Scholastic Impact of Video Games - Gamers Score Better In the Classroom

This article featured on the Muzzy Lane website, Tuesday May 9, 2006.

Oak Hill High School teacher David McDivitt measures success of MAKING HISTORY against control group.

SCHOLASTIC IMPACT OF VIDEO GAMES: Gamers Score Better in the Classroom

NEWBURYPORT, Mass., May 4, 2006 - A group of high school students traded in their textbooks for a multiplayer videogame and achieved higher test scores than students learning the exact same material the old-fashioned way.

Under the watchful tutelage of David McDivitt, an enterprising Social Studies teacher at Oak Hill High School in Converse, Ind., 64 sophomore students played MAKING HISTORY, the historical simulation game from Muzzy Lane Software.

Another group of students used their standard history textbooks along with the usual lectures and assignments that define a typical day in high school.

Both groups were attempting to learn the same material: The political and economic causes of World War II.Both groups were tested on their knowledge of key events, such as the 1938 Munich Conference and their general knowledge of European geography.

One group - the students who played MAKING HISTORY - learned more facts and wrote more sophisticated essays in tests conducted after a week of game play.

According to Mr. McDivitt, MAKING HISTORY also addresses several key components of Indiana's state curriculum guidelines for secondary education.

"For every teacher using a videogame in the classroom there are probably a hundred others watching and wondering about the real educational impact of this technology," says Mr. McDivitt. "I am not an expert in statistics unless it has to do with points allowed by my defense on the Oak Hill Golden Eagle football team. But what I am seeing here is the game players are doing better on assessment. The kids who played the game scored as well or better on every single test question we administered."

Highlights of Oak Hill High School's Game vs. Non-Game StudyMr. McDivitt applied a common set of questions to both groups of students prior to game week, and then tested the students with the same questions after each group had completed their learning cycles.

What he found was a noticeable and in some cases stunning difference in the degree to which the game-play students improved compared with the textbook students.

Here are some of the highlights (percentages indicate the relative increase in performance from the pre-lesson test to the post-lesson test):

* Identify the countries of Europe on a blank map outline:
Game Players: 70%
Non-Game Players: 45%

* Explain the significance of the 1938 Munch Conference:
Game Players: 90%
Non-Game Players: 55%

* Define the reasons for the start of World War II:
Game Players: 67%
Non-Game Players: 35%

"I am not saying that games are the panacea for all of education's problems," says Mr. McDivitt. "But there is no doubt anymore that the right videogame integrated properly with traditional curriculum has a clear and meaningful impact on the quality of learning."

http://www.muzzylane.com/news/detail.php?id=79

Games mix work and play

From The Australian,
http://australianit.news.com.au

Games mix work and play
Barbara Gengler and Roland Tellzen
JUNE 20, 2006

A NEW generation of serious video games is aiming to save the world through peace and democracy.

Serious games are just a tiny niche in the $US25 billion ($33.8 billion) interactive entertainment sector, but they are growing in importance.

Australia, which is strong in the mainstream games design, also features in the serious games arena through companies such as Melbourne's Torus Digital Concepts.
The basic concept of all video games is to allow the player to control the events of a particular character and force him or her to connect and manipulate information to move on to the next level.

Serious games, which merge the video game and educational software, take the concept a step further by allowing players to be problem solvers, political leaders or humanitarian workers while learning information that might otherwise come from a textbook or lecture.
Ben Sawyer, co-director of the Serious Games Initiative and Games for Health, says most games developers will be making serious games within 10 years.

At the recent Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, a Carnegie Mellon University took took first place with its PeaceMaker entry in a Games for Diplomacy contest held by the University of Southern California.

In the game, players assume leadership responsibilities on both sides of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, facing real-life issues, such as military attacks.
The US Army and the University of Southern California's Institute for Creative Technologies are continuing their partnership with another five-year contract.

Since 1999, when the army established the ICT as a university-affiliated research centre, the joint team has been defining a new approach to training.

Part of the mission is to use talent in the commercial games and film sectors to help the Army visualise the needs of its soldiers.

Team executive director Richard Lindheim says the centre is committed in the next five years to advance research in artificial intelligence, computer graphics and immersive audio.
The research will provide realistic and effective interactive learning systems to improve the capabilities of soldiers and offer opportunities for new kinds of learning, he says.
Lindheim says a key priority is to work with the army to ensure that new technologies and research make it from the lab into the hands of soldiers.

