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What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. Second Edition: Revised and Updated Edition Paperback – December 26, 2007

by James Paul Gee (Author)

4.4 188 ratings

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James Paul Gee begins his classic book with "I want to talk about video games--yes, even violent video games--and say some positive things about them." With this simple but explosive statement, one of America's most well-respected educators looks seriously at the good that can come from playing video games. In this revised edition, new games like World of WarCraft and Half Life 2 are evaluated and theories of cognitive development are expanded. Gee looks at major cognitive activities including how individuals develop a sense of identity, how we grasp meaning, how we evaluate and follow a command, pick a role model, and perceive the world.

Length

256
Pages
Language

EN
English
Publisher

St. Martin's Griffin
Publication date

2007
December 26
Dimensions

6.1 x 0.7 x 9.2
inches
ISBN-10

1403984530
ISBN-13

978-1403984531
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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.” ―Terrence Hackett, The Chicago Tribune

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

“James Paul Gee's What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy has been a transformative work. Gee might be described as the Johnny Appleseed of the serious games movement, planting seeds that are springing new growth everywhere we look. More than anyone else, he has forced educators, parents, policy makers, journalists, and foundations to question their assumptions and transform their practices. Gee combines the best contemporary scholarship in the learning scientists with a gamer's understanding of what is engaging about this emerging medium.” ―Henry Jenkins, author of Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide

About the Author

James Paul Gee has been featured in a variety of publications including Redbook, Child, Teacher, USA Today, Education Week, The Chicago Tribune, and more. He was formerly the Tashia Morgridge Professor of Reading at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is now the Mary Lou Fulton Presidential Professor of Literacy Studies at Arizona State University. He is a founder of the Center for Games and Impact at ASU which orchestrated a national conversation on games and learning for the White House Office of Science and Technology. Described by The Chronicle of Higher Education as "a serious scholar who is taking a lead in an emerging field," he is the author of What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Griffin; 2nd edition (December 26, 2007)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1403984530
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1403984531
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.1 x 0.65 x 9.2 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #549,317 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #382 in Educational Psychology (Books)
- #1,157 in Cognitive Psychology (Books)
- #1,746 in Popular Culture in Social Sciences

Customer Reviews:
4.4 188 ratings

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James Paul Gee

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James Paul Gee is the Mary Lou Fulton Presidential Professor of Literacy Studies and Regents’ Professor at Arizona State University. He is a member of the National Academy of Education. His books include: Sociolinguistics and Literacies (Fifth Edition 2015); Situated Language and Learning (2004); An Introduction to Discourse Analysis (Fourth Edition 2014); What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy (Second Edition 2007); How to Do Discourse Analysis (Second Edition 2014); The Anti-Education Era: Creating Smarter Students through Digital Media (2013); and Literacy and Education (2015). Prof. Gee has published widely in journals in linguistics, psychology, the social sciences, and education.

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4.4 out of 5

188 global ratings

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KathyGD

Good Gaming!

Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2010

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In this book I was enlightened to the in-depth world of video gaming. The only video games I remember playing back the early 1980s was Asteroids, so I had no idea about the complexity of the today's "good games" and the amount of cognitive strategy that goes on within the player's mind. In each chapter Gee goes into specific detail explaining selected game scenarios which correspond to a selected set of his 36 Learning Principles. He states that these learning principles, which are evident in video games, can be transposed to classroom learning. He is critical of the current state of the classroom which, in his opinion, still maintains a lackluster skill-and-drill approach to learning which is a very different strategy presented in video games. The principles Gee has developed while observing- and playing- video games is, as he says, " a plea to build better schools on on better principles of learning."

He makes excellent points that I, and I am sure others, will relate to. Learning through hands-on experience can be so much more rewarding and long lasting, and the scenarios which video games players find themselves working within, activate situated cognition and social learning. In other words, Gee shows us how video games help players learn how to pick up on patterns, learn through the situations they engage within, and operate within a social network where they can synthesize their skills and strategies as a main character in the drama of the game. What I have learned from reading this book is how transformative video game learning can be as compared to passive or outside experience of, for example, listening to a teacher lecture, because players can actually become one of the characters and therefore activate higher levels of learning.

He does mention the issues of violence and gender (how women are depicted) in video games (an area of concern for parents and educators), and in that chapter he briefly provides readers some research based evidence to consider on the effects of violence and gender issues on players. I understand that he is asking readers to re-consider pop culture's sometimes overblown concerns of video gaming, and take a good look at really what is really going on in video games.

It is a fascinating read and it has caused me to reconsider the hours my teens spend on their video games. Although balance is neccesary, I am priming myself to not be so judgemental in my thinking that they are just "wasting their time" and not being productive. There is more going on than I ever realized!

5 people found this helpful

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Scientia

Excellent book on games and education.

Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2022

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This book is getting up there in years but is still referenced frequently by anyone who uses games in education. I purchased it years ago based on the recommendation of a professional game developer and it is still one of the first resources I suggest to others who plan to use games in any way to train or teach.

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Ilya Grigorik

Principles of deep learning

Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2013

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Good video games offer players strong identities; they make players think like scientists; they lower the consequences of failure; ... In short, good games provide an environment that is optimized for deep-learning. Best of all, all of these concepts are directly applicable to learning just about any skill - from how to traverse a virtual landscape, to basic science, math, and yes, even good social skills.

