Using off-the-shelf games in class
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Introduction
Students usually like to play games, but many learning games do not even deserve the name game, since they are no fun to play. The question arises whether only learning games may be used in class to teach students? What about games students play in their free time? Do they have any learn-relevant content which could be used in class? There are some examples which show that it is possible to use games not specifically designed for learners in class. Franz[1] describes how the game Simcity 2000[2] was used in class in order to teach students important facts concerning city planning.1 In addition to the improvement of the student´s cooperative skills, the students have learned which aspects have to be taken into consideration when planning a city and how difficult it is to do so. Of course students could have learned all these information much faster by reading an article, or by listening to the teachers explanations, but by playing Simcity 2000[3] and experiencing the planning of a city, the topic gained personal relevance to the students and therefore their knowledge concerning this topic is far more lasting. This makes the use of off-the-shelf games like Simcity 2000[4] in class far more than an alternative to normal teaching methods. It is an enhancement of them. Of course this is only possible if these games are embedded into a teaching unit. Letting the students play a game in class without providing any necessary information concerning the learning content, would not automatically result in a successful teaching unit, but if teachers are able to embed games into their teaching unit, it is surely a great enrichment for the students. Another, maybe even more important side effect of embedding off-the-shelf games into a teaching unit is that by introducing children to these games the teacher may spark a student´s interest in the game´s topic. This might lead to the student playing the game in his free time and thereby delving even deeper into the topic.
Off-the-shelf games in language teaching
Using off-the-shelf games in class seems to be a promising teaching method. Still there is one problem concerning the usage of off-the-shelf games in class. While learning games are designed for learning, off-the-shelf games are not. Since there is a broad range of off-the-shelf games available, it is very difficult to find a game which is suited for a certain teaching unit. This poses a serious problem to the applicability of off-the shelf games for many school subjects, but not for foreign language teaching. Although different topics have to be covered in foreign language teaching, the main aim of language teaching is that students improve their competences in the foreign language. Therefore it does not really matter which topic a game covers as long as students have to deal with the foreign language by playing this game. Hence it follows that computer games with a lot of text like point and click adventures[5] or role-playing games[6] are very well suited for language teaching, since students have to read a lot of English and have to look up vocabulary which they do not know, which is an efficient way of learning a foreign language. Pen and paper role-playing games[7] are even more suited, because students have not only to read the rules, but also use and understand the foreign language to communicate with their fellow players and their dungeon master[8]. “Tabu“ is another well-suited off-the-shelf-game. In this game students have to explain a word without using certain expressions. There are many more games which could be used in language teaching, e.g. “Nobody is perfect“, in which students need to write creative answers, or “Outburst“[9]. The list of such games is almost unending and the best about these games is that students really enjoy playing these games.
Conclusion
All in all it is particularly promising to let students play off-the-shelf games in class. According to Humboldt[10] an individual will only learn something if it is willing to learn (cp. Humboldt as cited in Koller, 2004, p.71). Therefore it is important to make a lesson as interesting as possible, because a student is willing to learn if he enjoys what he is learning. Since games are usually associated with fun, using games in class is a very good teaching method.
References
http://www.spielbar.de/referate/franzsim.htm
Humboldt, as cited in Koller, H., 2004, Grundbegriffe, Theorien und Methoden der Erziehungswissenschaft, Stuttgart: W. Kohlhammer GmbH
Contributer: Rüdiger Roy for "Pedagogical Media Theory and Game Based Learning"
