I've been promoting FUN as a #1 objective for Learning for as long as I can remember. People (especially teachers) look at me funny. But for the last few years there's this buzz phrase going around, Digital Game-Based Learning. I'm very glad to see some other folks agree with me on this FUN aspect/process of learning. Have you noticed how quickly and how much our students "learn" via computers, without their even realizing it, when they're having fun?

Quicklinks for this page:

Articles & Information
Games Resources
SECOND LIFE + Education (a separate page on my site)

1. Articles & Information

Games for Learning and Assessment: "Computer simulations are natural learning tools for a generation of video game players." "Inventive computer sims can turn dull lessons into hyperreal experiences -- if we can get educators to use them. ...This article on computer-simulation technology is about how and why yet another technology that could be enormously powerful for our kids' learning is getting short shrift in our educational system -- despite the successes we can, in fact, find and cite. Simulation is not just another in the long line of passing fads (or short-term opportunities) in educational technology. It is, rather, a real key to helping our students understand the world." 03/29/09

Gamers do better at math: An article that describes a study (The Effects of Modern Math Computer Games on Learners' Math Achievement and Math Course Motivation in a Public High School Setting). But math teachers already knew this, right? 12/28/08

Serious Games for Serious Topics: The authors, Lisa Neal & Clark Quinn, are "addressing if the design of a game, or even the fact that a game is being used, induces a sense of frivolity that lessens the impact of the learning for serious topics." Their answer is no: the article points out that "Properly done, serious games are highly effective for serious topics. While the notion of a game may seem frivolous, the design and content are not. In fact, a serious game can introduce tension and crises to simulate the realistic experience of practicing a particular skill, or depict consequences, more easily than other types of learning." 05/24/08

The Blue Book: A Consumer Guide to Virtual Worlds: Stephen Downes describes the resource better than I can: "This is a very useful resource, not simply because it makes clear that 'virtual world' means much much more than 'Second Life', but also because of the glossary and categorization system that informs this list of 250 virtual worlds. Descriptions are brief (not surprisingly) and contain links to the world web site. The document is PDF, but you have to download a zip file and extract it." 05/19/08

Emerging trends in serious games and virtual worlds: Sara de Freitas, in Chapter 4 of a research report, Emerging technologies for learning. "Serious games and virtual worlds allow us the potential to provide support for our learning communities, broaden our networks of learners, [and] provide tools to support creative learning activity and experience design." Also within this chapter is a helpful table of Definitions and terms of games. 04/05/08

Boundary Characteristics of Game, Simulation, Drama & Role play Learning Environments: "Game as a structured or semi-structured activity is becoming more and more attractive to educators as a learning environment. ... Many teachers/facilitators have recognised the existence of an "environment" while using these techniques. Frequently, and correctly, teachers and facilitators put great emphasis on the rituals in entering and existing ... "game environment". ... This paper provides a theoretical analysis of the environment based on the anecdotal evidences gathered by the authors." 07/27/07

Presentation: Digital Game-Based Learning: "In this podcast of the presentation "Generation G and the 21st Century," Richard Van Eck, associate professor of instructional design and technology at the University of North Dakota, discusses the theory behind the effectiveness of games in teaching and learning; what the past can teach us about if, how, and when to implement digital game-based learning; and what this will mean for colleges and universities." 06/23/07

Games & Learning: UK's FutureLab's handbook "reports on some of the latest developments in the design of bespoke educational games. Such games are designed to be as rich and dynamic as their mainstream 'cousins', but are intended for particular formal educational outcomes. It also asks whether and how schooling should be adapted to accommodate the use of games." 05/25/07

Games-based Learning; a serious business application: (PDF file) "This white paper has been written to serve as an introduction to what is rapidly becoming a very hot topic in training and education: gamesbased learning (GBL), also known as ‘Serious Games’." Check out the extensive resource lists within this paper/report. 05/05/07

