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Digital Game-Based Learning and public libraries

by Jessica Field

Introduction

Public libraries, while not being formal institutions of learning, have traditionally existed to provide public access to informal, lifelong learning, and have acted as gateways to new information technologies (Gilton, 2016, p. 3). From typewriters, to the first personal computers, print services and the Internet, to modern computers, handheld devices such as tablets, 3D printing, video gaming, even virtual reality technologies, public libraries allow the community to experience and embrace new technologies for the first time with positive assistance and encouragement from knowledgeable, confident and competent staff. Often public libraries are the only place that many people can access these technologies and try them out before they became more affordable and commonplace in the home or at work (Slatter and Howard, 2013, p.3, referencing Anstice 2012). Thus, public libraries often play a significant role in supporting the rise of new technologies and concepts by recognising their uses and promoting awareness of them to the community.

As our world becomes ever more technologically advanced, libraries need to keep up with new and changing technology, and the associated trends and implications as well as trends in entertainment and education to remain relevant to the public we serve. Libraries already facilitate learning, bridging the digital divide by offering continued assistance and training in computer literacy skills as well as offering a greater range of language and literacy programmes, classes and workshops aimed at differing age and competency levels. Digital game based learning (DGBL) is a relatively new concept, but the potential of learning through video gaming is very promising and the positive aspects are becoming increasingly recognised (Gumulak and Webber, 2010, p. 242). Promoting this new approach to learning aligns with the long-standing library tradition of facilitating knowledge creation and providing equal opportunity for our patrons to access technology, information and knowledge in a positive environment (Australian Library and Information Association, 2014, p. 15). Many public libraries already offer gaming facilities, and have begun to incorporate DGBL into their programs and activities in various ways, such as providing Minecraft servers and hosting events for patrons involving Minecraft in the library (Cilauro, 2015, p. 87). Embracing and making DGBL visible and accessible in the library is our contribution to positively engaging the community with the concept and promoting DGBL both in the classroom and in informal learning settings. Using current literature and research, this chapter will investigate the positive aspects of DGBL, the benefits of embracing DGBL in public libraries, and look at some of the ways public libraries can support the rise of DGBL in formal and informal lifelong learning contexts.

What is DGBL?

Digital game based learning, or DGBL, refers to an instructional method that draws on the constructivist theory of education, engaging learners by connecting educational content or learning principles with games played on digital devices such as computers, video gaming consoles, even smartphones and tablets, and can be applied in almost all subjects and skill levels (Coffey, 2013, para 1). Good video games incorporate good learning principles which are in fact supported by current research in cognitive science, because they players must be able to learn how to play the games, and the game must be able to teach them and strike a balance at just the right point between “too easy” and “too challenging” while retaining their entertainment value (Gee, 2005, p. 33). Despite video games, or digital games having made their way into classrooms for some years now, many still think of such games as being for entertainment purposes.

Benefits of learning through games

While it is generally true that games and simulations are usually associated with recreation, entertainment, and socialisation, they can also promote critical thinking, strategic thinking, and other goals of information literacy instruction (Gilton, 2016, p. 36). Digital games are a part of life for many children and young people, and the use of games as learning media has the potential to highly increase student levels of engagement with educational content as they are highly motivating, stimulate collaboration and improved social interaction, improve problem solving abilities, creativity, innovation and digital literacy skills (Victoria State Government Education and Training Department, 2017, para 2).

There are several different ways in which DGBL is typically implemented in classroom or educational settings. One is to have students build games from scratch, taking on the role of game designer and developing problem solving skills while they learn programming languages, an option which requires certain knowledge, skill sets, access to equipment, and time constraints that can restrict how widely this approach can be used (Van Eck, 2005, p. 20). Another is for educators and/or developers to build educational games with specific learning goals aligned with the game content, seamlessly integrating learning and game play, ideally combining all the best features of game design and entertainment value while incorporating educational content in a meaningful and engaging way (Van Eck, 2005). These types of “serious games” are being developed with more frequency, but the process takes time and resources and developers tend to devote far more time to commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) games (Van Eck, 2005, p. 21). So, COTS games can be (and have been) incorporated into classroom use as well as educational games, as many gamers will complete challenging educational and commercial games with equal determination and enjoyment, provided the game is of good quality and playability (Gumulak and Webber, 2010, p. 242). It is not just explicitly educational games which can be educational, or appropriated for educational purposes. Game franchises like Age of Empires, Civilisations and Rome: Total War are highly popular and while they are not necessarily totally accurate portrayals of the subject at hand, they can inspire interest in the subject while offering educators the opportunity to use these “teachable moments” where topic content is missing or inaccurate to create “cognitive disequilibrium (through instructional strategies and activities) by presenting or designing activities by which students discover information that conflicts with the game and the student’s knowledge” (Van Eck, 2005, p. 24).