Every Soldier a Sensor Simulation is the centre's latest game for military training. With a focus on presence patrols -- missions that provide human intelligence and reinforce US military presence -- ES3 is a web-delivered application that runs on a wide range of PCs.
Some of the most promising developments are in healthcare.

HopeLab, for example, works with young chronically ill patients.
Last month it released a game called Re-Mission, a shooter that allows a player to fight cancer cells, administer chemotherapy and attack infections.

In Australia, companies such as Torus Digital Concepts, which exhibited at this year's CeBIT IT trade fair in Germany, have jumped on the serious games express.

Torus, which also designs mainstream games, has produced game-like training programs for areas such as medicine and policing.

Forexample, the company is building a scenario village for the Victorian Police Department at Glen Waverley. "It's an important facility, a training aid for the police 18-hours-a-day, 365 days a year," Torus' chief executive Bill Macintosh says.

Serious games could eventually overtake the huge general games market, he says. "Serious games are middle ground between simulations and games. They are growing at six times the rate of other games, and the potential market is enormous."

Website/Software Focus: HAZMAT Hotzone

From the website- Hazmat: Hotzone is an instructor-based simulation that uses video game technology to train first responders about how to respond to hazardous materials emergencies.

It's networked, multiplayer simulation which is customized by the instructor to ensure the simulation is relevant to the audience and has differing challenge levels (Based on location of scenario, chemicals involved, etc)

One student assumes the role of OIC and the others become the team members and communicate via radio and using their PC terminal, complete the scenario.

Check out their website at http://www.etc.cmu.edu/projects/hazmat/index.php

Assistance has also come from- http://www.simopsstudios.com/index.html

The software is due for release in 2007.

Website Focus: 3D Goals

Whilst I haven't had the chance to properly check out this site, have a look at http://www.3dgoals.com/

It's marketed as, "Feel the unique atmosphere of World Cup 2006" and "Watch 3D videos of the best World Cup 2006 goals and moment on your PC (.wmv) or on your cell phone or other mobile device (.3gp) "

Grand Theft Auto sex content case settled

From the Sydney Morning Herald- http://www.smh.com.au/news/games/grand-theft-auto-sex-content-case-settled/2006/06/09/1149815292862.html

Makers of the popular video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, have agreed to settle US Federal Trade Commission charges for failing to disclose that animated sex scenes were hidden on the discs.

The deal requires Take-Two Interactive Software Inc and Rockstar Games Inc, the developer of the game, to properly notify consumers of racy content on future games and not to misrepresent rating or content descriptions.

The companies face fines of up to $US11,000 ($A14,850) per violation if they violate the order, once it becomes final.

When the lurid content was first discovered, the two companies initially said it was the work of third-party video game modifiers.

They later acknowledged it was their work after The Associated Press tracked down a Dutch programer who developed software to unlock the sex scenes. The companies said the content was never meant to be accessed by consumers during normal game play.

"Parents have the right to rely on the accuracy of the entertainment rating system," said Lydia Parnes, of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. "We allege that Take-Two and Rockstar's actions undermined the industry's own rating system and deceived consumers."

The Commission voted 5-0 to accept the agreement, which was announced today. It is subject to a 30-day public comment period before becoming final.

Take-Two did not immediately return calls seeking comment and Rockstar Games did not immediately reply to emails from The Associated Press.

The game was originally rated "M" (Mature) for its depiction of blood, violence and sex themes. The Entertainment Software Rating Board changed the rating to "AO" (Adults Only), and major retailers nationwide hastily removed the title from their shelves, following the game makers' admissions.

Take-Two claimed it incurred $US24.5 million ($A33.11 million) in costs associated with returns of the game, which generated $US100 million ($A135.14 million) in sales within its first month of release in October 2004.

Published rating-board rules at the time the game was released did not require the disclosure of the sex content in question, said Keith Fentonmiller, an attorney for the FTC who worked on the case.

"But it's our belief that there was a duty to consumers to let them know about important content that was on the game," Fentonmiller said today.



The official GTA website is at- http://www.rockstargames.com/grandtheftauto/

Nintendo Brain Training

From the Sydney Morning Herald- http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/06/14/1149964544893.html

Best known for frivolous family fun, Nintendo now wants to profit from games that are designed to keep our minds sharp and to combat senility.

Brain Training presents players with a series of fast-paced maths and language challenges created by prominent Japanese neurologist and author Professor Ryuta Kawashima. The game can also calculate your "brain age" based on the accuracy and speed of your responses.
It might seem a radical departure from blasting aliens and saving the princess, but striving for high scores is one of the gaming world's most important aims. Once you start passing the console around to friends and family, competition will be furious.

