Describes seven design principles found in computer games that contribute to the creation of more usable applications. Provides examples from several games to illustrate these principles ("attract mode," clearly stated goals, brief instructions, transparency, performance coaching, "training wheels," and consistent feedback). Argues that games set…

In K-12 classrooms, as well as on the college and university level, the incorporation of digital games has played a vital role in the educational system. While introducing teachers to new fields, these digital games have been designed and implemented for the classroom and have shown positive results at a variety of educational levels. Cases on…

There are several major challenges for instructional designers seeking to design learning games. These include the lack of access, the cost of rapidly advancing/expensive technology tools that make developing games uneconomical, the institutional time constraints limiting game use, and the concerns that schools lack sufficiently robust computer…

This paper reflects a multi-year collaborative effort between the New Media Consortium (NMC) and Griffith University to help inform Australian educational leaders about significant developments in technologies supporting teaching, learning, and research in tertiary education. The research underpinning the report makes use of the NMC's Delphi-based…

Describes how computer games can be adapted and used for training. Discusses elements of a well-designed computer-based training course. (JOW)

Simulations and games are designed to provide participants with an experiential context for reflection and learning in classrooms, corporate training centers, and community-based organizations. A conversational approach to debriefing sessions is one way to more deeply involve participants in exploring the meaning of their experience from multiple…

Six software products are reviewed including multimedia packages for history/geography and science. Other products include a coloring program, riddle-maker, word puzzle generator, a lesson on counting money, and a math game equipped with animation and sound effects. (IAH)

Presents a case study of the experiences of six girls with the "Phoenix Quest" (PQ) computer game and compares the responses of 41 boys and 57 girls to the same game. PQ was designed to explore language and mathematics in ways appealing to girls. Celebrating and challenging a female protagonist was important to girls. (SLD)

Discussion of the affective domain, learning, and motivation focuses on serious play as a suitable goal for situations requiring learners, both children and adults, to engage in creative higher-order thinking coupled with intense personal commitment and involvement. Suggests that interactive computer games offer opportunities to support serious…

Proposes a theoretical framework for analyzing the effect of MUD (Multi-User Dungeons) playing on users' self-efficacy by applying Bandura's social learning theory, and introduces three types of self-efficacy: computer self-efficacy; social self-efficacy; and generalized self-efficacy. Considers successful performance, vicarious experience,…

Social network sites, online games, video-sharing sites, and gadgets such as iPods and mobile phones are now fixtures of youth culture. They have so permeated young lives that it is hard to believe that less than a decade ago these technologies barely existed. Today's youth may be coming of age and struggling for autonomy and identity as did their…

Virtual reality technology offers the promise of interaction with a computer-based environment that engages visual, auditory, and tactile perception. Three interrelated virtual reality design topics are particularly relevant to visual literacy. The first is the concept of avatars. Avatars are agents that appear in a virtual world representing the…

Over the past few years, computer applications such as games and the Internet have increased in popularity and children and teens are spending significant amounts of time interacting with them. In order to understand the growing impact of these interactive technologies on youth, this paper briefly reviews previous research on the impact of…

This paper describes one piece of research that examines how girls interact within an electronic games environment. Girls were observed and interviewed to determine their interest in electronic games, how they play and watch others play; and how the presence of others affects their play. (49 references) (LZ)

Examines how computer-based simulations can best be exploited for computer-assisted language learning. Three learning environments are discussed: (1) the classroom, (2) a computer lab, and (3) self-access. Various types of computer-based simulations are described, including sports, adventure games, management of resources, and branching stories.…