Digital Games and Learning Perspectives
Gee (2008) argued that the fun of video games comes from solving increasingly challenging problems, in which the skills built through this problem solving may be more relevant, transferrable, and applicable to the real-world than what is taught in schools. Games provide players opportunities to build problem solving and collaboration skills as they use tools to achieve goals within the environment, much like what is required in real-world workplaces. Gee also provided examples where skill building extended beyond the defined gameplay, such as using Photoshop to modify game elements, building language skills as players discuss and share techniques through forums and guides, and practicing critical thinking and reasoning skills in order to gain agreement with other players.
Gee and Gee (2017) examined how learning through games is influenced by and influences the context of the player’s experience of the world. Within the game environment, the player uses their experience within and outside of the game to solve problems towards achieving goals in the game; outside of the game environment, players may learn from one another and external sources to solve problems related to the game, in which the skills built through these interactions can be applied to real-world experiences. In other words, games can foster new problem solving skills using new tools, new ways of interacting with new groups, and new forms of teaching and learning, all of which help lead to new possibilities in the real world.
Gee’s (2008) article focused on skill development through games and its influence on the real world, however it did not explore in detail the broader contexts in which this learning occurs. On the other hand, Gee and Gee’s (2017) article explored learning in games in the context of other learning experiences, and the mutual, reciprocal influences these experiences have on one another.
How might the new skills built through the possibilities of games help solve current and future problems in the real world?
References
Gee, J. P. (2008). Cats and portals: Video games, learning, and play. American Journal of Play, 1(2), 229-245.
Gee, E., & Gee, J. P. (2017). Games as distributed teaching and learning systems. Teachers College Record, 119(11). https://doi.org/10.1177/016146811711901202