This document discusses how AAA video games can be used to improve education. It provides examples of using games like Assassin's Creed in history and language courses to teach about different time periods and cultures. The games allow students to explore virtual worlds and identify vocabulary. Assessment results found that game-based learning activities improved exam scores and students reported enjoying and learning from the activities. However, AAA games are not directly educational and most are rated for mature audiences.

1. CAN AAA GAMES BE USED TO IMPROVE
EDUCATION?
Link to pdf presentation;
Or look at the Ask & Vote section on Slido, room 17B
Hashtag like you mean it;
#edtech #history #gbl #vgbl #sxswedu #discoverytour #assassinscreed
#minecraftedu

6. -Gonzalo Frasca
creator of DragonBox School

7. 18
VIDEO GAMES AS REALIA
Video games add learning components

9. ©Guillaume Bell - Université de Montréal

10. ©Steven Isaacs ©Guillaume Bell - Université de Montréal

12. Default in-game languages in North America
(dialogues & text) :
English / Spanish / French
Other languages available:
German / Italian / Portuguese
Russian / Japanese / Chinese
32
EUrope
Most
Languages



13. Encourage students to:
Play game in the TL (Spanish/English/?) with
TL subtitles
*TL: target language
Play completed game again in the TL
(repetition helps)
Use WordReference app/website on mobile
Use Google Images app/website on mobile
[Context aids acquisition]
GAME-BASED LEARNING

14. ADVANTAGES OF DIGITAL REALIA
Use of (digital) Realia? IAC
Worksheets
Identify
new vocab and structures in context
Acquire
new vocab and structures following models in
context
Create
Using new vocab and structures to create your own
thoughts/phrases
34
Technology in the classroom:
SAMR model
Dr. Puentedura
Scaffolding
Task-based
learning

15. Two types
Class Worksheets: expand
(Identify/Acquire/Create) on
material in each chapter unit.
Task-based Lab Activity
worksheets: reinforce
specific vocab & grammar
points from the textbook
unit/chapter.
35
GAME-BASED WORKSHEETS

16. “SERIOUS” GAMES
(?) Engaging?
 Remember educational games/toys from your childhood?
36
FUN!  UGH! 
TEACHING WITH GAMES?

17. - COMMERCIALLY-AVAILABLE GAMES
Games NOT specifically created for the purpose of learnin
Social Sciences, Humanities, History
Must be “unpacked”:
- Backward design (what I want them to learn)
- Scaffolding (what they already know)
- Task-Based Learning (worksheets)
WHY?
- FUN; SOLID products; “POLISHED”
37
TEACHING WITH GAMES?

18. Teaching with games – III
HOW?
Cinematic Comercially-Available Games as Realia:
- IDENTIFY
- ACQUIRE
- CREATE
WHY?
- Cinematic, commercially-available video games are fairly inexpensive
easy to use, can be used outside the classroom.
38
Video Games
set in multiple
historical/geographical areas with
multiple languages & accurate
cultural
content:
- The Assassin’s Creed series (2007-
present)

20. Outcomes Assessment:
Testing (Direct Measure)
Preliminary and Exit Surveys (Indirect Measure)
Preliminary survey asked students about their interest in video
games (or lack thereof) and also about other types of digital realia
they may be using: music videos, Facebook groups, etc
Exit survey = how they felt about the game-based lab activities in
relation to their learning
40
Using
GBL IN my
COURSES SINCE
2010
IS GBL IN THE CLASSROOM EFFECTIVE?

21. Outcomes Assessment Results:
Testing (Direct Measure):
- 9% points increase in the median score for the class
Surveys (Indirect Measure):
All students enjoyed the activity
- 95% thought it was excellent
- 93% felt that they had learned very much from it.
41
Using
GBL IN
“REGULAR”
Language
COURSES SINCE
2010:
two lab
activities per
semester
IS GBL IN THE CLASSROOM EFFECTIVE?

22. IS GBL IN THE CLASSROOM EFFECTIVE?
Outcomes Assessment Results:
Small size sample; difficult to run significance test on data (only taught once)
Intensive, two semesters in one
Mid-term grade = Final grade (101)
Final grade = Final grade (102)
Midterm = 4 points lower
Final = 2 points higher
Initial “shock” (intensive) = dampening effect
INTENSITY and IMMERSION yielded BETTER END RESULTS
42
Using
GBL IN a GAME-
BASED COURSE:
Spring 2017
Intensive italian
for gamers

23. TEACHING CULTURE WITH VIDEO GAMES?
The Assassin’s Creed
Series
(2007-present)
• For PC and current video game consoles.
• Accurate cultural data + narrative fiction.
• Set in different geographical areas (Italy, Spain,
France, Jerusalem, Constantinoples, UK, America)
• Set in different time periods:
• The Italian Renaissance
• The French Revolution
• 1776 America
• The Spanish Armada & La Conquista
• The Crusades
• Ptolemaic Egypt
•Classical Greece
Christesen & Machado “Video Games
and Classical Antiquity” [CW 104.1, 107–
110]

24. Historical data? A mix of fact and fiction!
Assassin’s Creed can teach about FACT
CHECKING!
@kotaku

26. AAAVideo
Games helpbuild
connectionswith
students
Start a conversation with:“What
video game are you playing right
now?”
Reward Activities in school
Students can create many
different things with Minecraft
EDU

27. Mario Kart
Tournamentfora
rewardactivity

28. Creatingan
AncientCitywith
MinecraftEDU

29. Whatare the
limitations of
usingAAAgames
Many AAA games are rated M
for Mature and can’t be used in
the classroom.
AAA games rarely have a
direct curriculum connection.
Minecraft EDU and Mario Kart:
No content information

31. AssassinsCreed
DiscoveryTour
Strengths
Fits Ancient History
Curriculum
Allows students to explore a
living world
Get to see major monuments
as well as daily life of the
people

32. HowIuse
DiscoveryTourin
theclassroom
 Entire class instruction
 Teacher or students
going on tours.
Students taking notes
and answering
questions
 Students on their own
 In partners or on
their own going on
tours

33. Whatdo
studentsactually
create?
Writing pieces
Using primary and
secondary sources
Discussions
From content from the
Discovery Tour
Analyze Parts of Civilizations
SWAGGER

35. @RECITUS

36. @mathieuprofhist
‘’Collaboration, creativity & sense of self-development’’

37. @Intovinceres

38. @WhitakerAlmanac / @historyrespawn

39. @ZacFanni

40. @EnseignerTV5

41. Acdiscoverytour@ubisoft.com

43. Musée Quai Branly
Paris
Pods showcasingthe Discovery Tour,
highlight of the collection + museum animator
Pointe-à-Callière Museum, Montreal, Canada
National Geographic Museum, Washington, D.C.
Montreal + WW Tour
Custom made video footage of the Assassin’s Creed
Origins world is used as a background for the
exhibition
Phi Center
Montreal
Pods showcasingthe Discovery Tour

44. Musée de l’Armée
Paris
Tailored madeAR visits of the museum with a
reuse of the AC lore
Institut du Monde Arabe
Paris
VR experienceof digitally reconstituted sites
of Palmyra and Mosulduring the exhibit
‘’Cités Millénaires’’.
Hieroglyphics Initiative
WW
Ubisoft buildsa toolset to help Egyptologists
translateMiddle Egyptian hieroglyphics,
crowdsourcingdata with a drawingtool using
Google Firebaseand recognisinghieroglyphics
using Cloud AutoML. Open access.