The purpose of this study is to determine types of games that middle school students play in their daily lives and analyze the effects of various variables such as gender, available technology, grade in school and parents' education levels on their game preferences. The sample consisted of a total of 464 grade 5-8 students (212 girls and 252…

Digital educational games research tends to lack ecological validity by not adequately taking into account the views and perspectives of children and young people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This paper is a pilot study that explores and analyses an academic-based educational game that was co-designed with and for young people with ASD.…

This mixed-methods study examined the social gameplay and learning experience of 50 adults aged 60 years or more during 4 weeks of playing a multiplayer, educational digital Bingo game with embedded learning content about nutrition and health. The first phase consisted of 4 weeks of gameplay with quantitative data collection using pretests and…

The great value of applying digital games in language learning has been highlighted. However, there has been a lack of attention paid to the effects of prior knowledge in a contextual game-based language learning environment. To this end, this study developed an MMORPG-based educational game to facilitate English learning, aiming at investigating…

The present study defined three levels of contextualized media and investigated their influences on students' science attitudes, comprehension, and argumentation. To achieve the purpose, an online game-based science argumentation (OGSA) program was developed for the experiments (N = 148). The OGSA included three versions for student argumentation…

The current study investigated college students' experiences of a gamified informatics course. We surveyed 139 students aged 18-31 years (M = 20 years, SD = 1.5) enrolled in an undergraduate informatics course focused on social networking technologies. Surveys were conducted at 3 time points during the course (beginning, middle, and end). Overall,…

Participation in synchronous online learning is an increasing need for students' learning outcomes. Teachers generally cannot be sure about the fact that students who are seen in the participation lists are really following the online tasks. Recent studies have shown that gamification can be an effective way to support learners' participation in…

Play is never absent in human life, especially for children. The act of playing requires a game. Games can be divided into digital games and non-digital games. Digital games are games that utilise computers, mobile or handheld devices, or gaming console as playing platform while non-digital games may require physical contact and/or equipment which…

The authors extend the theory of "disciplinary integration" of games for science education beyond the virtual world of games, and identify two key themes of a practice-based theoretical commitment to science learning: (1) materiality in the classroom, and (2) iterative design of multiple, complementary, symbolic inscriptions (e.g.,…

This article reports on a project that used a game-creation tool to introduce middle-school students ages 10 to 13 to problem-solving strategies similar to those in computer science through the lens of studio-based design arts. Drawing on historic paradigms in design pedagogy and contemporary educational approaches in the digital arts to teach…

In partnership with both formal and informal learning institutions, researchers have been building a suite of online games, called choicelets, to serve as interactive assessments of learning skills, e.g. critical thinking or seeking feedback. Unlike more traditional assessments, which take a retrospective, knowledge-based view of learning,…

As we progress in the 21st century, children learn to become proficient readers and writers of both digital and non-digital texts. Knowledge, skills, and understandings of literacy emerge through sociocultural interactions with non-digital tools (e.g., paper-printed books) and digital tools (e.g., touch screen tablets). However, debate is ongoing…

"Pregnant Rapunzel Emergency" is part of a series of online free games aimed at young girls (forhergames.com or babygirlgames.com), where dozens of characters from fairy tales, children's toys and media feature in recovery settings, such as "Barbie flu". The range of games available to choose from includes not only dressing,…

Although mobile applications and games often seem isolating and somewhat stationary, last year's augmented reality (AR) gaming craze Pokémon Go demonstrated how technology has the potential to promote socialization, collaboration, and physical activity while still engaging users. Pokémon Go's use of AR technology, which superimposes…

This study discusses the differences between parents' childhood games and their children's game preferences. Four hundred and nineteen parents were surveyed to determine their play experiences as children as well as their children's play experiences today. The results of the study indicate that there is a gap between the time spent outdoors by…