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The Potential of Digital Games for Learning and Teaching

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Savegame

Part of the book series: Perspektiven der Game Studies ((PEGAST))

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Abstract

Digital games have meanwhile arrived in the spotlight of society. This necessitates a closer look at their educational potential―no matter if serious or commercial games or game design concepts are used to reach teaching and learning objectives. Taking the special characteristics of digital games as a starting point, the paper discusses which skills might be acquired by using certain approaches. However, it is also important to have a look at the teachers’ perspectives as well as limitations of digital game-based learning. Learning, however, does not only take place within games but also in communities around―the so-called affinity spaces enhance creativity and enable members to share and create knowledge.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The projects concerned are We Make Games (an evaluative study of the potential of using game-design in classes) and (Inter)religious education with digital games (a study looking into the possibilities of using digital games in religious education). Both studies were carried out by the author, using online questionnaires.

  2. 2.

    Due to the small number of participants in both studies, the figures are unrepresentative. Moreover, when having a look at the figures, it is important to bear in mind that only teachers took part in the study who basically regard digital games positively.

  3. 3.

    Farmerama (Bigpoint) focuses on building and managing a virtual farm. Experience points which can be collected in different activities enable players to uplevel and to get access to more and different crops, animals, trees or other parts of the map.

  4. 4.

    Figures as per August 2018.

  5. 5.

    Kynigos and Yiannoutsou (2018) look into the potential for education if children mod and design so called “half-baked” games. Wells (2018) discusses modding and discussion of mods as form of end-user engagement and suggests taking this community engagement as a model for other fields as well.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kirchliche Pädagogische Hochschule Wien/Krems, Wien, Austria

    Sonja Gabriel

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  1. Sonja Gabriel
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Correspondence to Sonja Gabriel .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Networked and Embedded Systems, Universität Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, Austria

    Wilfried Elmenreich

  2. Department of English, Universität Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, Kärnten, Austria

    René Reinhold Schallegger

  3. Department of English, Universität Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, Kärnten, Austria

    Felix Schniz

  4. Kirchliche Pädagogische Hochschule Wien/Krems, Wien, Austria

    Sonja Gabriel

  5. Abt. V/5: Jugendpolitik, Bundeskanzleramt Österreich, Wien, Austria

    Gerhard Pölsterl

  6. Wien, Austria

    Wolfgang B. Ruge

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Gabriel, S. (2019). The Potential of Digital Games for Learning and Teaching. In: Elmenreich, W., Schallegger, R., Schniz, F., Gabriel, S., Pölsterl, G., Ruge, W. (eds) Savegame. Perspektiven der Game Studies. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-27395-8_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-27395-8_2

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-658-27395-8

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