Learning in Video Games

The following is a bibliography of books, websites, academic papers, and other resources that may be helpful. Please let us know if we are missing any good other resources.

Recommended books on gaming

• Shaffer, D. W. (2006). How Computer Games Help Children Learn. Palgrave Macmillan. Shaffer offers practical advice while calling parents and educators to radically transform an increasingly outdated educational system.
• Gee, J. P. (2004). Situated Language and Learning: A Critique of Traditional Schooling. London: Routledge. A good book that strives to tackle the “big ideas” about language, literacy and learning, addressing real problems facing educationalists today.
• Gee, J. P. (2003) What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. Palgrave/Macmillan: New York, NY. An excellent book on the value of video games for schools and education.
• Prensky, M. (2004). Digital Game-Based Learning. Prensky highlights the value of gaming and the skills students learn in this timely book.
• Cassell, J. and Jenkins, H., (eds.), (1999), From Barbie to Mortal Kombat: Gender and Computer Games, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA. A good book related to stereotypes and portrayal of women in games.
• Beck, J. and Wade, M. (2004). Got Game: How the Gamer Generation Is Reshaping Business Forever. Harvard Business School Press. A provocative book on how gamers develop skills differ from non-gamers useful to the business world.
• Kent, S. (2001) Three Rivers Press. The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokemon–The Story Behind the Craze That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World
• Wolf, M. (2003). The Video Game Theory Reader. Routledge. Drawing upon examples from widely popular games, this book discuss the relationship between video games and other media; the shift from third- to first-person games; gamers and the gaming community; and the important sociological, cultural, industrial, and economic issues that surround gaming.
• Aldrich, C. (2005). Learning by Doing: A Comprehensive Guide to Simulations, Computer Games, and Pedagogy in e-Learning and Other Educational Experiences. This book explains how to select, research, build, sell, deploy, and measure the right type of educational simulation for the right situation.
• Aldrich, C. (2004). Simulations and the Future of Learning: An Innovative (and Perhaps Revolutionary) Approach to e-Learning. In contrast to linear learning, Aldrich writes an excellent book on the skills students learn during e-learning, including games.

General research on games

Video Game Research Websites

• Game Research and Technology - Craig Reynolds’ excellent list of resources.
• Digital Games Research Organization (DiGRA)
• International Game Developers Association (IGDA)
• Marcprensky.com’s list
• Ludology.org - Video game researchers website
• Gamesutra.com - A site on the art and business of making games.

Selected Papers

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

Consalvo, M. (2003) Game analysis: Developing a methodological toolkit for the qualitative study of games

Manninen , T. (1999) Interaction Forms and Communicative Actions in Multiplayer Games

Parker, K. (2003) Free Play The politics of the video game From Reason Magazine via Boing Boing: http://reason.com/0404/fe.kp.free.shtml

Taylor , T. L. (2001) Living Digitally: Embodiment in Virtual Worlds From R. Schroeder (Ed.) The Social Life of Avatars:Presence and Interaction in Shared Virtual Environments. London: Springer-Verlag, 2002.

Thomas, P. and Macredie, R. (1994). Games and the design of human-computer interfaces. Educational Technology 31: 134-142.

Video Games and Aggressive Thoughts, Feelings, and Behavior in the Laboratory and in Lifehttp://www.apa.org/journals/psp/psp784772.html

Wardip-Fruin, N. and Harrigan, P. (2004). First Person : New Media as Story, Performance, and Game. MIT Press. Cambridge, MA.

Gender and gaming websites

• Game Girl Advance
• Women Gamers

Selected Papers

Bryce, J. and Rutter, J. Killing Like a Girl: Gendered Gaming and Girl Gamers Visibility in CGDC Conference Proceedings, F. Mayra (ed.), Tampere: TampereUniversity Press, 2002.

Carr, D. Contexts, Pleasures and Preferences: Girls Playing Computer Games, DiGRA Conference, 2005.

