MIT - The Education Arcade
Obstacles, Opportunities & Openness
Eric Klopfer, Scot Osterweil, and Katie Salen
AUTHORING SYSTEMS: Games as “engines” or authoring platforms
Students use games to produce an artefact, using the game. A student might create a virtual object in Spore or Second Life using the games’ built-in CAD functions.
CONTENT SYSTEMS: Games as content
For example, students play SimCity to learn about urban planning, or Civilization to learn about history.
MANIPULATING SYSTEMS: Games as simulations
Games are valued as dynamic systems where students can test theories about how the system works by manipulating certain factors.
TRIGGER SYSTEMS: Games as context
Students might play Dungeons & Dragons as a way to explore probability, or play Pictionary as a way to introduce ideas about communication.
GATEWAY SYSTEMS: Games as technology gateways
Games are used as a way to give students experience with technology. Assessment measures the student’s ability to use the system to do what they want it to.
REFLECTIVE SYSTEMS: Games as illustration
Games are used as context for student reflection. Students might play a game and then discuss the choices they made: why did they choose that avatar skin over another one? Why did they choose to attack one country and not another?
POV SYSTEMS: Games as exemplars of point of view
Students might play an RPG where they have to choose to play both a “good” and “bad” character and compare differences in strategy, choice, and values held by those characters.
CODE SYSTEMS: Games as Code Worlds
Students use writing as the primary mechanic of game play, whether they are playing text adventures or designing or playing text-based mobile games. Because writing itself is produced as an artefact of the game play, this writing can be assessed to capture student understanding.
DOCUMENTARY SYSTEMS: Games as Documentary:
Game play is used as documentary evidence of student ideas/understanding. For example, Machinima or screenshots can be used to capture the details of the situation, which then can be used as the basis for additional discussion or reflection.
IDEOLOGICAL SYSTEMS: Games as text
Games are “read” as texts that express certain underlying ideologies, values, beliefs, etc. Chess can be played and analyzed as a game about territorial conflict, or Diplomacy as a model for international diplomacy.
RESEARCH SYSTEMS: Games as research
Students design games as a research activity. Game design requires students to think through how their players will learn about the game.
ASSESSMENT SYSTEMS: Games as assessment
Games can be used as environments for assessing student learning. Students might play Quest Atlantis to demonstrate their understanding of certain science concepts.
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