Alex Taubman Mentor: Professor Warschauer August 28, 2009 Video Games and Learning Alex Taubman Mentor: Professor Warschauer August 28, 2009
My Research Question James Paul Gee
Differences in Gaming Socio-economic status Gender Amount of experience with games
The Games
The Survey
Survey Statistics 0/17 considered “hardcore” gamer/addict 5/17 considered themselves gamers these 5 we consider “expert gamers” other 12 are “amateur gamers” 12/17 subjects had played video games within the last week.
Common Codes Probing Principle – the gamer takes an action and forms a hypothesis to determine the usefulness of an action Discovery Principle – the gamer learns something new within the game Design Principle – the gamer learns or reflects upon a design decision Semiotic Domains Principle – the gamer masters sign systems and symbols within the game so strongly that they have mastery over a specific aspect
Expert vs. Amateur Gamer - Pikmin Expert Gamer – 93 total codes Amateur Gamer – 62 total codes
Future Plans Statistical Analysis: correlations, cross-tabs. Develop more information regarding differences in gaming between socio-economic status gender expert/amateur Systematic video observation Reflective practice