Video Games and Learning Taylor Mar Mark Warschauer Paul Rama August 28, 2009

Overview Background Methodology Initial Findings Games Gender

Background Emerging field of video game research James Paul Gee 36 Principles

Principles Achievement Bottom-up Skill Design Discovery Identity Incremental Multimodal Multiple Routes Practice Probing Self-Knowledge Semiotic Domains

Methodology Set up and Task Data Collection Video Recording Think-Aloud Stimulated Recall Questioning Wave 1 vs. Wave 2

Participants

Computer Video Camera TV Xbox 360 Wii Gamecube Computer DV Converter

Data Analysis Principles Codes Transcriptions

Finding 1: Different games Different principles Pikmin

Super Mario Galaxy

Pikmin

Finding 2:Gender Differences Gameplay/Think Aloud

Example of Gender differences Initial Findings Code Differences Video Observations “Oh my god, no. It ate one. No, how do you fight the slug? Oh my god no. What the hell? I don’t know what to do. Am I supposed to sacrifice them? Like as he eats them he loses life. This is a really bad game, cruel game. Oh so I am supposed to surround them with him? Im gonna get reinforcements.” - Female Participant “Oh, big monster. I don’t know if I want to disturb the big monster right now. I don’t know if I get anything for it.” - Male Participant