Learning by Design: Good Video Games as Learning Machines: "How do good game designers manage to get new players to learn long, complex, and difficult games? The answer, I believe, is this: the designers of many good games have hit on profoundly good methods of getting people to learn and to enjoy learning. They have had to, since games that were bad at get themselves learned didn’t get played and the companies that made them lost money. Furthermore, it turns out that these learning methods are similar in many respects to cutting-edge principles being discovered in research on human learning." 04/06/07

Learning in Immersive Worlds: a review of game based learning: I like Stephen Downes' comment in his review of this report: "Rather than using games in learning, I still think educators should be looking at how to use learning in games." "[The report], authored by Sara de Freitas, scopes out the current use of games for learning in UK HE and post-16 education and has been produced to inform practitioners who are considering using games and simulations in their practice. The report includes: . a review of the literature . a series of case studies from practice to illustrate the range of uses of games . synthesises the key issues and themes arising from learning in immersive worlds." 03/02/07

Teaching With Games: Final report of a study/project by FutureLab. "The Teaching with Games project was a one-year study designed to offer a broad overview of teachers' and students' use of and attitudes towards commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) computer games in schools. It aimed to identify the factors that would impact the use of these entertainment games in school and describe the processes by which teachers plan and implement games-based learning in existing curricular contexts. Finally, it aimed to provide recommendations for future games-based learning approaches in schools for teachers, developers and policy makers." 11/11/06

SocialStudyGames ~ Research, News & Resources: "I created this site in October, 2004 as a way to share all of the great resources I am finding in the course of my doctoral research into the social aspects of gaming. ... I wanted to be able to cull the best resources together to... give us all a greater holistic understanding of this emerging area. ... the social/psychological facet of games research ... a repository of resources, both original content and links to all the great stuff scattered all over the Web." 07/31/06

Teachers' Perceptions of Video Games: MMOGs and the Future of Preservice Teacher Education: P.G. Schrader, Dongping Zheng, and Michael Young examine how preservice teachers' personal experiences with video games inform their views of gaming in the classroom. They link the results of their study to current literature and conclude that preservice teachers' experiences steer them away from game genres such as massively multiplayer online games and toward using games as rewards. The solution, the authors conclude, is to provide preservice teachers with new experiences in their training programs that make them aware of the educational potential of games in the classroom." 04/09/06

Multimedia Learning in Games, Simulations, and Microworlds: A chapter from Multimedia Learning in Games, Simulations, and Microworlds by Lloyd P. Rieber. "This chapter reviews and critiques the scientific evidence and research methods studying the use of games, simulations, and microworlds as multimedia learning tools. This chapter focuses on interactive educational multimedia, which is distinguished from scripted forms of educational multimedia by the degree to which users participate in and control the multimedia software." 2/24/06

Game Studies: Online Journal: "Game Studies is a crossdisciplinary journal dedicated to games research, web-published several times a year. Our primary focus is aesthetic, cultural and communicative aspects of computer games. Our mission - To explore the rich cultural genre of games; to give scholars a peer-reviewed forum for their ideas and theories; to provide an academic channel for the ongoing discussions on games and gaming." 12/18/05

Serious Games: "What might it mean to create and sustain an educational gaming culture drawing upon the powerful tools of the current culture of commercial gaming, both on-line and off-line? What if we began a game-design project by asking not how we can include extrinsic educational components which we then force players to complete in order to advance in the game but by asking how we can devise educative components that immerse students in the least pedantic, the most demanding, and the most engaging forms of intelligent participation in fields and forms of human endeavour? We might then be better positioned to understand just how educational serious play can be." 12/10/05

Proof of Learning: Assessment in Serious Games: "...games and repurposed game technology, collectively called "serious games," have yet to be fully embraced by educators. It's not enough to declare that "games teach" and leave it at that. Teachers aren't going to hand out a game to a bunch of students and simply trust that the students have learned the material. Serious games, like every other tool of education, must be able to show that the necessary learning has occurred. Specifically, games that teach also need to be games that test. Fortunately, serious games can build on both the long history of traditional assessment methods and the interactive nature of video games to provide testing and proof of learning." 10/30/05

