Skipping Pong and moving straight to World of Warcraft: the challenge of research with complex games used for learning

  • Authors:

  • Scott J. Warren;Greg Jones;Amy Trombley

  • Affiliations:

  • Department of Learning Technologies, University of North Texas, UNT Discovery Park, 3940 North Elm Street, G150, Denton, TX 76207-7102, USA.;Department of Learning Technologies, University of North Texas, UNT Discovery Park, 3940 North Elm Street, G150, Denton, TX 76207-7102, USA.;Department of Learning Technologies, University of North Texas, UNT Discovery Park, 3940 North Elm Street, G150, Denton, TX 76207-7102, USA

  • Venue:
  • International Journal of Web Based Communities
  • Year:
  • 2011

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Abstract

In 1972, Atari released a simple digital game in North America entitled Pong, the game simulated table tennis using two lines as paddles with a square to represent the ball. Video games have since expanded in complexity and player engagement. As a result of this engagement, educational models have been proposed that leverage video games. However, rather than begin with research on games as simple as Pong, many have focused on complex systems based on massively multiplayer online games. This article reviews approaches to designing or using video games for learning and identifies challenges to designing, using and researching games.