Cassell, J. and Jenkins, H., (eds.), (1999), From Barbie to Mortal Kombat: Gender and Computer Games, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.

Flanagan, M. Hyperbodies, Hyperknowledge: Women in Games, Women in Cyberpunk, and Strategies of Resistance in reload: rethinking women + cyberculture. Cambridge: MIT Press, 425-454, 2002. Kennedy, H., Lara Croft: Feminist Icon or Cyberbimbo” Game Studies, February 2002.

Kerr, A. Women Just Want to Have Fun: A Study of Adult Female Players of Digital Games in Level Up Conference Proceedings, M. Copier & J. Raessens (eds.), Utrecht: Universiteit Utrect, 2003.

Mortensen, Torill and Corneliussen, H. The Non-sense of Gender in NeverWinter Nights, Women in Games Conference, 2005.

Schott, Gareth and Horrell, Kirsty R. Girl Gamers and Their Relationship with the Gaming Culture, Convergence, v. 6, n.4, 36-53, 2000. Taylor, T.L. Multiple Pleasures: Women and Online Gaming, Convergence, v.9, n.1, 21-46, 2003.

Game-based learning

Selected Papers

Dubbels, B. (2003) Video Games as Metaphor for Learning and Curriculum Design

Egenfeldt-Nielsen, S. (2003). Review of the research on educational usage of games

Garris, R. , & Ahlers, R. (2003). Games, motivation, and learning: A research and practice model

Jenkins, H (2002). A Game Theory On How To Teach Kids , MIT Technology Review.

Keller, J. M., & Suzuki, K. (1988). Use of the ARCS motivation model in courseware design. In D. H. Jonassen (Ed.). Instructional designs for microcomputer courseware. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Malone, T.W. (1981a). Toward a theory of intrinsically motivating instruction. Cognitive Science 4: 333-369.

Malone, T.W. (1981b) What makes computer games fun? Byte 6: 258-277

Malone, T. W., & Lepper, M. R. (1987). Making learning fun: A taxonomy of intrinsic motivations for learning. In R. E. Snow & M. J. Farr (Eds.). Aptitude, learning and instruction. Volume 3: Conative and affective process Analysis. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.Rideout, V.J., Vandewater, E.A., & Wartella, E.A. (2003) Zero to Six: Electronic Media in the Lives of Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers.

Rieber, L. P. (1996). Seriously considering play: Designing interactive learning environments based on the blending of microworlds, simulations, and games. Educational Technology Research & Development, 44(2), 43-58.

Rivers, R. (1990). The role of games and cognitive models in the understanding of complex dynamic systems. In: Proceedings of INTERACT ‘90, Diaper, D. et al (eds.), Elsevier, North Holland, pp. 87-92.

Squire, K. (2002) Video Games in Education.

Academic Projects and Organizations

• BECTA - British Educational Computer and Technology Association
• DigiPlay - Universities of Manchester and Central Lancashire
• E-GEMS - Electronic Games for Education in math and Science
• Learning Federation American Federation of Scientists, Microsoft, et al.
• MIT Games To Teach Project - MIT
• TEEM - Teachers Evaluating Educational Multimedia

Company Websites

• Cognitoy
• Games2train
• Learningware
• Games by Thiagi
• Imparta
• Immersive Education Ltd
• The Lightspan Partnership
• Lucas Learning
• MaK Technologies
• MBA Games
• Monte CristoGames
• SimuLearn
• StageCast
• TeleBeans
• Think3
• Transmedia
• Visualpurple
• Willinteractive.com
• Learningcompany
• Scholastic
• Virtual-U

Research on MMOGs and MMORPGs

• TerraNova - blog for online massively multiplayer online games (MMOG and MMORPG) games research
• The Daedalus Project - Nick Yee’s extensive statistics and research page on MMOGs.
• MMOGCHART.COM - Demographics and statistics of MMORPG players.

Video game research journals

• Game Studies - International Journal of Computer Game Research - a crossdisciplinary journal on game research.
• Games and Culture - A journal published by Sage Publications.