What can K-12 School Leaders Learn From Gaming?  "Richard Halverson suggests not only that valid learning theories lie beneath the entertainment veneer of video games but also that leaders could benefit from experiencing video games first hand, potentially learning about school leadership—through a carefully designed "serious" game such as those available in other fields—and awakening to the possibilities of gaming in the classroom. ...Halverson also acknowledges the difficulties of bringing about change within the current standards-driven school environment and outlines specific ways that gaming may be incorporated into various learning environments." 09/12/05

Students tackle MATH via fantasy football: An article in eSchool News online, reviewing the book Fantasy Football & Mathematics by veteran math instructor, Dan Flockhart. 09/09/05

"The amount of mathematics problems you can come up with is almost infinite," said Flockhart of his fantasy curriculum, which he's been beta-testing in classrooms since the mid-1990s. "Whatever we were working on at the time, it was reinforced by the game." Flockhart's classroom version works much like other fantasy football programs available through Yahoo or ESPN.com--with a few instructional twists. What makes fantasy football such a hit in the classroom? Flockhart says the answer is simple. "Millions of students in the U.S. are not proficient in mathematics because the subject matter does not interest them, and they do not see the relationship between math at school and math in their personal lives," he said. "Fantasy Football and Mathematics makes connections between math in the classroom and math in the real world."

Play and Learn: The eLearning Postsays "This article presents perspectives from heavy weights such as Steven Johnson, Elyssabeth Leigh, Mark Pesce and others on the use of video games as educational tools." 09/01/05

The Smackdown Learning Model: Not specifically about gaming, but the idea matches ideas that are accomplished via gaming regularly. The idea is: "What happens to your brain when you're forced to choose between two different--and potentially conficting--points of view? Learning. That's what makes the smackdown model such an effective approach to teaching, training, and most other forms of communication."

"By presenting different perspectives or views of the topic, the learner's brain is forced into making a decision about which one they most agree with. And as long as the learner is paying attention, you won't even have to ask. In other words, it doesn't have to be a formal exercise where the learner must physically make a choice between multiple things; simply by giving their brain the conflicting message, their brain has no choice. Brains cannot simply leave the conflicts out there without at least trying to make an evaluation." 08/20/05

New Learning Environments for the 21st Century: A pdf article via Educause that is FUN to go through (graphic, interesting) and makes some excellent observations and suggestions. I'd like to quote the whole thing here! But start with this -- "Modern’ kids from the global world growing up with mobile phones and internet. Do We Understand Them? What creates meaning for them? How do they learn and do they like to learn?"

The author lists the "Skills of a Guild Master" (as in 'gaming')

• Creates a vision and a set of values that attracts…
• Finds, evaluates and then recruits players that have a set of diverse skills and with fit with your norms.
• Creates a platform for apprenticeship - newbies
• Orchestrates group strategy and governance
• Creates, sells and adheres to the governance principles for the guild and adjudicates disputes.

"Hmmm, getting students to think critically about what they find on the web - an important 21st century skill especially for our 21st century democracy. And re-contextualizing the role of the teacher now as mentor to critical thinking." 08/20/05

Making Learning Fun: "It's obvious that learning games should work. Not only as we hear in prognostications from James Gee, Marc Prensky, and others, but our own intuition tells us (as well as watching kids), that when learning is done right, it can and should be fun. Learning should be hard fun. The question has always been, how do you systematically, and reliably, design fun learning? Previous attempts have been pretty hit or miss, at best. Just cramming game designers and educators in a room hasn't worked. What can we do? 08/20/05

24 Questions about computer games and education: The Learning Circuits Blog poses these questions (without answers) to give you food for thought as you consider using games in your courses. You can join the blog discussion if you have your own ideas and comments to make. 08/16/05

Innovate - Special issue on the role of video game technology in education: (Note that date/issue number in case you're looking for the article after it's archived.) 08/03/05

Enjoy the best audio experience with Windows-based games: This isn't an article about educational games specifically, but if you're using them in your course, this how-to article will definitely be of interest to you and especially your students. 06/17/05

