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Citation: 

Gouglas, Sean, Mihaela Ilovan, Shannon Lucky, and Silvia Russell. “Abort, Retry, Pass, Fail: Games as Teaching Tools.” In Pastplay: Teaching and Learning History with Technology, edited by Kevin Kee, 121-38. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2014.

Abstract/Summary: 

Play and games have always been educational tools; computer games are just the newest version in the history of play and education. According to the authors, there are three threads that are common in play and education. The first thread relates to how play and games are ancient components of human learning. The second thread describes the dichotomy between play and game and explains the complex differences between the two terms. The final thread describes the variety between play and game that mirrors the way people participate. The authors aim for the chapter to survey the history of gaming and how it has been used in teaching, most specifically in the liberal arts. While the history of gaming is widely researched, there is less conducted to determine how serious games cannot only aid learning but also enhance it. The authors are at an experimental stage but aim to have students design their own games in order to learn more about the subject matter. They continue the chapter describing different types of games and play that students can design such as dollhouses, card playing and war games. The authors then continue with a discussion of how computer games can be used in the classroom and linked to educational theory and how to learn through the game design. The authors conclude by explaining how games can aid with teaching in the social sciences and humanities.

Source/Credit: 
Erika Smith