Games, whether FPS multiplayer or virtual world RPG's, afford a perfect learning environment: situated in realistic contexts; scaffolded as players level up, receiving less help and more demanding goals; constructive and performance-based with an emphasis on progress through failure. It's no wonder that educators are getting serious about adding games to curricula and rushing to build islands in Second Life. But will academics suck out all the fun? Can faculty reconcile virtual violence with the university's nurturing environment? Can instruction be virtual, immersive, competitive, AND addictive? Are there game-like elements which can infuse dry subjects with new life, or do games trivialize a discipline? If the academy embraces games, will students reject them as co-opted? Can instructors accept that students will cooperate to master topics for the sake of the learning team's overall mission, or view such collaboration as cheating?Our panel brings together a game designer, an education professor, a high school gamer, and an instructional designer to explore these questions. Together, we'll explore the essential elements of games that may (not) transfer to educational settings; the institutional imperatives and sea-changes required; and whether the serious games movement is real or merely a band in search of a wagon.
http://2008.sxsw.com/interactive/programming/panels_schedule/?action=show&id=IAP060431