That's not to say that every video game on the shelf will meet the above criteria, but as James Gee points points out: many do. After all, if they don't, they're out of business. In the meantime, our educational system could really benefit from picking up a few of the techniques described in this book - ever wonder why so many "ADHD students" can't sit still in class, but then spend hours concentrated on a video game? Perhaps it's not the students, but rather the method of delivery and the content itself? The book offers 36 principles that are often found in great games, and which can help us build both better classrooms and computer games -- or, even better, classrooms with engaging computer games.

4 people found this helpful

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Stacey

An Eloquent Description of Learning that Happens in Video Games

Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2011

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I do not play video games, however, after reading this book I now have a new respect for video games. Gee clearly and eloquently explains the kind of learning that is encouraged in well-designed video games.

This book is NOT a methods book. You will NOT learn techniques on how to design better games or better instruction. But you WILL learn how video games encourage deep learning (i.e., a deep understanding of the game and how to be successful) and develop critical thinking skills that players use to become successful at playing a specific game AND video games in general. You will learn that game designers deliberately develop deep learning and critical thinking skills, NOT to make players experts in zombies or war, but to set them up to be successful at playing the game and to have a great game playing experience. That gamers foster learning that develops self-esteem and self-efficacy through game play. Gee will also share his opinion of how the educational system might incorporate these elements in the classroom to foster critical thinking and deep learning of subject matter.

If you don't play video games, this book will give you insight in to the kind of learning that is deliberately encouraged in video games.
If you DO play video games, you'll develop an understanding of why the games you play are designed that way.
If you design instruction (or video games) you'll now have a framework and a vocabulary you can use to design and discuss those elements that make learning engaging and effective.

14 people found this helpful

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Will

Imperfect book but great resource

Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2009

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There is not much critical theory out there on video games and James Paul Gee provides thoughtful observation on where literacy and learning intersects with video games. A lot of the book has to do with how video games as a new form of literacy, can construct our identities in ways unique to the medium and considers new levels of perception. He cites games like Half-Life, Tomb Raider, World of Warcraft and a handful of others and does a good job of keeping his analysis fairly close to the games.

The only place I would ding the book is that his examples are slightly outdated and this can be expected considering how quickly the video game industry moves but his observations still hold up. Gee has some very interesting ideas about video games without getting too caught up in theoretical terminology, so even though it tends towards the academic, it is still open to more casual readings. It's a good resource for critical theory on video games and well worth the cost.

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V. Schreiber

A different perspective on video games and learning

Reviewed in Germany on March 7, 2010

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Gee provides a rather narrow and previously unheard perspective on games: The strategies of learning they employ to help gamers understand how to play each game.

Surprisingly (at least to me), they - according to Gee - are very similar to the strategies that cognitive science and learnign science propose for active and critical learning. So, in the process of reading this book the reader gains not only insight in the functionality of video games, but also in modern learning theories:

How for instance good learning about physics not only focuses on content (like physical principles), but also on the "domain of physics" itself: Understanding specific values, language, and goals practiced within the scientific community. Or that learning about a certain domain (natural or human science, music, games..) forms the identity of a learner.

Certaing games (Gee labels them "good games") are very good at adressing these issues, and are therefore easy and fun to learn for the player, reward her at the right moment and so on.

In the book, Gee describes a whole of 36 of such principles of good learning and analyses modern games of different genres according to these principles. He focuses on complex games that allow the player to enter a virtual wold or tell a complex story. Examples from the text include The Sims, Half Life, Halo, Picmin, World Of Warcraft, Arcanum, Time Machine, Castle Wolfenstein... (just to list a few).

I found the book very interesting, especially from the perspective of producing educational and serious games. I also liked the structure of the book, where each principle is explained by different expamples from games or scientific studies. The text is easy to read, entertaining (when Gee talks about his own expieriences with games), and occasionally provocative (like, when he states that computergames are sometimes better at teaching than school teachers).

However, the reader will not (or only marginally) find topics like violence in games, gender roles or video game addiction covered.

About me: I studied digital media technology and design, have a lot of experience in playing video games and am reading the book primarily as theoretical background for creating an educational game.

3 people found this helpful

Maelen Moonsinger

Wake-up call

Reviewed in Canada on February 22, 2016

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Commonsensical in an area where a lot of teachers are suffering from severe cases of crano-rectal inversion. Helps them understand why the kid who can't finish a short story at school will then go home and show he has all the 800 written documents in Skyrim memorized.

S'cratchy the Khajiit: I'm more interesting that George Washington, teacher. That's not because Washington is boring. It's because you are.

B. Kavan

Four Stars

Reviewed in Canada on September 25, 2014

Verified Purchase

Confirmation of learning should be fun, inventive and self-motivating
Well written
Very worth reading for educators and parents

Doc Hudson

A good start

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 3, 2014

Verified Purchase

If you want a good introduction into video games and learning, this is a great place to start. It's intelligently written and accessible.

Luisde

La ideas de Gee son frescas e interesantes

Reviewed in Spain on August 6, 2014

Verified Purchase

Yo creo que es referente indispensable sobre el papel de los videojuegos en la educación. Gee no discute cómo usar los juegos en el aula sino que explica como los videojuegos son herramientas educativas que nos enseñan a resolver problemas difíciles.

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