Most handheld games target youngsters but Brain Training's potential audience is far wider. Using the DS touch panel and microphone to (almost faultlessly) recognise your writing and spoken words, the package is so intuitive that anyone can play.

The dozen tasks include simple memory trials, quick arithmetic, extracts from literary classics to read aloud, puzzles, syllable and item counting tests, plus drawing challenges.

The training games are designed to take just 10 minutes to complete. Users are discouraged from longer play sessions, instead rewarded for returning each day to slowly build their skills. Results for each task are charted on graphs and steady improvement proves most satisfying.
The Doc is always on hand to give advice and encouragement. Despite being portrayed as a disembodied head, he is surprisingly charismatic, although his comments become repetitive.
Those wanting to play longer will appreciate the Sudoku puzzles with excellent use of the touch screen for number entry and note-taking.

Whether it is truly educational and actually improves your mental abilities is debatable, but it is still very entertaining.

Brain Training
Nintendo
Classification: G
RRP: $49.95
Rating: 4.5/5

Software Focus: Full Spectrum Warrior

Full Spectrum Warrior is unusual in that it's a military game and is often mistaken for a first person shooter. However this couldn't be further from the truth- it IS a military game, and it DOES involve shooting (Among other things), but you as the player lead the teams- this is about Command and Control.

From the official website, "Based On A Training Aid Developed For The U.S. Army*, Full Spectrum Warrior is a squad-based real-time combat game that allows players to experience the intensity and gritty realism of urban combat warfare. As Squad Leader, take command and coordinate the actions of two infantry squads (Alpha and Bravo) leading them through a hostile urban warzone. " More info is available at- http://www.fullspectrumwarrior.com

At first I found this game a bit annoying becasue I'm such a fan of the"shooters", but after an hour or so it really grew on me. The missions become increasingly harder to complete and it's annoying because you can see who needs to be shot and what objectives need to be completed, but you can only direct your 2 teams of 4 to do it!

The game includes a very comprehensive training regime (MOUT 101) which covers off everything you need to know to compelte the missions. MOUT (Military Operations in Urban Terrain) is the term used to describe any type of military action where battles take place in an environment where man-made construction or high population density is the dominant feature, such as a city or town. This type of fighting requires strategies that differ immensely from fighting on other types of terrain, such as large deserts or jungles.

The graphics and sounds are fantastic. The keyboard controls are very basic and quick to learn, again probably because you don't actually have to things like shoot, provide first aid, etc- you simply command your troops to do it.

I can see why the US Military is using this software to train potential leaders. Check it out, you won't be disappointed....

Software Focus: Flight Simulators

Without a doubt, it's been flight simulators that has really got my passion for simulations going. My history of flight simming has gone something like (Not necessarily in order)-

Apple Macintosh
F/A 18 Hornet
Chuck Yeager's Air Combat Simulator

PC
Microsoft Flight Simulator 98 http://www.fsinsider.com/

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 http://www.microsoft.com/games/pc/fs2000.aspx

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 http://www.microsoft.com/games/flightsimulator/default.asp

Lock On: Modern Air Combat http://www.lockon.ru/index.php?lang=en

Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator http://www.microsoft.com/games/combatfs1/default.htm

Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 2 http://www.microsoft.com/games/combatfs2/

Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 3 http://www.microsoft.com/games/pc/combatfs3.aspx

Search and Rescue: Coastal Heroes


The Microsoft suite has without a doubt been the benchmark that I've compared others to, however they all had various things that I liked or disliked! (Doesn't every game?)

Search and Rescue Coastal Heroes was something a bit different. It's a helicopter based simulation in which you had a choice of 3 choppers to pilot and to complete various SAR missions- I really enjoyed this from the perspective that you had to actually do something, not just fly around. Unfortunately, the critics weren't too nice in their write ups about this game, and it's interesting to note that the software manufacturer (Globalstar) make no reference to it anywhere on their site anymore...)

The Combat Flight Simulator suite left me with really mixed feelings- loved the first one, but unfortunately didn't really get into the next 2. I just didn't think they were as good which may seem strange given the software developers (In particular, Microsoft) generally make great improvements their gaming software (Unlike Windows!!!) As the name suggests, these aare set in the WWII era and you pilot various planes and compete missions. Again, enjoyable from the perspective that you had to do something other than simply fly your plane.

