Because, you know, drugs are always the answer. How often do we (as instructors) actually consider what kind of pressure we are putting on our students. Why do we do it? Many will tell you that it is about keeping … Continue reading →

What’s the point of hiring competent, creative people if you then don’t let them do what they’re good at? I’ve never understood that, but I’ve experienced this a number of times. Two of the three departments I taught for at … Continue reading →

This all good advice. I asked my students this one year when I was still teaching at the UofCalgary. Their comments are below. Advice for New Students From Those Who Know (Old Students) - The New York Times. Extend Yourself. … Continue reading →

A number of chapters in my upcoming book talk about how to review games, and I go into my 4PEG model in detail. I review 7 games in the book. Here’s another. This review is of an educational game, and … Continue reading →

In my upcoming book I talk about the importance of teacher support for educational games. It is the 3rd pillar in my 4PEG model. In order to gain acceptance in a traditional classroom, GBL ‘objects’ need to be "canned", meaning they need to … Continue reading →

Yes. And: No. It depends on how we define things. First, I think it’s important to distinguish between digital games and non-digital or ‘analog’ games in these discussions. Few can agree on a precise definition for ‘game’ and there has … Continue reading →

Many people in Education seem to believe that fun and education are at odds with each other. Some years ago I did a survey with public school teachers to see if they were using games in school, and if not, … Continue reading →

Jim Gee says, "When we think of games, we think of fun. When we think of learning we think of work". (P. 43, 2007, Good Video Games + Good Learning) Is that really true? Somewhere along the line kids begin … Continue reading →

Far too many educational games out there are nothing more than template games skinned with educational content. I wonder why people make these kinds of games. Is it because they are easy to design, or do they really not understand what … Continue reading →

One of the great things about games is their potential for delivering just-in-time instruction. Most games require some sort of user assistance, whether it be instructions, in-game tutorials, or a help system. Many games integrate help and tutorial information into the gameplay … Continue reading →