Using edutainment software to enhance online learning.

Students entering high school and college today grew up playing digital games. It is part of their culture and they are comfortable with the media. Like it or not, the games have changed the way current students learn. Unfortunately, teachers are often reluctant to change the way they teach or to incorporate games into their pedagogy. This article describes the different game genres available, examines reasons why teachers may or may not want to include digital games as pedagogy, and explains how students who grew up playing games are different from non-gamers. Also addressed are the characteristics of a "good" game and the important role game developers play in the creation of games, which are suitable for educational purposes.

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Digital games have been around for over 25 years (Bryce & Rutter, 2003) so today's college students grew up playing digital games as part of their culture. The amount of time children spend playing digital games varies with age and gender. On average, the children between 2 and 18 years of age spend 20-33 minutes a day playing digital games. Boys between the age of 8 and 13 spend the most time playing digital games with an average of 47 minutes per day. In fact, statistics indicate that boys play substantially more than girls in all age groups (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2002). Although these reports don't discern what type of digital games kids are playing, chances are good that they are playing some of the more popular games such as Grand Theft Auto III[c] and not edutainment type software. Edutainment is a hybrid game genre that relies heavily on visuals and narratives or game formats but also incorporates some type of learning objective (Okan, 2003). The main purpose of edutainment is to promote student learning through exploration, interactivity, trial and error, and repetition in such a way that students get so lost in the fun, that they don't realize they are learning at the same time. Government institutions, such the military, are using digital games for training to simulate real situations. Medical and dental schools often use digital game-type software to teach medical procedures. Unfortunately, most commercial edutainment software is inferior to the popular games. Are digital games even appropriate for use in school and workforce training? If the curriculum were effectively integrated into high quality digital games, would students spend more time on schoolwork and therefore learn more deeply what they are suppose to learn? To answer these questions, first the prevailing arguments against the use of digital games in education will be presented. Second, the cognitive effects of playing digital games will be explored to determine if digital games are appropriate in school. Third, the elements of a high quality digital game will be identified and finally, the role of game developers in creating educational games will be presented.

COMPUTER USAGE IN EDUCATION

By playing digital games, students exercise various skills such as strategizing, and problem solving to conquer the enemy, save the princess, or find the hidden treasure. Computer game genres include action, adventure, strategy, or simulation. Action games require fast reflexes, coordination ability, and tactical reasoning; adventure games require logical thinking and persistence; and strategy games require analytical skills and coolheaded tactics to be successful. The most important quality of simulation software is that it must look and feel real, giving the user the feeling of actually being in the depicted situation. Some simulation games allow users to create their own scenarios (Game Research, 2006). Other digital games are multiplayer, where students navigate through environments, locating and interacting with fellow players as they complete a learning mission (Foreman, 2004). Playing games challenges students, arouses their curiosity, develops their creativity and brings great pleasure and a sense of accomplishment. When adults and children are having fun, they are more willing to pay attention, participate enthusiastically, and since their stress level is lower, they are more receptive to learning. The positive emotion of laughter is tied to positive emotions that allow the brain to make better perceptual maps (Baranich & Currie, 2004).

Because of their popularity, motivating nature, interactivity, and skill development ability, games have many potential uses in education and are beginning to appear more frequently in training and educational settings. In fact, scholars suggest that games should be used in education since that is the way current students are learning (Hostetter & Clemens, 2002; Gros, 2003). In today's world, adults are required to retrieve, evaluate, and process information quickly. Aside from developing technology skills, games are most useful in providing practice for the adult world by (a) ...