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What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy (Paperback)

by James Paul Gee (Author) "I WANT TO TALK ABOUT VIDEO GAMES-YES, EVEN VIOLENT VIDEO games-and say some positive things about them..." (more)
Key Phrases: internal design grammar, cybernetic modules, new semiotic domains, Bead Bead, Von Croy, Mary Smith (more...)

3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)

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How Computer Games Help Children Learn by David Williamson Shaffer
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Editorial Reviews

Review
"Gee astutely points out that for video game makers, unlike schools, failing to engage children is not an option." -- Review

"Gee.says the most challenging games prod players to push the boundaries of theiir skills and to adapt.." -- Shannon Mullen,Asbury Park Press,

"These games succeed because, according to Gee, they gradually present informatiion that is actually needed to perform deeds." -- Norman A. Lockman,USA Today, --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"[Gee is] a serious scholar who is taking a lead in an emerging field."--Scott Carlson, Chronicle of Higher Education

"Am I a bad parent for letting [my child] play video games at 4? Not at all, according to Gee."--Jim Louderback, USA Weekend Magazine

"Rather than be reined in, today's successful game designers should be recognized as modern masters of learning theory..."--Mike Snider, Cincinnati Enquirer

"...an astoundingly insightful manifesto on teaching and learning..."--Michael Hoechsmann, McGill Journal of Education

"Gee astutely points out that for video game makers, unlike schools, failing to engage children is not an option."--Terrence Hackett, Chicago Tribune

"Gee...says the most challenging games prod players to push the boundaries of their skills and to adapt..."--Shannon Mullen, Asbury Park Press

"These games succeed because, according to Gee, they gradually present information that is actually needed to perform deeds."--Norman A. Lockman, USA Today

"...Gee suggests that...schools...are 'in the cognitive-science dark ages.'"--Jeffery Kurz, Meriden-Wallingford Record-Journal

"...'good' computer games...use critical learning principles to quickly teach kids to play extremely complex virtual reality games."--Norman Lockman, Jackson Clarion-Ledger

"[Gee is] one of the worlds leading educational experts."--The Observer

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (May 7, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1403965382
ISBN-13: 978-1403965387
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #368,291 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
I WANT TO TALK ABOUT VIDEO GAMES-YES, EVEN VIOLENT VIDEO games-and say some positive things about them. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
internal design grammar, cybernetic modules, new semiotic domains, other semiotic domains, projective identity, lifeworld domains, good video games, birdwatching club, appreciative system, shooter games, flying aliens, fruitful patterns, way that learners, precursor domains, overt information, different cultural models, health kits, cheat code, typical bedroom, virtual identity, virtual character, game platforms, decode print, situated meaning, design grammars

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Bead Bead, Von Croy, Mary Smith, System Shock, Castle Wolfenstein, Under Ash, Captain Olimar, Operation Flashpoint, Tomb Raider, African American, James Paul Gee, Von Braun, Solid Snake, Sonic Adventure, The Last Revelation, United States, National Alliance, New Literacy Studies, Plane of Fear, Spotty Bulborb, Super Soldier, Metal Gear Solid, Pajama Sam, Day of Defeat, Grand Theft Auto

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 14 books:

Video Games by Editors of Imagine Media Group on page 13, page 112, and Back Matter
The Time Machine / The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells on page 5, and page 62
The Time Machine by H G Wells on page 5, and page 62
The Time Machine by H. G. Wells on page 5, and page 62
Video Games (Look Inside Series) by James I. Clark on page 12, and page 112

See all 14 books this book cites

Books on Related Topics (learn more)

Game Design Workshop by Tracy Fullerton; Christopher Swain; Steven Hoffman

Discusses:

Video Games by Editors of Imagine Media Group

Discusses:

The Video Game Theory Reader by Mark J. P. Wolf

Discusses:

Visual Storytelling by Tony Caputo

Discusses:

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	91% buy the item featured on this page: What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy 3.9 out of 5 stars (30) $17.95
	3% buy How Computer Games Help Children Learn 4.7 out of 5 stars (3) $10.17
	2% buy Theory of Fun for Game Design 3.9 out of 5 stars (37) $15.63
	2% buy Good Video Games and Good Learning: Collected Essays on Video Games, Learning and Literacy (New Literacies and Digital Epistemologies) 4.0 out of 5 stars (1) $26.95

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Customer Reviews

30 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant, May 16, 2003

By	Miles Jacob (Laguna Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy (Hardcover)

I read through the entire book today, enthralled that an academic of the same generation as my parents finally "got" what made videogames (focusing on action, adventure, and rpg games) a fascinating medium both for players and creators. Furthermore, the author was then able to apply this knowledge to his area of expertise, educational theory. I knew videogames could be art, I knew that as simulations they could be political, but I never quite saw what seems to me perfectly obvious now, that good videogames of almost every variety teach us how to think and learn, and that they do this much better than our school system.

