[games_access] Study: Games Effective Teaching Tools

[d. michelle hinn]

Very cool!

On a side note, my game design class this semester is focused on 
creating games for a local museum...which also need to be accessible 
(because I said so and they agreed and so did the university, which 
owns the museum, and has to provide accessible materials). So, I 
agree -- our accessibility work is paramount to games in the 
classroom, ESPECIALLY commercial games...if EA and others want to 
have their games in the classroom...

Ernest Adams is here on campus right now and spoke to the dorm 
community I run -- Women in Math, Science, and Engineering -- last 
night. He was with us from about 6pm to 11:30pm! So it was a really 
cool experience -- the evening event was mainly about women in gaming 
but he and I got to touch base on GDC and he's excited to be one of 
the "contestants" for accessibility idol. :)

Michelle

>"A one-year study sponsored by Electronic Arts has concluded that
>commercial games can be effectively utilized to teach in the
>classroom."
>
>http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3920&Itemid=2
>
>It appears the study is available for free!
>http://www.futurelab.org.uk/research/teachingwithgames/report_01.htm
>
>So, this is where our accessibility issues become hugely important.
>
>I think related, is Warren Spector's new article the The Escapist mag
>"Fun is a Four Letter Word". He asks whether we should only be making
>games that are "fun". He gives the example of a movie that wasn't fun
>to watch, but was thought-provoking. I've read many books like that in
>high school and see a need for similar type games used in the
>classroom.
>
>Warren's article:
>http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/65/15
>
>-Reid
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