Online and Internet-based Technologies: Gaming
Author(s)
Beavis, Catherine
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2013
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
There are high expectations for the educational value of online games and immersive, virtual worlds. Research focusing on these areas, however, is fragmented and provides a much more mixed picture of their use. This chapter identifies various traditions of work that contribute to research in this area, including humanities and social science approaches within game studies; explorations of literacy and media production from media and cultural studies; and technical and educational accounts from fields such as e-learning. Discussion of these focuses on the different ways in which the object of study is conceptualized, and the ...
View more >There are high expectations for the educational value of online games and immersive, virtual worlds. Research focusing on these areas, however, is fragmented and provides a much more mixed picture of their use. This chapter identifies various traditions of work that contribute to research in this area, including humanities and social science approaches within game studies; explorations of literacy and media production from media and cultural studies; and technical and educational accounts from fields such as e-learning. Discussion of these focuses on the different ways in which the object of study is conceptualized, and the implications that this has for conducting and judging research. A specific example is provided that looks at educational uses of Second Life. It concludes with a discussion of ongoing tensions between research traditions, as well as opportunities for new areas of work to develop.
View less >
View more >There are high expectations for the educational value of online games and immersive, virtual worlds. Research focusing on these areas, however, is fragmented and provides a much more mixed picture of their use. This chapter identifies various traditions of work that contribute to research in this area, including humanities and social science approaches within game studies; explorations of literacy and media production from media and cultural studies; and technical and educational accounts from fields such as e-learning. Discussion of these focuses on the different ways in which the object of study is conceptualized, and the implications that this has for conducting and judging research. A specific example is provided that looks at educational uses of Second Life. It concludes with a discussion of ongoing tensions between research traditions, as well as opportunities for new areas of work to develop.
View less >
Book Title
The Sage Handbook of Digital Technology Research
Publisher URI
Subject
English and Literacy Curriculum and Pedagogy (excl. LOTE, ESL and TESOL)