GAME ON - the conference

You may be aware of the "Game On" exhibition running until February 2nd 2003 at the Royal Museum in Edinburgh. This exhibition traces the history of and the current fashion for computer games and includes over 120 playable games.

You may be aware of the "Game On" exhibition running until February 2nd 2003 at the Royal Museum in Edinburgh. This exhibition traces the history of and the current fashion for computer games and includes over 120 playable games. The conference held in November was specifically looking at the potential of these games in learning.

I only attended the conference on the first day which opened with a presentation from Chris van der Kuyl who is the (very young) CEO of VIS Entertainment plc, a company based in Dundee and responsible for many of the leading computer games including "Rollercoaster Tycoon". (If you have never heard of this, just ask anyone between the ages of 8 - 18.)

Naturally, Chris is a great enthusiast for computer games and gave some convincing arguments against the myths that surround them. He suggested that computer games are a vital part of developing skills - not only thinking skills, but also reading and co-ordination. Multi-player games are now the new form of social interaction where young people can share their gaming experiences. He also tackled the question of violent and mature content in such games as Grand Theft Auto. He stressed that this is down to parental responsibility and choice. (What do you think?)

Chris then talked about his company and how the game industry is now looking for less technical expertise and more creativity in art skills. As the technology is becoming easier, games designers will now need to be able to think imaginatively and "out of the box".

We later had an interesting presentation from a researcher who had been looking at what children, teachers and parents think they learn from games. This research has started to unwrap some of the myths surrounding games such as the isolated lone gamer. The parents were particularly positive about the advantages of computer games and recognised the importance of talking about games both during and after the event. They really get children thinking and, as the speaker called it, was really "hard fun". The research also looked at the introduction of computer games into the classroom and how they could be used to develop additional skills such as strategic thinking, planning and communication. If you would like to read more about this research, there is website on: www.teem.org.uk
 

During the day, all the delegates were split up into teams and were given the job of designing their own computer game. We even had to model our own character out of playdough.
I had forgotten the therapeutic qualities of messing about with this stuff!

A good day, however I think that more work needs to be done on the role of these games within the classroom and as Chris van der Kuyl said educational software needs to be left to the specialists as entertainment should not be too mixed up with education.

If you want some more info, here are some websites:

• For details on the "Game On" exhibition: www.nms.ac.uk

• Research on "Learning from how children use computer games": http://edugameforum.ngfl.gov.uk

• Nesta Futurelab develops innovative learning resources for a future curriculum: www.nestafuturelab.org

A report from Eleanor Coner

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