Digital games in education: The design of games-based learning environment

Searching through google scholar I came across this pdf article written by Begona Gros, a professor at the university of Barcelona and being that her main area of interests includes 'instructional design, computer supported collaborative learning and e-learning' I thought that this article would be interesting for my research.

In this paper I feel that Begona Gros is trying to bring across both sides an arguement that in my opinion is quite a big subject. The paper provides a fair arguement about the use for video game technology used in a learning environment. Gros points out that it is clear that today's younger target audience is involved in technology be it social or gaming, Gros also clearly points out that the different types of genre of gaming also provides a different source of learning ...

"1. Action games (also called platform games)—These games are reaction-
based; most of the games of the first generation are action games.
2. Adventure games—The player solves a number of tests in order to prog-
ress through a virtual world.
3. Fighting games—These games involve fighting against computer-con-
trolled characters or those controlled by other players.
4. Role-playing games—Human players assume the characteristics of some
person or creature.
5. Simulations—The player has to succeed within some simplified recre-
ation of a place or situation to achieve a particular goal.
6. Sports games—These games are based on sports.
7. Strategy games—These games that recreate a historical or fictional situa-
tion to allow a player to devise an appropriate strategy to achieve a goal."

Another point which Gros points out from her studies is that (Gros, 2005) 'gender differences do not influence interest in the games, but do influence different lines of play or preferences.'From my opinions I always believed that gender did influence the interests in games (this is useful for my research)

Even though Gros shows a good source of evidence that edutainment would be beneficial she brings across a fair arguement about the teachers. Even though there was a positive reaction to the gaming it was shown that teachers in higher education (secondary) struggled using games for learning mainly because of time and the need to cover the whole of the curriculum outline. From reading the paper timing seemed the drawback for video games as even though students were learning playing a computer games proved very time consuming.

Having read through the paper it has now given me the encouragement that I am pursing my research project in the right direction because even though education has researched into gaming, gaming has not greatly researched into education.

Could this maybe be opening for my research?