Discussion: A new generation of learners has difficulty sitting still in a classroom listening to a teacher lecture, and do not have the patience to read a novel, yet they can sit and play a video game for hours. Through mobile games they can memorize move combinations, navigate maps with ease, and create complex worlds. Traditionally digital games have been ‘closed’, in the sense that the experiences were limited to the world created by the game developers, but now, with AI, gaming experience can be open, essential infinite, and personal, perhaps indistinguishable from real world experience. On a more philosophical level, every dimension of real life can be characterized as a game (going to the store, having dinner with friends, baking bread, etc.) so mobile intelligence introduces the possibility of the augmented gamification of everything we do.
523 Inspiration: With the concept of mobile games in mind, authentic educational games for a variety of topics or subjects are being developed for the mobile user – whether it is integrated into a collaborative classroom experience, or an on-the-go way of learning. Mobile Games could become essential for many kinds of learning contexts, and for reaching those learners who have difficulty in a traditional learning setting.
In previous course ETEC, I learnt Gamification and Game based learning are two different terms which are used for learning in the classroom. Gamification included use of different rewards or system to extrinsically motivate learners in the classroom. But the Game-based learning included the games to teach or reinforce the concepts to the learners. This intrinsically motivates learners. It also improves the engagement level in learning and provides students with tailored scaffolding. For example, the teaching tool IXL has been widely used by educators because it has included active learning through different evidences (clues, levels, rewards achieved) but has had ability to assign practices meeting individual needs.
AI based games are further interactive and customises according to the prompts to make it challenging for students. Although, I haven’t checked the AI driven games yet but I have used Gemini created tests which are more target-based and shows the results and correct answers with explanations.
For high school classes, I see learners getting more engaged in whole class plays than individual where they compete with each other. They learn and practice difficult concepts (exam questions) which may be difficult to teach in the classroom with teacher guidance.
Mobile Games results can be collected as data to make analysis and helps both teachers and students to find the improvement areas.
Personally, I like using games in the class at the beginning or the end of the week to check the level of acquired learning and plan the future class content.
Mobile games intrigue me because of their potential to reshape learning and learner engagement; modern learners are increasingly accustomed to interactive, technology-mediated environments, which may influence their expectations of traditional classroom instruction. Online gamers spend hours daily on their platforms; juxtapose this with learning, and it shows they can remain highly engaged while developing skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, memory, decision-making, collaboration, and spatial awareness. Of note, physical libraries are becoming obsolete as all the information is a click away; will this be the same for the brick-and-mortar classroom environment? As such, an opportunity exists with mobile games to move beyond passive learning toward experiences in which learners actively explore, create, make decisions, receive instant feedback, and develop knowledge.
As hjzheng noted, play is so essential to fostering engagement in learners. I’ve observed this in my role as an elementary music educator. Quite often when teaching a musical concept to my learners, we may learn it through singing or percussive games, a dance, or sometimes even web-based music games. These are ways I’ve seen first hand the potential for games to get students engaged in learning something as abstract and theoretical as music can be, but I also have concerns about their growing use. I’ve seen how educators are often pressured to partake in the “gamifying of education,” and I worry that students may come to view all learning as a game, when sometimes they actually have to get away from a “gamed” activity and do traditional work.
Game based learning can be an incredible tool, especially for learners that find it difficult to engage with a subject naturally. My oldest son is autistic and is incredibly capable of doing the subject matter but easily gets overwhelmed when he sees an entire textbook that is to be done throughout the year. He sees it as something that has to be done all at once. Last year, his school used a game based Math and English program called Prodigy where upon completing certain levels in the game you obtained different objects that helped you perform the magical spells required to advance in the game. It became a competition for him with his classmates and as a grade 2 student was able to advance his math skills to a grade 4 level by the end of the year. This may not work for all learners, but I fail to see how it could inhibit the learning of anyone, while at the same time providing a clear win for differently abled individuals.
