Library not found: The disconnect between gaming research and development

Video games clearly have great educational potential, both for formal and informal learning, and this avenue is being thoroughly investigated in the psychology and education literature. However, there appears to be a disconnect between social science academic research and the game development sector, in that research and development practices rarely inform each other. This paper presents a two-part analysis of this communicative disconnect based on investigations carried out within the H2020 Gaming Horizons project. The first part regards a literature review that identified the main topics of focus in the social sciences literature on games, as well as the chief recommendations authors express. The second part examines 73 interviews with 30 developers, 14 researchers, 13 players, 12 educators, and 4 policy makers, investigating how they perceived games and gaming. The study highlights several factors contributing to the disconnect: different priorities and dissemination practices; the lag between innovation in the games market and research advancements; low accessibility of academic research; and disproportionate academic focus on serious games compared to entertainment games. The authors suggest closer contact between researchers and developers might be sought by diversifying academic dissemination channels, promoting conferences involving both groups, and developing research partnerships with entertainment game companies

Educational games as a motivational tool: Considerations on their potential and limitations

There is considerable interest in leveraging video games to support students’ motivation. This involves employment of educational (serious) and entertainment games. However, while evidence indicates that games can enhance learning outcomes, doubts persist about whether they retain their enjoyable character in formal learning contexts. This study was carried out within the H2020 Gaming Horizons project, which involved a review of academic literature on the role of games in society, as well as 73 semi-structured interviews with relevant stakeholders, including players and educators, investigating their positions on game-related issues. The interviews suggested that players tend to view game-based learning – and specifically serious games at school – with scepticism. This is partly attributable to the perception that serious games have lower production values than entertainment games, and that gaming, as a voluntary, self-driven activity, clashes with the structured nature of school. Some educators reported individual and gender differences in the motivating power of games. However, the use of entertainment games to foster learning outcomes was seen favourably. Two focus groups devoted to the issue highlighted the need for carefully tailoring the gaming experience to both context and student, and the importance of developing a sustainable business model for enhancing serious games quality

Multiple Roles of Integrin-Linked Kinase in Epidermal Development, Maturation and Pigmentation Revealed by Molecular Profiling

Integrin-linked kinase (ILK) is an important scaffold protein that mediates a variety of cellular responses to integrin stimulation by extracellular matrix proteins. Mice with epidermis-restricted inactivation of the Ilk gene exhibit pleiotropic phenotypic defects, including impaired hair follicle morphogenesis, reduced epidermal adhesion to the basement membrane, compromised epidermal integrity, as well as wasting and failure to thrive leading to perinatal death. To better understand the underlying molecular mechanisms that cause such a broad range of alterations, we investigated the impact of Ilk gene inactivation on the epidermis transcriptome. Microarray analysis showed over 700 differentially regulated mRNAs encoding proteins involved in multiple aspects of epidermal function, including keratinocyte differentiation and barrier formation, inflammation, regeneration after injury, and fundamental epidermal developmental pathways. These studies also revealed potential effects on genes not previously implicated in ILK functions, including those important for melanocyte and melanoblast development and function, regulation of cytoskeletal dynamics, and homeobox genes. This study shows that ILK is a critical regulator of multiple aspects of epidermal function and homeostasis, and reveals the previously unreported involvement of ILK not only in epidermal differentiation and barrier formation, but also in melanocyte genesis and function

Emergency remote teaching: capturing teacher experiences in Spain with SELFIE

Comunicació presentada a: the 15th European Conference on Technology Enhanced Learning, EC-TEL 2020, celebrada del 14 al 18 de setembre de 2020 a Heidelberg, Alemanya.COVID-19 thrust teachers into emergency online pedagogy. Teachers had to rapidly digitize their practices. A week into compulsory online teaching, we captured a snapshot of teacher experiences to identify their impressions of support received and the challenges they faced in relation to teaching remotely. We conducted a survey study with primary and secondary school teachers in Spain. 67 teachers completed an adapted version of SELFIE to measure the way digital technologies are used for teaching. Respondents were directed to mark two responses to each survey item to reflect the situations both before and during the pandemic. Results indicate that during the pandemic teachers had more training opportunities, found online professional training to be of greater use, and gained confidence in using a wide variety of technologies for both teaching and communicating with parents and students. However, the digital divide among students and a lack of technical resources and support affected their abilities to carry out online education effectively. Our study highlights teachers’ perspectives on the rapid advancement of digital competences and technology in education. Information that can inform TEL research and interventions.This work has been partially funded by the EU Regional Development Fund, the National Research Agency of the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and Erasmus+, under project grants TIN2017-85179-C3-3-R, 2019-1-FI01-KA201-060881, 2019-1-ES01-KA201-065279. D

Scenarios for the Cultural Expansion of Games. Gaming Horizons Deliverable D 3.2

Gaming Horizons is a EU-funded project that explored the role of video games in culture, the economy and education. We engaged with more than 280 stakeholders through interviews, workshops and webinars

Data collection workshops. Gaming Horizons Deliverable D 3.1

Gaming Horizons is a EU-funded project that explored the role of video games in culture, the economy and education. We engaged with more than 280 stakeholders through interviews, workshops and webinars