Playtime in the Classroom: Starting about 10 years ago I began to observe the following was true for my own kids concerning their investment of time in playing computer/video games. It's nice to see the experts agreeing with me. An article from EducationGuardian.co.uk: "Arguing that pop culture is not dumbing us down, but making us more intelligent, is guaranteed to generate media buzz. The new book by American pop science writer Steven Johnson has indeed sparked a flurry of comment, much of it centred on his claims about the beneficial effects of watching reality TV and The Sopranos. In the UK, media attention has focused more on Johnson's observations that modern computer games require concentration, forward planning, lateral thinking and sustained problem solving - and, as such, offer a "cognitive workout" that can benefit overall mental development." 06/05/05

Can video games stimulate academic learning? This article reports on a study done in Chile. "The simple act of playing a video game can require learning a great deal of information. We have discussed studies showing impressive perceptual gains after just a short time playing a game. Children are highly motivated to play video games (in fact, at times, it’s difficult to get them to do anything else). Yet, perhaps because of the perceived negative impact, there has been surprisingly little research on how to use games for teaching. One exception to this was [this] study." 05/01/05

Learning by Design ~ Good Video Games as Learning Machines: "This article asks how good video and computer game designers manage to get new players to learn long, complex and difficult games. The short answer is that designers of good games have hit on excellent methods for getting people to learn and to enjoy learning. The longer answer is more complex." 04/10/05

"Play turns the brain on. ...But playfulness doesn't have to mean games." Whatever your product or service, this article is about how to "keep your users engaged" and passionate about what you want/need them to do. 01/27/05

Games find home in the classroom: "Video games could soon be transplanted from their natural habitat to the more academic atmosphere of the classroom." 01/27/05

Incorporating Sims and "Serious Games" in Online Courses: "This article discusses how to incorporate free or commercially available serious games and sims in one's online courses and programs, and the kinds of instructional strategies that are most effective." 01/27/05

Games that make leaders: top researchers on the rise of play in business and education: "If the last video game you played was Pac-Man, you might have missed the advances that turned games into immersive training tools for skilled professionals and leaders....Because games keep things “pleasantly frustrating, players have incentives to keep on improving their performance. That can lead to learning outside the game as well." 01/21/05

Games help you learn and play ~ about using SIMS games: "Getting a simulated person to perform everyday activities in a make-believe world and having them described in a foreign language could be a powerful learning aid." 01/21/05

Tenets of academic rigor spread to computer games: "A number of major universities and technical schools have launched game design programs. Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and Southern Methodist University in Dallas, for example, have offered master's degrees in the subject for years. Smaller technical institutions have also taken up the challenge. Full Sail of Winter Park, Fla. runs a bachelor's program in game design, as does DigiPen Institute of Technology in Redmond, Wash. But Worcester Polytechnic officials say theirs will be the first program to require humanities course work, in addition to computer science training." 01/03/05

eMail Games~ A zero-budget approach to e-learning: "...unglamorous, low-tech but highly functional communications technology like email, bulletin boards, and chat can be used as primary tools to promote and encourage collaborative interactive learning online. This article documents our observations and experiences in the use of email games." by Marie Jasinski & Sivasailam Thiagarajan, PhD from the Thaigi site. 01/03/05

Using Online Interaction to Break Your Addiction to Classroom Training: This page is very practical, in that it includes directions for conducting various interactive activities or games to be used as part of your course in the online classroom. " Many experts agree that interaction is the best way to produce such necessary adult learning meta-cognition activities as self-assessment and self-correction. But how do you design engaging activities? Here are some sample exercises to get you started." 11/05/04

Computer Games, Motivation, & Gender in Educational Contexts: The Centre for the Study of Children, Youth and Media hosts this website to report on the project. "The aim of this project is to contribute towards a better understanding of the motivating pleasures of computer games, in order that their pedagogic potentials can be more effectively exploited." 10/29/04

Six Criteria of an Educational Simulation: "The more I build, evaluate, and discuss educational simulations, the more I realize we need to establish some better terms. Specifically, there are six criteria that are emerging as critical, and ultimately not just to simulations but all educational experiences. Three criteria, linear, systems, and cyclical, describe content. And three, simulation, game, and pedagogy, describe delivery....The nice part of understanding simulations is that they help us understand all educational experiences." by Clark Aldrich (lead designer of SimuLearn’s Virtual Leader and author of the book Simulations and the Future of Learning). 10/14/04

