Games, fun, and the real world
In How Computer Games Help Children Learn, I make the arguement (drawing from the work of developmental psychologist Lev Vygotsky) that games are not primarily about fun–rather, they are a place where players explore needs and desires that they cannot fulfill in the real world.
Now, a recent survey by psychologists at the University of Rochester and researchers at Immersyve Inc. shows:
People enjoy video games because they are satisfying at a fundamental psychological level…. The research published Tuesday in the journal Motivation and Emotion found that the driving force that draws people to games was not fun–which doesn’t keep players interested–but instead a sense of achievement, freedom and even social connectedness.
Back to the blog
I just looked, and my last blog post was January 9. I guess that’s not surprising, given the release of How Computer Games Help Children Learn, and some of the media buzz it has raised.
But… there were a bunch of interesting stories that came out over the holiday and since, and I hope to get back to commenting on them.
Meanwhile, I’d like to thank the many people who have sent me (and others in the epistemic games group) emails and comments on the website. We really like hearing from you, and look forward to continuing the conversation about epistemic games, How Computer Games Help Children Learn, and the future of education more generally….
Henry Jenkins interviews David Williamson Shaffer
Professor Henry Jenkins interviewed David about his book How Computer Games Help Children Learn, and epistemic games in general. Professor Jenkins, currently at UCLA, was the Director of the MIT Comparative Media Studies for Program for a decade. He posted the interview to his blog:
I’ve known David Williamson Shaffer for more than a decade. I was lucky enough to have him as a student in my media theory and methods proseminar back when he was finishing up his PhD at the MIT Media Lab. where he was doing work with Seymor Papert. I’ve reconnected in recent years with Shaffer through his work on games and education.
Shaffer has come out this month with a very important book, How Computer Games Help Children Learn. A colleague of James Paul Gee, Kurt Squire, and Constance Steinkuehler at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Shaffer has long contributed to our conversations about the pedagogical potentials of computer and video games. Continue reading »
Latest News from the Macarthur Foundation
David will be speaking at an upcoming public lecture hosted by the Macarthur Foundation as part of their Digital Learning Initiative
Future Tense
A brief interview with David on the show Future Tense on American Public Media:
A university professor says schools should use video games to prepare children for the work force.
David Williamson Shaffer, an education science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, says video games help children master technology, an essential skill for successful careers.
Shaffer, author of the book How Computer Games Help Children Learn, says video games might help the United States compete against India and China, which are turning out engineers and scientists at a faster rate.
