In what ways can gaming or multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) contribute to the learning experience?

This bibliography is based on references that include insight into the use of technological resources to extend the opportunity for learning in mathematics education. Additionally, the resources address the ability of video games to improve the current pedagogies that aim to incorporate technology in the classroom and the ability of video games to enhance distance education programs.

Annetta, Leonard A., Bohr, Stephanie C., Murray, Marshall R., Park, John C., (November 3,
2006). Education Quarterly: Serious games: Incorporating video games in the classroom. Retrieved January 29, 2010, from http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Quarterly/EDUCAUSEQuarterlyMagazineVolum/SeriousGamesIncorporatingVideo/157412

Annetta, Leonard, Bohr, Murray, Park (2006) conducted a case study on graduate students at North Carolina State University to monitor the effect that role playing video games can have on student engagement and the delivery of lessons within an online course. A multi-player educational gaming application (MEGA) was used for online course delivery. The MEGA allows students to interact with multiple simulated environments through the actions of an avatar. Students were able to access course materials, online lectures, and interact with other users in real time using their avatar.

This report does not discuss student test scores or attempt to quantify the learning achieved through use of the MEGA in any way; therefore, no conclusion can be drawn on the effectiveness of the MEGA as a tool to improve achievement test scores from the report. The report mentions a number of benefits of the MEGA to users including, the increased social interaction in comparison with traditional online learning platforms and users’ positive and enthusiastic reaction to the MEGA. All of the students who began the course completed the course. This suggests the users’ satisfaction with the delivery of lessons. While this report provides a useful example of the use of MEGAs, more quantifiable research is required before introducing MEGAs in K-12 classrooms.

Gentile, D.A., Gentile, J.R. (2007). Violent video games as exemplary teachers: A conceptual
analysis. Journal of Youth Adolescence, 37, 127-141. Retrieved January 31, 2010, from http://online.education.ufl.edu/file.php/3629/Research_Readings_Wk4/violentvideogames.pdf

Gentile and Gentile’s report addresses their longitudinal study on the potential of violent video games to teach violence. The report outlines seven dimensions that make video games exceptionally effective as educational tools. These seven dimensions are adapting to the knowledge, skills, and the pace of the learner; requiring active learning through practice and feedback; over learning; intrinsic and extrinsic reinforcement; increasing difficulty with success contingent on competencies mastered at previous levels; massed and distributed practice; and skill practice in a variety of contexts.

Gentile and Gentile reference research on each dimension and provide clear disparity between the learning styles of video games versus the features in traditional classrooms. The ability of video games to improve education is a natural conclusion although Gentile and Gentile’s study does not focus on measuring a video game’s potential for teaching traditional educational content. Instead, the study attempts to measure the ability of violent video games to teach violence. The confounding variables that arise when attempting to measure violence make this research less valuable for the purpose of analyzing video games as educational tools. The study concludes that increasing the frequency of playing violent video games and increasing the number of violent video games played will result in one’s increased aggressive cognitions. While Gentile and Gentile argue that video games are excellent teachers of violent content and educational content, the empirical research would be more valuable if it had focused on the educational aspect of video games as the report’s initial conceptual analysis did.



Schaffer, D., Squire, K., Halverson, R. & Gee, J. (2004). Video games and the future of learning.
University of Madison and Academic Advanced Distributed Learning Co-Laboratory. Retrieved on January 14, 2010, from: http://www.academiccolab.org/resources/gappspaper1.pdf

Shaffer, Squire, Halverson, and Gee (2004) discuss an approach to education that builds on the properties of video games that promote learning. These properties are the use of virtual worlds which allow users to develop situated understanding. Within the games players are brought together competitively and cooperatively to play roles which allow them to problem solve as they would in the real world. The report focuses on the ability of video games to provide unique experiences not available in traditional classrooms and disputes the idea that video games would promote antisocial learning environments.

Shaffer et al. (2004) offer a number of specific video game examples that promote interactive experiential learning. The authors discuss the challenges to incorporating educational games in the classroom specifically the idea that game based learning threatens the traditional organization of education. Shaffer et al. (2004) argue that there is a need for a framework to guide commercial game design in order to maximize the effectiveness video games have in the field of education.

This report provides well reasoned arguments for using video games as educational resources. It also attempts to address the concerns associated with a change in the traditional classroom model, but because of the lack of case studies incorporating video games into education the authors cannot adequately compare video games to traditional classroom instructional strategies. Shaffer et al. (2004) have provided the research that can be used to create the framework for the creation of educational video games. Creating a framework within this report would have further advanced the goal of commercializing educational video games.