Whose Turn Is It? Research on Gaming in the iSchools

Professors Scott Nicholson and Ian MacInnes discussed the role of gaming in teaching skills and content in information schools, and also what role information schools can have in the theory and development of games more generally.

"We got trapped in a bad model of educational game where you roll a die and move a piece and answer a question and 'oh look, we're learning,'" Nicholson said. He'd like to see how new games and their design can expand the possibilities of learning and enjoyment for participants.

He discussed a game he expects to release in October called Tulipmania that teaches students about the bubble stock market. Gamers get to play the wily investors who are all trying to get wealthy when a virus begins wiping out the tulip population. He emphasized the role of games in motivating people to learn.

Marisa Cohn from UC-Irvine pointed out that a rewards system is often part of the motivation equation as well. She said she wouldn't play Free Rice to increase her vocabulary, but rather she plays because the site gives free rice to hungry people based on the number of people playing the word game.

Nicholson flipped that idea to say that many games also "punish" or penalize players who don't follow the game's intended rules. For example, in some virtual military games, if you shoot a friendly soldier because it would be fun, you are penalized.

The workshop participants also discussed the need to look at the interplay between designers and users in gaming. How does that affect a teacher-student relationship, for example? Would teachers play along with their students in the learning game, or are they monitoring or assisting the play of the students?

What's the role of theory in the development and use of games in various settings? Should games be in libraries? Nicholson and MacInnes are currently doing research in gaming to uncover the answers to some of these questions.