Computer Games and Learning

Abstract

Educational research has long emphasized the connection between play, games, and learning. Piaget (1961) classified games into three types: games that involve physical exercise, symbolic games where the player uses their imagination, and games where the play is governed by the operation of rules. For Piaget, the particular form of play that occurs in rule-bound games is associated with the socialization that facilitates human learning. From this perspective, play is primarily associated with children and is first undertaken purely for pleasure. However, when the child begins to participate in more organized rule-governed forms of play that require adult-like socialization, cognitive development may be facilitated. The emergence and spread of video games in the 1980s led researchers to speculate that features of computer games could facilitate learning. In an example of this early work, the computer game studies theorist Crawford (1984) proposed that computer games encompass four key qualities: representation (meaning that games encompass a closed system that presents a subset of reality), interaction (the effects caused by gameplay), conflict, and safety. This researcher argued that these elements combine in a computer game to elicit a highly engaging form of play and that a major motivation of participation in computer gaming is to learn. This period further witnessed the initiation of research that examined from the perspective of cognitive science, the possible linkages between participation in computer gaming and human learning.