Games are also good for better interactive contextual learning for work environments, promoting active learning, learning by doing, and building higher confidence and skills risk-free prior to real world situations (Gilton, 2016, p. 38). In the work training context, a game might be more often referred to more seriously as a “simulation. Simulations are often developed to be serious learning tools for specific purposes, often involving collaboration with a commercial game developer and an institution, educational, corporate or otherwise, to create the most effective, best quality end-product. Such simulations for training purposes are being taken more seriously than ever before. A ground-breaking new game simulator has been developed by the University of Newcastle between the university’s School of Nursing and Midwifery and Innovation Team. The simulation uses virtual reality headsets to immerse the “player” student into the emergency neonatal resuscitation situation. The aim of the technology, according to Innovation Manager Craig Williams, is “to fuse the separate parts of learning that students gain in theory, labs and work placement into a virtual simulation that lets them experience the pressure of what really is a life or death situation in the safe, repeatable environment of VR” (Griffith, 2017, para 10). The students trialling the simulation have responded positively, advocating that the simulation makes learning key anatomy and birthing techniques much easier than reading from a textbook, as the simulation is realised visually right in front of the player, and has resulted in higher confidence in their abilities in real life situations (Beaumont, 2017, p. 9). It’s easy to see the benefits of this type of game-based-learning, to improve the learning experience for people in such vital jobs. Imagine being able to access similar work-related simulations in for other professions, at home or in your local library. Improving the perception of DGBL will help inspire the development of other such simulations as awareness of their potential and associated benefits spreads.

Why should public libraries promote DGBL?

Public libraries are not centres of learning in the same way that schools and formal educational institutions are, but we support learning at all levels, promoting lifelong learning, early literacy and adult literacy and offering educational programmes for children and adults (Khan and Bhatti, 2012, para 11). We are historically the place where the public can access new technologies to try them out and get used to the idea of them before they become common in the home, e.g. typewriters, computers, printers, 3D printers, and even in some cases, video gaming systems. We provide resources such as computers, internet access, physical books and journals, and access to digital resources such as online database subscriptions, participating in the process of generating and distributing information and knowledge for quality of life and education for all (Khan and Bhatti, 2012, para 14). We are also a place where job-seekers come to use our facilities to apply for jobs, improve their digital literacy and other work-related skills. Providing access to online resources such as ejournals, ebooks, eaudiobooks, digital music, emagazines, etc. has helped to normalise them as a concept and help the public adjust to the new additions to their lives brought on by the rapid rise of digitisation. By providing access and promoting use, we helped promote computers and the internet as acceptable tools for study, work, job-seeking and informal learning. We can do the same with DGBL, and help our own cause in proving ourselves useful and relevant to our communities.

The research efforts of Liz Danforth (2011), Richard Van Eck (2006), and others provide us with many reasons to use games and gaming, and to promote their use in public libraries. Games fit the mission of libraries to promote literacy and informal learning as they encourage reading and information literacy, and are great for students with diverse learning styles, by people of all ages, families, and other intergenerational groups (Gilton, 2016, p. 37). Capitalising on the popularity of games creates an opportunity for public libraries to digitally connect with young people in virtual and real spaces, and in the case of certain games, such as history-based games like Civilisation, help create an interest in subject areas that the library can supply with items from elsewhere in the collection, such as history books (Squire and Steinkuehler, 2005, p. 41), increasing loans and utilisation of the collection. Games can also inspire game-based novels, such as the Assassin’s Creed, Mass Effect and Dragon Age franchises, which the library can acquire to tempt the reading palate of young people and interested persons (Gilton, 2016, p. 37). DGBL activities are well suited to an informal learning space such as public libraries as they are not tied to curriculums, and there is no pressure to complete a project or program as there is no need for grades or tests. In an informal space, the role of the librarian in an informal setting is to facilitate rather than teach, and learners are free to explore a topic, make mistakes, and work on their own ideas at their own pace as there are no requirements other than having fun (Glendening, 2016, p. 3).

