[pn] Videogames and learning

[Mark Warschauer]

*********************************************************************
This message was distributed by Papyrus News.  Feel free to forward
this message to others, preferably with this introduction. For info on
Papyrus News, including how to (un)subscribe or access archives, see
<https://maillists.uci.edu/mailman/listinfo/papyrus-news>.
*********************************************************************

A mark of a good book is that it is built around a solid and clear 
argument--preferably in favor of a viewpoint that is original or 
counter-intuitive--and offers substantive and compelling evidence on 
behalf of its argument.  On these counts, James Paul Gee's _What 
Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy_ (Palgrave, 
2003) is a great book.

Gee is a pioneer in the field of "New Literacy Studies," which posits 
that literacy is situated in cultural and social contexts and cannot 
be fully understand as a individual mental process.  His previous 
books, most notably _Sociolinguistics and Literacies_ have developed 
this understanding, drawing on Gee's in-depth understanding of 
cognition, linguistics, literacy, and education, and his clear and 
penetrating writing style.  Gee now marshals these same strengths for 
an in-depth examination of the types of learning and literacy which 
occur in the playing of video-games.

Gee's first sentence stakes out his argument: "I want to talk about 
video games--yes, even violent games--and say some positive things 
about them."  He goes on in the rest of the book to detail 36 
learning principles which are embedded in  video games that he feels 
are too often neglected in schools.  These include points such as the 
self-knowledge principle (learners should learn not only about an 
external domain but also about themselves and their capacities), the 
situated meaning principle (the meaning of signs are situated in 
embodied experience), and the discover principle (overt telling 
should be kept to a minimum, allowing opportunities for learners to 
experiment and make discoveries.)

Of course Gee, or anybody else, could build a book around these 
principles, simply introducing and explaining each one.  But such a 
book would violate the very principles that it seeks to explain. 
Without situating the principles in an appropriate context and 
narrative, they would be very difficult for the reader to absorb and 
learn.  In one sense, then, this is simply a book about literacy and 
learning, and Gee--through his description of video games--has found 
a compelling context around which to describe how people learn.  In 
that sense, even readers with little interest in video games may find 
this a compelling read.  Indeed, it is one of the most thoughtful 
books I have ever read in introducing general principles of learning.

Gee demonstrates in this book, as in his prior books, his remarkable 
ability to take very complex ideas and explain them in a penetrating 
fashion.  In doing so, he draws on numerous everyday examples beyond 
the realm of videogames.  For example, a central idea of the book is 
that people learning by noticing patterns, and that this 
pattern-noticing is socially and culturally conditioned.  Gee draws 
on examples of bird-watching to make this point.  He could just have 
easily have pointed to how we identify genres rather than how we 
identify birds--but the concept of genre is much more complex than 
birds, and birds are thus an outstanding way to drive the point home.

Of course the objective of the book goes beyond analyzing general 
principles of literacy and learning, and seeks to make us think in 
new ways about video games themselves. Gee certainly did make me 
think in new ways about video games, which was fairly easy to do, 
since I haven't thought enough about them before, considering they 
are the main "new technology" that many children engage with.   Gee 
draws on his hundreds of hours of experience in playing games, his 
observations of his own children, and his interactions with other 
game players on the Internet to outline how the 36 learning 
principles are embedded in games.

Gee's arguments about the positive value of games draw on two basic 
tenets.  First, he argues that games have to involve good learning 
principles or people wouldn't learn them and they wouldn't sell. 
Secondly, he draws on his own and others experiences with games to 
describe how those learning principles come into play (no pun 
intended).

The first point is not very convincing--there is all kind of schlock 
that on the market (games and toys, entertainment, etc.) that doesn't 
involve much learning, but still sells well.  Perhaps videogame 
makers have succeeded in embedding principles of addiction into their 
products rather than principles of learning.

The second point--Gee's actual description of games and 
game-playing--is much more convincing, at least as to the potential 
of video-games (and in the hands of certain users).  Gee explains in 
great detail how and he some other people he knows, principally his 
children, play certain games, and reveals the great potential of 
games for helping players learn--and not only learn the games 
themselves, but also develop literacies and identities that may be 
helpful in wider domains.   However, the book provides anecdotal 
evidence in these regards, rather than a systematic study.  And the 
main game players discussed (i.e., Gee and his children) are from a 
fairly narrow stratum of society.  To really address the how learning 
principles are embedded in video games as used by a diverse 
cross-section of society (or at least that part of society that plays 
video games), it would be necessary to look at a more systematically 
selected source of data, both in terms of the games themselves and 
the people who play them.

Finally, the book does not evaluate the overall social value of video 
games.  Though Gee concludes with a strong endorsement of video 
games, he doesn't  begin to ask, much less answer, how time spent 
playing video games contributes to human and social development in 
comparison to other activities, such as reading novels, outdoor 
activity, or learning music and the arts.

In summary, this is a highly stimulating and original book, with 
loads of insights into video games, learning, and literacy. It is 
certainly one of the most important and original works in recent 
years addressing technology and learning. It should be a must read 
for several audiences, starting with educators and scholars 
interested in learning, cognition, and new media.

Mark Warschauer
June 2003