Day 1 Morning

"What are feelings about video games in general?"

I'm an avid gamer myself. I think video games are an excellent, interactive, and engaging passtime. I think the gaming industry is set for major growth as people crave more interactive entertainment options.

"What are your feelings about video games as learning tools?"

I first realized the educational potential of video games as an undergraduate at UNCW. I was ahead of my classmates in Western Civ. largely due to my time spent playing Sid Meier's Civilization series. That game allowed me to understand many of the fundamental technologies, developments, and key points in history while enjoying a fun and challenging strategy game.

As I began my graduate studies in Instructional Technology, the educational value of gaming was re-affirmed. I realized that the best video games and the ones with the most educational potential were those that made learning seamless and almost subconscious. For example, in the online game, World of Warcraft, the interface allows fluid access to pertinent game-related knowledge, just-in-time, and in a format that integrates smoothly with the game itself. So, I began to wonder, "What is it that the game designers know, that we, as instructional designers could learn from? How can I design instruction that models what I experience in the game world?" Thus, begins my "quest" for understanding!

"Why is it that I and my students can navigate an expansive, online virtual world that doesn't exist? How is that we understand the political interactions of fictitious factions? How can we understand the mathematics of our character's combat abilities and the complex formulas affecting our performance? ...all without spending time in a traditional classroom?"

No, an understanding of how much my damage output will increase by the addition of one point of agility to my statistics isn't practical knowledge in the real world, however, I understand it and thus, learning has occurred. How can I teach science like this?

-Lucas