Games in the classroom provide an interactive learning environment that challenges students to create and explore material in a way that goes beyond making a lesson more fun. They allow students to immerse themselves in different perspectives and narratives while making interesting choices that engage critical thinking. However, there are pitfalls to consider such as maintaining a balance between humor and derogatory comments, and clearly distinguishing between play time and educational game time to avoid confusing students.

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Games and Learning
Samantha Morrissey

2. +
Purpose
 Games
in the classroom is more than just
making a lesson “more fun.” It goes much
farther beyond that.
 They
provide interactive learning
environments.
 More
than simply playing,
games challenge a student
to create and explore the
material they are learning.

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Movement in
Instructional
Design
Adding movement to a lesson plans adds much value.
It allows the student to interact with the information they are
learning, as well as the tools, materials, other learners, and
the instructor.

4. Three significant areas of
instruction benefit from
+ added games into the
classroom:
•
•
•
Perspective
Narratives
Interactivity

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Perspective
 Games allow the student to immerse themselves
in that particular learning environment.
 In
past years, they have added worlds outside of
the visible window,
have utilized isometric views
(also known as 2 1/2 D), gone
from a 3rd person view to a
1st person view.
 New
perspectives allow learners to
see the material in a problemsbased or projects-based learning
idea.

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Narrative
 These “quests” provide:
 Cognitive
framework for students
 Back story for the learning
 Spatial vs. Linear stories
 Roles for learners to play that relate back to
themselves
*Plausibility is key for these narratives, especially as
the students get older.

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Interactivity

Meier is quoted as saying that
games are a “series of interesting
choices” and this is true for the
interactivity piece.

Having a voice and being able to
choose things is a great motivator
for students, as it engages their
critical thinking and gives them
some sense of investment.

Students are much more involved
than just sitting and reading from
some text.

8. +
•
•
•
•
•
Pitfalls
There is a fine line between humor and
derogatory comments within the gaming culture.
Games are embedded with entertainment and
must be cautious of their use in the classroom.
Parameters must be clear as to not confuse
students with play game time versus educational
game time.
There is a significant impact on relationship
dynamics when games are introduced in a
classroom - both positive and negative.
Specific areas of concern are:
•
Conflict
•
Resistance to play
•
Too much insight

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• These have the look and feel of
a game, but are actually
centered on content standards.
• Examples of great MUVEs
include:
• River City
• Quest Atlantis
• EcoMUVE
• Virtual Assessment Project
(shows how games work
and the value they bring to
the classroom)
MUVE
Multi User
Virtual
Environments

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