At the beginning of this journey, I stated that I was not a gamer, and I still maintain that stance, but I have discovered I need to change that status. It is only by involving myself in the world of games that my knowledge of the genre and ability to appreciate, evaluate and eventually design games will grow. This is supported by Iacovides etal (2014, p. 621) who state “the more strongly someone identifies as a gamer, the greater their micro- and macro-involvement and the more likely they are to learn from their gaming experiences in a range of different ways”.
Educators as a point of necessity should be looking at the benefits of using gaming as part of their pedagogy, as it is a method in which to connect with ‘Millennials’ and their following generations (van Megan & Limpens, 2010, p. 274). It is also noted that games in general, not just video games can reach a wide range of learners, including those who work best visually, kinaesthetically and auditorily (Veach, 2019, p. 559). It has been my experience that young children in general will gravitate towards an electronic device, whether it be a personal computer, tablet or smart phone. I have also noticed, that even if only one child is actively playing the game others will congregate around them watching and even suggesting the next move, so that a rather unsophisticated game can be a platform for collaborative learning and a simple form of a learning community where they also communicate, network and provide peer feedback (Markey et al, 2011, p.49).
The game that I chose to create for my assessment was also intended for the students I teach. As a result of my limited gaming experience I chose a linear game. Even though linear games are not as complex as other forms of gaming, the level of the taxonomy was suitable for the level of “knowledge and comprehension” of my students (O’Brien, 2011 p.11). It should be noted that linear games present players with “clear, logical steps to perform in recalling and understanding knowledge” (O’Brien, 2011 p.11). Those characteristics are appropriate for my game and its intended audience. Making my own game has also given me a greater appreciation for the time, effort and forethought that is required, if a game is to fulfil its intended learning outcomes and endeavour to keep players immersed in game play. Creating my game has provided me a new skill, drag and drop coding, that I can share with my students.
Leading on from this point in time I have set myself goals. The first of those goals is to invest time in playing Role Playing Games better known as RPGs, but in particular to dapple in massively-multiplayer online rope-playing games, also known as MMORPGs. Choosing to participate will provide me with the opportunity to discover for myself the “variety of skills and knowledge in the course of game play” (Lee etal, 2005, p. 2040). It is my belief that only from the immersion in this type of game that I will gain the insight required to fully appreciate this type of game and how it can be beneficial in teaching and learning. Another of those goals is to further investigate “DIY Breakout EDU kits” as outlined in Veach (2019, p. 567). I believe that these types of games would benefit the older primary school children that I work with.
My venture into the world of gaming started when I decided to participate in this subject. This subject has provided a platform from which I intend to keep growing in experience, knowledge and including gaming into my teaching pedagogy.
References
Iacovides, I., McAndrew, P., Scanlon, E. & Aczel, J. (2014). The gaming involvement and informal learning framework. Simulation and Gaming, 45(4-5), 611-626. http://doi:10.1177/1046878114554191
Lee, M., Eustace, K., Fellows, G., Bytheway, A., & Irving, L. (2005). Using massively-multiplayer online role-playing games to enhance collaborative learning and teaching in Australian high school classrooms. In P. Kommers (Ed.), EDMEDIA (pp. 2039-2046). AACE.
Markey, K., Leeder, C. & St. Jean, B. (2011). Students’ behaviour playing an online information literacy game. Journal of Information Literacy, 5(2), 46-65. http://dx.doi.org/10.11645/5.2.1637
O’Brien, D. (2011). A taxonomy of educational games. In Gaming simulations: Concepts, methodologies, tools and applications. Hershey. http://doi:10.4018/978-1-60960-195-9.ch101
van Meegen, A. & Limpens, I. (2010). How serious do we need to be? Improving information literacy skills through gaming and interactive elements. Liber Quarterly, 20(2), 270-288.
Veach, C.C. (2019). Breaking out to break through: Re-imaging first-year orientations. Reference Services Review, 47 (4), 556-569. https://doi.org/10.1108/RSR-06-2019-0039