de Freitas, S

Griffiths, MD

English

Nottingham Trent Institutional Repository (IRep)

Vol.25 No.4, 200774 Education and HealthVideogame technology brings manyadvantages to the education arena.Educational research on the use ofvideogames has shown them to have greatpositive potential by using their interactiveentertainment value (curiosity, funchallenge, etc.). Furthermore, there has beenconsiderable success when videogames arespecifically designed to address a specificproblem or to teach a certain skill (Griffiths,2002). Games such as ‘Darfur is Dying’ and‘World Without Oil’ highlight that gamesplaying has already developed well beyondthe interests of the stereotypical teenager. Video and computer-based gamessometimes possess advantages not presentin other learning strategies. For example,simulations provide the ability to choosedifferent solutions to a difficult problem andthen see the affect those decisions in afictional game. This allows students toexperiment with problem solving in arelative safe environment (Griffiths, 2002).More recently, avatar-mediated environments-used in online games known as MMORPGs(massively multiplayer online role-playinggames) and synthetic virtual worlds such as‘Second Life’ - have become very popular.This article briefly looks at how games inthis media may be of help to the classroomteacher.Synthetic worlds and metaversesThere is a great deal of hype around"serious games" and their impact onlearning. Nowhere is this more apparentthan the many surveys that are sponsoredby games companies for their PR value. Forinstance, Taylor (2007) noted that CorporateLearning Games in Europe polled viewsfrom games developers, the learningindustry, and the corporate marketplace.When asked 'Do you see great potential forusing games in organisational learning?'100% of the corporate respondents agreedand saw great potential for games inlearning. Despite the hype, Gordon Snyder, Jr., theExecutive Director and PrincipalInvestigator of the National Center forTelecommunication Technologies in the US,describes how MMORPGS and syntheticworlds can be used in the classroom(Snyder, 2007). For instance, the virtualworld ‘Second Life’ can be used to helpteach mathematics and science concepts.‘Second Life’ is an example of a metaverse.Metaverses are online virtual worlds inwhich there are no specific goals orobjectives and in which the user creates anavatar and then explores the world as thatavatar. Users are able to chat with others inthe world and interact with their avatars.The real educational potential of themetaverse concept is when the platform isused to do things that cannot otherwise bedone in a classroom. Some examples of thepractical power of a metaverse include:· Shrinking down and walking through the human body· Flying above a cityscape to see patterns or green space· Becoming another gender or race· Manipulating financial markets andobserving the outcomeProfessor Mark Griffiths is based at the International Gaming Research Unit, Psychology Division, Nottingham Trent University. Dr Sara de Freitas is based at the Serious Games Institute, University of Coventry. For communication please email: mark.griffiths@ntu.ac.ukMark Griffiths and Sara de FreitasOnline gaming and synthetic worlds as amedium for classroom learning254b.qxd  29/11/2007  14:15  Page 74Vol.25 No.4, 2007                                                                                                       Education and Health 75These are innovative uses for metaversesand they provide educational environmentsthat go beyond the current classrooms in thepupil's imaginations. Synthetic worldplatforms (such as ‘Second Life’) provide avery cost-effective way of creatingmetaverse learning environments. Theimmersive and interactive qualities ofmetaverses and MMORPGs provide aninnovative environment for experientiallearning. In games like ‘World of Warcraft’players are constantly strategizing,calculating risks, recruiting guild members,planning and executing raids, allocatingwinnings, etc. The process of becoming askilled ‘World of Warcraft’ player involvescollaborative experiential learning around afunctional process or set of activities. Somemay even argue it is a total immersioncourse in leadership. Modern internet-basedplatforms and processing power makepossible rapid interaction and simulationthat is compellingly rich in detail - inparticular MMORPGs. Multiplayer online gamesfor school educationA case study example While the use of 'offline' games in schoolcontexts are growing in popularity withtutors and learners, development of the useof MMORPGs and synthetic worlds tosupport learning for school children isclearly in its earliest stages (de Freitas &Griffiths, 2007). One such research project -Rochester Castle - was undertaken byresearchers at Charles Sturt University inAustralia. The pilot study at Swan ViewSenior High School in Perth, WesternAustralia, demonstrated potential forsupporting collaborative learning processes,such as those associated with problem- andexperience-based learning (Lee et al, 2005).The Rochester Castle project is originalnot only because it uses a MMORPG tosupport learning in a school, but also in thatthe learners designed and developed thegame themselves. The teachers and researchteam initially created the virtualenvironment for Society and Environmentstudents to explore the history of RochesterCastle in England in a more interactive way.The role-play online game was based upon aMulti-User Domain Object-Orientated(MOO) and was used to support Englishand History students. The learners designedand developed the game based upon ascenario presented