Ways to use and promote DGBL in libraries

One of the first, simplest things a library can do to assist in promoting DGBL as a concept is to carry games for loan. More specifically, games and game franchises commonly used as part of DGBL activities such as the Civilisation games, Sim City, Age of Empires, Age of Mythology, and The Sims games, Rome: Total War, Rise of Nations, Roller Coaster Tycoon, Animal Crossing, Sid Meier’s Pirates! and others, all of which are engaging COTS games which have interesting connections to areas of traditional interest to libraries including history, urban planning, business, engineering, family planning, architecture, and interior design (Squire and Steinkuehler, 2005, p. 41).

Setting up workstations with games and even employment-related training simulations for play in-branch, or hosting gaming events is another option. According to Squire and Steinkuehler (2005), when Santa Monica Public Library, CA, hosted gaming nights for teens to come and play games, the positive benefits were high. Not only did the event reorient young people towards the library and allow librarians insight into youth culture, but half of the students who attend game nights and played games such as Age of Empires, Civilisation, or Rome: Total War ended up borrowing a book based on an interest generated through gameplay. Such games require serious thought and stimulate an interest in multiple topics including history, politics, economics, and geography. For many, they raise curiosity, spark passions, and inspire lifelong interests, and should be included and promoted in public library collections for these reasons (Squire and Steinkuehler, 2005, p. 41).

Some public libraries combine their summer reading programs with games, where players are rewarded for reading books and doing other activities promoting learning (Gilton, 2016, p. 39), such as creating group activities combining play and learning centred around Minecraft, an extremely popular educational and creative game which often features in classrooms as an engaging building and planning tool for young people. According to Cilauro (2015, p. 87), hosting a Minecraft server or a Minecraft themed gaming event in the library “demonstrates how young people and librarians can work together to creatively promote social inclusion, literacy building and inter-generational learning”. Gauquier and Schneider (2013, p. 18) describe a highly effective and well received summer reading program held for teenagers at Darien Library which included an Olympic themed Minecraft event in the library, where interested teenagers used their skills to create and moderate the Darien Minecraft Olympics for participating children and young adults on the library’s Minecraft server, an online event which included competitions for players such as archery, climbing, pig rodeo, Minecart racing, and an obstacle course.

Finally, public libraries may not necessarily need to incorporate actual video game learning to promote DGBL, but can use the mechanics and principals of gaming such as rules, goals and challenges to create games in the library (a process known as “gamification), e.g. hosting “big games” like Zombie hunts (Minecraft or otherwise), where everyday objects and even staff members become part of the game. This type of activity demonstrates how the same principles found in games promote learning, and is a fun activity for children and families while still favourably promoting DGBL as a concept (Gilton, 2016, p. 38).

Summary

Public libraries are centres of informal learning and places where people can experience new technology and technological concepts for the first time. Digital game based learning is one such concept, with potential benefits for classroom learning, workplace related learning and informal study. Public libraries can benefit from embracing DGBL, for their own programmes and services and for the longevity of public libraries in general, and in doing so assist to positively promote awareness of DGBL and its associated benefits in the digital age. Digital game based learning has multiple benefits for students of varying ages including increased motivation, and ability to appropriately apply knowledge in context. There are different ways in which public libraries can promote and utilise DGBL for the benefit of all, including keeping games in the collection and hosting game-based events for popular games used often for DGBL, such as Minecraft. It is in the interest of public libraries to move towards the digital and encourage customers to do the same while providing facilities for people to help bridge the digital divide. We need to keep ourselves relevant in the digital age, and we should embrace new educational and technological evolutions such as DGBL without reservation.

References:

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Beaumont, A. (2017, May 26). I see you, baby: The tech that virtually puts theory to the test. The Newcastle Herald, p. 9.

Cilauro, R. (2015). Community building through a public library Minecraft Gaming Day. The Australian Library Journal. 64 (2). Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/10.1080/00049670.2015.1015209

Coffey, H. (2013) Digital game based learning. Learn NC, University of North Carolina http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/4970

Danforth, L. (2011). Why game learning works. Library Journal, 136(7), 67-n/a. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/docview/860229727?accountid=10344

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Glendening, M. L. (2016). From video games to real life: Tapping into minecraft to inspire creativity and learning in the library : Inspiring creativity and learning in the library. [Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited]. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/ehost/detail/detail?sid=9617b0cf-4172-48e5-b5f9-c39af5af4da4%40sessionmgr4010&vid=0&hid=4107&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=1345802&db=nlebk

Griffith, C. (2017, May 26).  University of Newcastle builds VR experiences to save babies’ lives. The Australian. Retrieved from http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/university-of-newcastle-builds-vr-experiences-to-save-babies-lives/news-story/8ad4aa82e981eb876c533b3181af84a2

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