This 66 page report [1.2 MB PDF] by Hilary Ellis, Stephen Heppell, John Kirriemuir, Aleks Krotoski, and Angela McFarlane, with a Foreword by Lord Puttnam, and an Introduction by Stephen Heppell, has just been published by the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA). The report:
"offers a snapshot of what is already happening in the context of games in education and, importantly, offers an evidence base from which informed decisions can be made by practioners, policy makers, the games and education industries."
As you might expect, an industry association publication is not going to hide the industry's light under a bushel:
"The hours they spent with fingers on controllers has transformed how we do business and has set the benchmark for the next generation of digital citizenry. Grown-up gamers’ cultural consciousnesses are suffused with interactive experiences, and it is through interactive methods that they are training the future of Britain."
"Technology has saturated workplaces, homes and classrooms. The availability of ICT hardware and software in the classroom means that a nation of young citizens will push out the possibilities for the Britain of the future in the global digital economy. We no longer need to predict when this will happen – it’s already happening."
But that said, the report is valuable. It is shot through with examples of succesful use of computer gaming in (mainly school-based) learning, seeks to explain how and why games can work educationally, provides clear overview information about the games industry, and includes some useful Appendices, with, for exampe, 36 learning principles essential in good gameplay, an extensive list of references, and, useful for people whose lives are not touched by computer games, a definition of genres.
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