by their teacher.The researchers conducted an interimanalysis of online gamer behaviour andfound that 53 student online gamers wereusing Rochester Castle for a total of 223pupil hours, which averaged at 5.2 hoursper pupil. Interestingly, the average timespent by teachers supporting the game wasnine hours (about typical teacherpreparation time). The project wassuccessful in engaging the schoolchildren ina more interactive approach to learning,which also supported collaborative andteam-building skills, skills that could thenbe applied to real life. Pupils using theMMORPG found that they had gained newskills in learning collaboratively onlinewhile teachers found that they haddeveloped new ICT skills and enhancedteaching practices. The MMORPG piloted here indicatesimportant implications for producingcollaborative learning content throughcontent authoring interactive environmentsthat gaming offers teachers and learners.The project also indicates the potential ofgaming for supporting collaborativelearning approaches that support 'flow'between learning groups and throughoutthe learning experience, helping to engagelearner cohorts but also contributing to skillsdevelopment.ConclusionsAt present, multiplayer online games arebeing piloted in a range of learning andtraining areas (de Freitas, 2006). Newresearch projects and collaborative254b.qxd  29/11/2007  14:15  Page 75Vol.25 No.4, 200776 Education and Healthexamples from learner communitiesindicate that experimental take-up of onlinegaming is being explored in wider learningand training contexts. Although there isevidence that these online games are beingused in practice, the need for thedevelopment of tools for evaluation andvalidation of the use of serious games tosupport learning outcomes is ongoing andexperimental. If serious gaming follows thesame route as the use of simulations, itsemployment may be characterised by usagein pockets of learning and training contexts,rather than as a generic tool used acrossdifferent disciplines and learning contexts. Case studies such as the one outlinedabove, indicate the potential for supportingeffective collaborative learning does meritfurther experimentation and study, andearly indications suggest that this form ofgaming could provide a rich vein ofpotential for training and learning ingroups, particularly where they build uponthe tried and tested methods associated withsimulation-based learning approaches.Furthermore, there is more than anecdotalevidence that gaming can support intrinsicmotivation and so help to engage learnersand collaborative processes (de Freitas et al.,2006).  The implications of these new formsupon general formal education are difficultto assess at this stage. The widespread use ofgames to support learning indicate thatgames can be used to support exploratorylearning, to support peer interactions and insupport of higher cognition but clearly havechallenges for standard pedagogic practicesand for how institutions are organised. Thewider use of multiplayer games andsynthetic world applications make also havean impact upon the physical organisationand use of the university campus, with theemergence of 'cybercampuses' (or virtualrepresentations of campuses) where seminarand lectures in virtual spaces are becomingpart of the wider learning activities. In conclusion it would appear thatsynthetic worlds are here to stay, and canoffer an engaging educational experiencethat - in some cases - justifies the investmentrequired in development. However, it mustbe noted that games are only part of thelearning mix and teachers need to know thepedagogical relevance. This includesmotivation, engagement, interactivity,providing rewards and reinforcement forskill improvement.Referencesde Freitas, S. (2006). Learning in Immersive Worlds.Bristol. Joint Information Systems Committee. Retrieved4 July 2007 at http://www.jisc.ac.uk/eli_outcomes_html. de Freitas, S. & Griffiths, M.D. (2007). Online gaming asan educational tool in learning and training. BrtitishJournal of Educational Technology, 38, 536-538.de Freitas, S., Savill-Smith, C., Attewell, J. (2006).Computer games and simulations for adult learning:Case studies from practice. London. Learning and SkillsResearch Centre.Griffiths, M.D. (2002). The educational benefits ofvideogames. Education and Health, 20, 47-51.Lee, M. J. W., Eustace, K., Fellows, G., Bytheway, A. &Irving, L. (2005). Rochester Castle MMORPG:  Instructionalgaming and collaborative learning at a WesternAustralian school. Australasian Journal of EducationalTechnology, 21(4), 446-469.Snyder, G. (2007). Retrieved 11 September, 2007 from:http://karlkapp.blogspot.com/2007/01/gadgets-games-and-gizmos-mmorpg-in-ict.htmlTaylor, D.H. (2007). The serious game of learning.Retrieved 12 September, 2007 from:http://www.trainingzone.co.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=168637254b.qxd  29/11/2007  14:15  Page 76

Computer games and simulations for adult learning: Case studies from practice. London. Learning and Skills Research Centre.

from: http://karlkapp.blogspot.com/2007/01/gadgets-gamesand-gizmos-mmorpg-in-ict.html

from: http://www.trainingzone.co.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=168637

Learning in Immersive Worlds.

Online gaming as an educational tool in learning and training.

Rochester Castle MMORPG: Instructional gaming and collaborative learning at a Western Australian school.

Online gaming and synthetic worlds as a medium for classroom learning

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Nottingham Trent Institutional Repository (IRep)

Research Repository

Coventry University Pure Portal