Essays and Publications
Impact With Games: A Fragmented Field
This draft version of “Impact with Games: A Fragmented Field” reveals the fragmentation of the social impact games field in five claims. We’re seeking feedback on this report and invite … Read more
MindShift Guide to Digital Games and Learning
Description: Games are at the forefront of innovation in the classroom, but the question remains, how can teachers use games effectively to inspire and educate? This is the question that MindShift Guide … Read more
Systems-based literacy practices: Digital games research, gameplay and design
This paper presents two suburban case studies exploring the introduction of digital games into the English curriculum with students who traditionally struggle with literacy. Read more
The Civic Potential of Video Games
This report focuses solely on the civic dimensions of video game play among youth, providing a more detailed discussion of the relevant research on civics and gaming. Read more
Games for Civic Learning: A Conceptual Framework and Agenda for Research and Design
Scholars, educators, and media designers are increasingly interested in whether and how digital games might contribute to civic learning. However, there are three main barriers… Read more
Reality Play: Documentary Computer Games Beyond Fact and Fiction
Computer games such as JFK Reloaded and 9-11 Survivor not only aim at an accurate documentation of particular events—such as the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the Twin Towers attack… Read more
The Leisure of Serious Games: A Dialogue
A dialogue that touches on topics ranging from definitions of play and games, to existing examples of “serious games”, to divisions between games and simulations, and the historical trajectories of comparable media. Read more
Video-Game Literacy: A Literacy of Expertise
I argue that games are an experiential, interactive medium where we participate (and cocreate) new worlds. Although these worlds are synthetic, simulated worlds, they are worlds constructed to provide particular kinds of experiences. Read more
Games Just Wanna Have Fun… Or Do They? Measuring The Effectiveness of Persuasive Games
Using a persuasive game that I have created, I intend to try and measure its effectiveness as a social advocacy tool. Read more
2009 Games for Change Conference Assessment Workshop Summary
On May 27, 2009, a diverse group of experts met to consider how to assess the
impact of social issue digital games on players’ knowledge, attitudes, and actions… Read more
Reality Bytes: Eight Myths About Video Games Debunked
A large gap exists between the public’s perception of video games and what the research actually shows. The following is an attempt to separate fact from fiction. Read more
D is for Digital: An Analysis of the Children’s Interactive Media Environment With a Focus on Mass Marketed Products that Promote Learning
Description: From virtual penguins to video games, there are a plethora of digital products on the market that target a new generation of digital natives — children growing up … Read more