapped in Diab, a land where everyone eats exclusively junk food.
• Planet Green Game (Starbucks). This game creates an awareness of how one can change his or her lifestyle to slow global warming. One travels through aгардероби fantasy city and finds ways to decrease CO2 emissions.

Boule then discusses how games can help us les casino en lignejeux casino pour le fungamme com jeules jeux de casinojeu casino gratuitsjeu de roulette en lignecode bonus sans depot casinojeu de hasardtournois poker onlinegagner poker internetjeux poker virtueltelecharger poker pour macle poker gratuites sans t?l?chargementparadise poker comtelecharger poker texaspoker holdem gratuitestelechargement jeu poker gratuitespoker online compoker tour gratuitesjeu de cartejouer poker holdemjeu de poker holdem gratuiteswam poker comjouer poker en ligne gratuitestelecharger jeu pc pokertelecharger winamax pokerpoker gratuites brueljeux poker en lignejeu de carte pokercomment t?l?charger un jeu de pokerpoker gratuites sans inscriptionregle du jeu poker texasrent a car bulgariajeu de poker en flashjeux online poker tour,jeu poker tour gratuites ,poker tourle jeu vid?o pokerstrip poker en lignepocker texas holdemjeu poker gratuites a telechargertexas holdem parishigh stakes pokerplay seven card stud onlinepoker en ligne brueljeux pokerpoker hold hem gratuitespoker le jeupoker games netsexy pokerjouer au poker holdemjouer poker tour en lignetelecharger gratuitement jeux de poker,telecharger poker,telecharger jeu poker gratuites learn more about information seeking behavior: how people find the information they need when presented with various challenges. She argues that games could be built to teach information literacy and how to seek quality information among various sources to synthesize usable answers to a problem. Navigating in a world such as Second Life, “what would a 3D version of the information highway look like?” she asks.

Interesting questions. How can we create games and experiences that can foster better information skills in students?

• A common endeavor is primary, not aspects such as race, class, gender, or disability that can often hinder communication.
• Newbies, masters, and everyone else share common space
• Some portals are strong generators (whatever gives the space some content)
• Content organization is transformed by interactional organization
• Both intensive and extensive knowledge are encouraged
• Both individual and distributed knowledge are encouraged
• Dispersed knowledge is encouraged
• Tacit knowledge is encouraged and honored
• Many different forms and routes to participation
• Many different routes to status
• Leadership is porous and leaders are resources

Gee contrasts these features with those of the spaces found in typical classrooms, and

notes that in many respects, classrooms are lacking. For example, classrooms usually don’t encourage students to gain intensive knowledge, nor do they encourage distributed knowledge or multiple routes to participation. Gee poses the question: “What does it matter that schools don’t use affinity spaces? Why should they?” His answer is centered on the fact that affinity spaces have become very significant for young people today, as they are “confronted with and enter more and more affinity spaces…[and] see a different and arguably powerful vision of learning, affiliation, and identity when they do so.” (p. 89). Learning takes place within those spaces that is complex, social, and personal. Faced with the “lack of imagination” of a classroom space that seems to “pale in comparison”, Gee believes young people may start to ask the question, “Why school?”

References: Gee, J. P. (2004). Situated language and learning: A Critique of traditional schooling. London: Routledge.

With Reed expressing concerns over expanding enrollment numbers and limited classroom space, it seems that the next logical place to look is in virtual space. Over 70 universities have already built island campuses in Linden Labs’ virtual environment, Second Life. It seems to me that virtual environments are a great way to learn some things — e.g. business (e.g. virtual real estate, intellectual property concerns), economics (virtual economies, competition, cooperation), art and architecture, social science issues like diversity and discrimination, and game design among a host of other topics — but there also seem to be some serious limitations and concerns that come along with an increased reliance on online class sessions. Will the open-ended anonymous nature of the world create more distractions (e.g. what if a student comes dressed as a chimpanzee in the virtual classroom)? If the teacher becomes more like a facilitator in a virtual world, is authority undermined too much? How much guidance/control does (and should) the teacher have? Then there are all the technical issues and high bandwidth requirements, not to mention equity issues — which schools can afford the technology?

Can brain games stave off senility? Hard to say, as little research exists as of yet. But it’s interesting to see games (and educational games) continue to reach a wider audience. Brain Age is a product of Touch Generations, makers of other educational games such as Big Brain Academy.

Nintendo’s portable DS Lite system (now about $129 MSRP) also has high potential for collaborative activities in classrooms, as it offers both a local and global wireless internet interface (known as Wifi Connect) built in. This opens up possibilities for in-class group activities and also international communication.  The DS Lite features a stylus and touch screen for innovative interaction and gameplay. Trauma Center: Under the Knife is an example of a game in which players become an aspiring young surgeon who must apply antibiotic gel, use scalpels and forceps to treat patients. While its primary purpose is entertainment, it serves as an example of educational possibilities new systems can provide.

Second Life has more information on their Second Life Education Page. In their own words, “Second Life provides an opportunity to use simulation in a safe environment to enhance experiential learning, allowing individuals to practice skills, try new ideas, and learn from their mistakes.”

• They’re engaging. Unlike a traditional classroom where students passively listen to a talking head, kids and adults both want to participate actively when it comes to video games — and they might not even realize that they’re learning as they are having fun.
• They can promote computer and digital literacy. In a day where most of the jobs are increasingly dependent on technology, having a gateway to computer familiarity and comfort is a good thing.
• They can be used to promote knowledge construction. Games like Civilization 4, Zoo Tycoon 2 or Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? demonstrate games’ ability to promote a player’s learning about animals, history, geography, and so on.
• They promote ill-defined problem solving and decision-making skills. The real world is often about choosing between tough choices. Many video games are no different, with multiple choices and players deciding which path to choose.
• They can instill leadership skills. Particularly in online multiplayer games, opportunities for leadership abound.
• They typically feature characteristics that are known to be good for learning. For example, researchers highlight the importance of immediate feedback and reinforcement – seeing the results of one’s actions. And scaffolding — assisting the learner just enough to understand a concept or to learn a skill — is good for learning and found in games.
• They are a relatively safe environment to learn things. People can practice skills, try new ideas, and learn from their mistakes as they go.
• They can be used as real-world simulations. For example, surgeons can train using simulations; leaders can practice their decision making when faced with various scenarios; and software that can let people (like doctors) practice their skills when it is expensive (or deadly!) to make mistakes. Even the US Army has started to take notice — they recently released a game called America’s Army, a semi-realistic game that has been used to simulate army life. It’s been effective as a recruitment tool. When gamers refine their skills — whether it’s as a soldier, surgeon, or scientist — learning takes place.