Mobile games are of interest to me because of their potential to make game-based learning accessible to a broader range of learners (and if you looked at my Screen Time app, you’d see that I can speak first hand to the the ability of mobile game designers to keep their players engaged on their platform). While this discussion above highlights the age of mobile game users, I think gender is another important consideration. Looking at broad discussions of “gamers,” men have traditionally spent significantly more time and money on console and PC gaming, but that gap narrows considerably when looking at mobile games. Research such as Newzoo’s Global Gamer Study has shown that women spend a comparable amount of time, and in some cases slightly more, playing mobile games. This makes me curious about who we can reach through mobile game-based learning who may not otherwise identify as a “gamer.”
In a previous ETEC course, we explored the gamification of learning and the important distinction between active learning and critical learning through games. Active learning can occur naturally as players experiment, problem-solve, and learn mechanics through experience. Critical learning requires something further: opportunities to reflect on the experience, make connections, and consider why particular strategies or choices were successful. From my professional perspective in higher education, I am particularly interested in how mobile games could effectively incorporate both. For example, could a university Orientation game encourage students to actively explore a university campus while also prompting them to reflect on their developing sense of belonging, confidence, or knowledge of available supports? For me, that combination could move mobile games beyond simply providing motivation to engage with a learning tool, toward creating genuinely meaningful learning experiences.
Mobility Games is interesting to me because, in my role as an elementary administrator, I see how difficult it can be for some students to engage with traditional classroom learning. Games can provide another way for students to learn, practise skills, problem-solve, and collaborate while making learning feel more engaging. I’m especially interested in how AI could make these experiences more personalized by adapting to students’ needs, interests, and abilities. At the same time, I think we need to be careful that the game is supporting meaningful learning and not simply keeping students entertained.
Play is not something we grow out of – it’s one of the ways we naturally explore, experiment, solve problems, and learn. “Playing” comes very naturally to humans and encourages curiosity, experimentation and a willingness to make mistakes at a low cost. The power of mobile games stems from making learning not feel like something we have to do but rather something that happens by simply playing. To me, the most compelling applications will be those ones that amplify fundamental human tendencies toward curiosity, play, and discovery. I would be most interested in technologies that amplify natural human learning behaviours rather than ones that replace them.
I taught Math and Science to grades 3-5, and I noticed something interesting — the same kids who needed extra encouragement to stay engaged in a regular lesson would stay completely locked in during something like a Kahoot quiz, way more than they ever did with a worksheet covering the same material. It made me think about how much of that focus we could bring into actual teaching, not because lessons weren’t working, but because games tap into a different kind of motivation. I think there’s real potential here for reaching kids who learn differently or need more variety than a traditional lesson offers. The one thing I’d watch for is making sure the game doesn’t feel like a disguised worksheet — kids can tell right away, and that’s when they lose interest fast.
Mobile Games is particularly compelling to me because of its potential to engage learners across different age groups. For younger learners, games can provide the motivation to develop new skills, while for older learners, they can offer an engaging way to practise and strengthen existing knowledge. In my current work, we are exploring the challenge of finding the right balance between creating enjoyable math games and maintaining their educational purpose. It’s also interesting to see in the development side of this frontier, particularly how developers can design games that are genuinely fun and engaging while still effectively supporting learning.
Working in the primary grades, games are already an integral part of learning. Games incorporate the benefits of play without relying heavily on reading and writing – skills that many young learners are still developing. I believe the role of mobile games in early childhood education, particularly with the integration of AI, will become an increasingly important topic of discussion. Currently, digital games for younger students are often used as time fillers or provide rather rudimentary learning experiences. The development of more complex mobile games could create meaningful, interactive learning opportunities that students may not normally be able to access, particularly when combined with augmented reality.
Hi Alyssa,
For my ETEC 544 analytical review assignment, I chose Minecraft as my game of choice. My sons worked together to build a Japanese castle that one might find during the time of the Samurai. The many levels of play and challenge included in the game were fascinating. The dexterity of managing the controller, avoiding threats from zombies and other creatures, and mining minerals to build your own tools to create a visionary world made for a meaningful, interactive learning experience. I have been awkward with gameplay since childhood. My consistent argument is that digital game-based learning may not be for everyone, but it is certainly an effective tool to integrate into the classroom.