Educational technology is essential to help children develop a digital literacy, but there are still questions about the effectiveness of educational technology – particularly when it comes to games and simulations, which have become known for for their entertainment qualities than their persuasive or educational abilities.
Although the games for learning field is still young, scholars can count on several “facts” about games that make them perfect for teaching and learning. This series of blog posts will investigate these game facts.
Previously, we discussed active learning environment of games, flow, and the Proteus effect.
4) Well-drawn video games can create passionate affinity groups. Kids should be that excited and passionate about science.
Affinity groups are what differentiate a good video game and a great, truly engaging video game. Affinity groups are defined by James Paul Gee as “a group that is bonded primarily through shared endeavors, goals and practices.” In his writing, he uses affinity groups to describe game players who go beyond simply playing the game and reach out to other players, those with the similar experiences playing through a game who might have questions, opinions or even ideas on how to enhance and improve play. In the age of the Internet affinity groups can form around even the most obscure of subjects, and the passion of group members leads to a myriad of creative expression.
Affinity groups don’t exclusively come out of video games, but games are a popular source for affinity groups to band together in, especially in online games where players directly interact and create bonds that can expand offline. World of Warcraft in particular is treated as the gold standard example for affinity groups, as players not only discuss the game on online forums and produce fan works to supplement game play, they build “mods” or modifications to enhance the gameplay experience for all, whether to make play easier for some players, provide a more complex experience with more detailed information or change the experience of play with simple aesthetic tweaks. The Sims series is another industry leader in affinity groups; player-created clothes, Sims, houses, and mods have been embraced by parent company EA, enough to design easy ways to connect the single-player experience with an online profile and easy access to a community of designers and enthusiasts.
If learning could be crafted to create such affinity groups, the students’ own passions and interests could fuel them to tackle difficult concepts and engage in their own educations.
Tracy Carlin is a Communications and Public Policy Intern at SIIA. She is also a first year graduate student at Georgetown University’s Communication, Culture and Technology program where she focuses on intersections in education, video games and gender.