In Gee’s article “Good Video Games and Good Learning”, he talks about the motivating factors behind student learning and achievement. He begins with the premise that what makes good video games “motivating and entertaining” is the “challenge and learning” these games provide and that “Humans actually enjoy learning” (34).
This article was interesting to me, as while I read the article, the thought that kept coming back to me was that “yes, these characteristics/reasons he’s giving why games can teach students to learn are valid. However, these are characteristics which are prevalent in all forms of effective learning” and that “if learning were to engage learners in such a manner without being in the form of video games, it’d be equally effective.” It turns out that such an idea is actually presented in Gee’s conclusion, as he says, “so the question that I leave you with is not about the use of games in school – though using them is a good idea – but this: How can we make learning in and out of school, with or without using games, more game-like in the sense of using the sorts of learning principles that young people see in good games every day, when and if they are playing these games reflectively and strategically?” (37).