Microsoft Flight Simulators have been fantastic and it has been a great experience to fly and watch the progression of each release, particularly in the graphics. FS2004 has set an incredible bench mark for graphics, especially in the scenery area! (Flight Sim X is due for release soon, so we'll see what's in store for that- http://www.microsoft.com/games/pc/flightsimulatorx.aspx )

The interesting thing about the FS suite, is the amount of add on's. There's everything from full blown consoles, yokes, pedal, VR headsets, etc. (as an example, check out http://users.bigpond.net.au/pctestpilot/hardware.htm ) Then add to this the software add on's such as new planes, jets and helicopters and the range of scenery that's available. (Another example of this is at http://www.surclaro.com/nuke/html/index.php ) If you're really keen, then you can subscribe to magazines dedicated to the PC flight sim world. (Another example is at http://www.computerpilot.com/ or http://www.pcpilot.net/

I've also been led to beleive that the flight instructions/lessons in the MS flight sims are spot on and are being used by many student pilots world wide.

LOMAC has been the most incredible flight sim experience for me though! This is a high speed jet fighter simulator that is incredibly PC hardware taxing (video/graphics cards) , but well worth the upgrades to play if you're serious about flight sims. Loads of missions (Including mid air refueling!!), loads of incredibly detailed jets to fly over great terrain and with incredible weather textures- what more can I say? Having said all that, the biggest downer for LOMAC is the really lame flight lessons and the keyboard mapping- there is not a single key left on your keyboard (Inc. CTRL and ALT combinations)- there are so many keys to remember and use. Check out the weblink for more info....

Website Focus: Education QLD, ICT Learning Innovation Centre

The ICT Learning Innovation Centre is the Department of Education and the Arts’ premier professional development centre for the education sector.

Developed in 2004 in partnership with the University of the Sunshine Coast, the ICT Learning Innovation Centre has been designed to deliver leadership in learning using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).

Their web address is http://www.learningplace.com.au/deliver/content.asp?pid=7669

Within this site is a fantastic resource called the "Games In Learning Project" being run by Mark Piper which includes a well run and very proactive email and discussion list. (The archive can be found at- http://education.qld.gov.au/archives/gamesinlearning.html

Whilst the discussions are primarily aimed at the school education (primary and secondary) sector, there are is no reason that many of the discussions could not be refocussed or used in the adult learning environment.

Mark Piper's contact details are:
Games in Learning Project Officer
ICT Learning Innovation Centre
ph: 07 5459 4577
fax: 07 5459 4598
mob: 0405 356 029
email: mpipe4@eq.edu.au

Website Focus: Interactive Powerpoint

Within PowerPoint there is the feature to create interactivity.

Check out http://www.mindtools.tased.edu.au/ppt_vba/default.htm

Margaret Meijers from New Town High School says, "VBA for PowerPoint is excellent for getting high school students to make storybooks for young children. You can ask the child's name and other questions such as age, pets, etc at the start of the story, then include them in the story as it progresses. Different paths/text can be included depending on the child's choices throughout the story. It is very easy to blur the lines between a story and a game."

ICT Mindtools website is http://www.mindtools.tased.edu.au/default.htm

Website/Software Focus: The Game Maker's Apprentice

Interesting website, book and software titled The Game Maker's Apprentice which steps you throguh the process of making PC games.

http://book.gamemaker.nl/

Food for thought on IT and security....

Recently sent to me, source unknown....

"While educators exist to share and grow knowledge, too many IT people seem to exist to restrict and limit knowledge and access. I think the change is coming though and it is coming in the way that more and more people are creating their own means of connection and communication outside the confines laid down by IT departments.
As the volume of actual delivery of teaching and learning increases by means of technology (as opposed to just using technology to prepare teaching aids) then the business case for more open and accessible technology will become more compelling.
Maybe the solution is to put the 'protected' business systems on one network and the teaching and learning sharing on another network that offers more open access?"

Website Focus: Gameparents.com

Reported in the Sunday Herald Sun, 11/06/06-

"The popularity of computer games with children can lead to anguish among parents because of horror stories about games misleading impressionable minds. But some games exercise children's brains in ways that are beneficial to their development in today's society. The site below looks at every game released and gives assessment of which will educate and entertain and which it may be best to avoid. Stay cool, dad."

http://www.gameparents.com.au

Welcome!

Hi and welcome to my new blog on the use of simulations and gaming in education.

I'm particularly interested in the use of simulations and gaming in adult education- there's a whole big world (or alternative world!) out there being used for educational purposes.

My aim is to add links and information to this blog as a quick reference for anyone interested....