Computer Games for Learning

Many strong claims are made for the educational value of computer games, but there is a need for systematic examination of the research evidence that might support such claims. This book fills that need by providing a comprehensive and up-to-date investigation of what research shows about learning with computer games. Computer Games for Learning describes three genres of game research: the value-added approach, which compares the learning outcomes of students who learn with a base version of a game to those of students who learn with the base version plus an additional feature; the cognitive consequences approach, which compares learning outcomes of students who play an off-the-shelf computer game for extended periods to those of students who do not; and the media comparative approach, which compares that learning outcomes of students who learn material by playing a game to those of students who learn the same material by using conventional media. After introductory chapters that describe the rationale and goals of learning-game research as well as the relevance of cognitive science to learning with games, the book offers examples of research in all three genres conducted by the au