This book should be loved by anyone with a strong interest in videogame theory or educational theory, as it impressively doesn't simplify either area to fit the demands of the other.

I also applaud the organization of the book, as each section centers around a few key concepts of educational theory which are repeated in the appendix giving everyone who has read the book an easy way to recall the '36 learning principles'.

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32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Teachers and Administrators should read this book., November 9, 2003

By	M. Chmiel (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy (Hardcover)

As a science teacher, I have asked myself (as Gee points out...many teachers and parents do) why it is that the same students who sit listlessly in my classroom will go home and spend upwards of 8 hours engaged in frusterating video-game play.
Gee effectively answers this question and makes a strong case in favor of video games being more akin to agents of learning (like recreational reading) as opposed to mindless entertainment (like really dumb movies).
Videogames are an interesting window through which we can study issues such as learning theory, motivation, and development of expertise. Fellow game players will recognize themselves in Gee's descriptions of what makes games so compelling, and nonplayers will be surprised by how far games have come since PacMan. I recomend this book to parents, administrators, and anyone else interested in education.

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35 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good theory of education, vague video game argument, January 31, 2004

By	Will Jordan (New Haven, CT USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy (Hardcover)

The book is primarily a criticism of 'traditional' school-based learning methodologies, using observations of children playing video games and the author's own play sessions as representative examples of the 36 principles of good learning he describes. He uses primarily 3d shooters and RPGs as his examples of 'good' video games (meaning that they encourage learning things about and within the world of the game). The author defines and conceptualizes his principles of learning and contrasts it with the school-based education process, noting the vast differences between the two. On this topic of criticism of school-based education, the author makes a strong argument.

His second argument, that these principles missing in school are demonstrably present in video games, is very vague and unfulfilling. The author often stresses elements of learning that can easily be found everywhere in life and social activity and in other forms of media, not just in video games. One point he makes in the middle of the book about incremental difficulty and the player's dynamic 'regime of competence' was a good topic consistent with video game design (although easily found in other places, such as golf handicaps), but it was not good enough to warrant his emphasis on video games in the other ~150 pages of the book. He repeatedly mentions that kids enjoy playing video games but don't enjoy learning in school and suggests that school should be like playing a video game, but he leaves it at that. Because he focuses on the process of learning and assumes videogame content and classroom content to be of an equal nature, the burning question of how to make learning calculus equations as fun and desirable to learn as advanced combat strategies to annihilate your friends in Starcraft remains unfortunately beyond the scope of this book.

If the intention of the book was to show that video games have the capability to encourage learning of arbitrary content, it succeeded. However, watching TV or movies or playing non-video games with your peers can be just as conducive to learning (and, depending on the content, just as mind-numbing). Having been weaned on Mario and Zelda myself and already appreciating the incredible complexity and carefully tuned learning curve of videogames, this book was somewhat interesting for its general theory of education but not as thought-provoking regarding video game theory as I had hoped.

This book is probably a better read for older generations that didn't have video games as an integral source of learning during their formative years and have as a result never taken them seriously.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars not fun.
assigned this book for class and not having a good time reading it. have no interest in the subject whatsoever, book is over-repetitive and redundant. get to the point! Read more

Published 1 month ago by Lizzy Tafoya

4.0 out of 5 stars I'm buying everything Gee is selling here
What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy (2007) by James Paul Gee might be one of the most valuable and timely titles I have read in recent years. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Miss Print

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for the right reader!
Great book for class. Recommend to anyone interested in learning more about gaming in society and education.

Published 5 months ago by Tiffany Drape

5.0 out of 5 stars Taking games seriously
Gee's background in linguistics and current interests in education inform this discussion of video games, as he clearly outlines over thirty good learning principles that teachers... Read more

Published 12 months ago by A. Chang

4.0 out of 5 stars Makes me regret not playing more video games
I'd always sort of believed the "video games are a waste of time" thing just because I'd heard it so much. Read more

Published on April 15, 2007 by thirstn

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for research, not so much for general reading.
First of all, this book is not written as a general public book, it is written much more in the vein of a college graduate's analysis. Read more

Published on January 15, 2007 by Jason

4.0 out of 5 stars Provocative and balanced
Great book and delightful read. If you are a teacher or work in education to help direct new initiatives with technology and learning, you should read this.

Published on January 9, 2007 by Monoxylon

2.0 out of 5 stars Too long, too wordy, not worth the effort
Not sure why the author who does make some good points, couldn't find a way to express those without trying to sound important. Read more

Published on December 16, 2006 by Valerie J. Dickenson

4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful discussion of a complex social text
James Paul Gee, a pre-eminant researcher into video games and their relationship to education and learning, offers a clear and insightful discussion as to the educational... Read more

Published on September 17, 2006 by C. Taylor

4.0 out of 5 stars we aren't all videots
This a remarkably approachable book despite being written by an academic. Mr. Gee does an excellent job of exploring the role of video games in the lives of contemporary people... Read more

Published on May 3, 2006 by Taylor Ellwood

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