Gee explored the relationship between video games, play, and learning. Gee’s (2008) article “Cats and portals: Video games, learning, and play” examined how good video games such as Portal or Yu-Gi-Oh with explicit rules to follow (i.e., the laws of physics and the law of conservation of momentum) can incite inquiry among its users. Gee argued that much like a cat’s curiosity when playing with its environment, learners could use video games to spark curiosity with play that could lead to skills being developed, passions being created, or careers being pursued. However, while Gee examined how players could use Portal to learn about the laws of physics, does the same idea of games and learning apply to games that focus more on narrative and themes (i.e., Papers Please or Life is Strange)? 

Gee and Gee (2017) continued analyzing how games could deepen learning and promote engagement in “Games as distributed teaching and learning systems.” Gee and Gee sought to provide a theoretical framework for students to use digital games to create and engage in new forms of conversation. They concluded that DTAL systems offer those opportunities to experience learning in the virtual world, and what students learn in the virtual world could be brought into the real world. For example, does the popularity boom of Twitch promote positive or negative conversations amongst players, and how would Gee and Gee view its use? 

The most prominent similarity between the two articles is that both argue that video games are an untapped source of teaching tools that can promote student engagement and teach skills needed in the 21st century (i.e., creating dialogues with others and AI in video games). The theoretical disparities between the articles are that Gee (2008) focused more on students playing good video games and taking their skills into real-world applications. Gee and Gee (2017) concluded that using DTAL systems promoted the development of linguistic skills in “turn-taking” conversations. These differences focus more on which aspect of learning occurs when playing video games. However, Gee and Gee’s (2017) findings are a natural progression from Gee’s (2008) in the educational use of video games.

References

Gee, J. P. (2008). Cats and portals: Video games, learning, and play. American Journal of Play, 1(2), 229.

Gee, E., & Gee, J. P. (2017). Games as distributed teaching and learning systems. Teachers College Record, 119(11).