The Education Arcade: "The Education Arcade represents a consortium of international game designers, publishers, scholars, educators, and policy makers who are exploring the new frontiers of educational media that have been opened by computer and video games. Our mission is to demonstrate the social, cultural, and educational potentials of games by initiating new game development projects, coordinating interdisciplinary research efforts, and informing public conversations about the broader and sometimes unexpected uses of this emerging art form in education. In short, we want to lead change in the way the world learns through computer and video games." 05/15/04

Digital Game Based Learning & Simulations: (from Sept. 2003) "I can't wait to see what happens when online learning collides with online games and simulation. I'm looking for a big bang!...Amazingly, to date, there has been little crossover pollination between these industry sectors and little discussion of the synergy's between each. Imagine what might happen if they got together and seriously pursued the creation of a new breed of online content - digital game based learning and simulations." 04/28/04

A Field Guide to Educational Simulations: "Can training programs aimed at Generation X and beyond succeed if they ignore simulations? The answer: not very likely. Therefore, simulations are sparking excitement in the e-learning world." 04/28/04

Why Study Rome When You Can Build It? "John Seely Brown, the media innovator who helped make XeroxPARC such a center for creative thinking in the 1990s, has interesting things to say about games, narrative, and education... Brown’s renewed interests in the educational potential of games is simply one of the more recent signs that the discussion of “serious games“ [see next item below] is starting to take hold not only among gamers but among a broader range of movers and shakers who think deeply about new media and educational reform." This article highlights of his remarks, more of which can be found here: Storytelling and the Art of Science. 04/27/04

Serious Games Initiative: "Mission: Create a set of objective criteria that will allow a vetted listing of developers and other third-party talent related to the building of serious game style products and projects in order to stimulate wider adoption of such games." 04/27/04

Intro to Online Training Games: "Marc Prensky, CEO of games2train and author of Digital Game-Based Learning, contends that the use of digital games will grow, attributing this notion to a generational gap between existing employees and employees now or soon-to-be entering the workforce. While some refer to these new workers as the Net Generation or the Digital Generation, Prensky identifies them as the Games Generation. Because these individuals have grown up with MTV, computers, video games, and the Internet as forms of interactive entertainment, he describes their learning style as 'craving interactivity.' 04/11/04

NASAGA Online! Version 1.0 -- Real Performance Results through Games and Simulations: March 10-12/04. Limited registration. "...leading professionals will come together for online presentations from experts in the field and in-depth collaborative discussions – all focused on how to increase the effectiveness of eLearning programs through simulation and interactive games." 02/09/04

Game Development Resource Guide: The article identifies "eight design changes and other issues to be considered." 01/17/04

Resources for Game Based Learning: Listed by category: General resources, examples, articles, government reports, schools/academia, books, companies, conferences. 01/17/04

Serious Games: Improving Public Policy through Game-Based Learning and Simulation: 01/17/04

PIXELearning: Long list of "some of the numerous reports, essays and articles that are available online which discuss the potential benefits and applications of games in eLearning."12/10/03

Marc Prensky - Digital Game-Based Learning: A multi-page resource and information site from the man who wrote the book Digital Game-Based Learning. 11/05/03

Digital Games Research Association: "a non-profit, international association of academics and practitioners whose work focuses on digital games and associated activities." 11/05/03

Games are better educators than we think: "This piece, written by cognitive scientist James Paul Gee, argues that games are ideal tools for learning since they communicate information in a retainable way and make that process fun. Games, according to Gee, possess many of the ingredients of good learning tools." 10/18/03

Interactive Strategies for Improving Performance: "More than 60 interactive experiential strategies that fall within the popular definitions of training game." 10/11/03

Social Impact Games ~ Entertaining Games with Non-Entertainment Goals: The goal of this site is to catalog the growing number of video and computer games whose primary purpose is something other than to entertain. Click on the categories in the menu above to explore the catalog. 10/06/03

Digital Games for Online Learning: A community site devoted to games as a tool for education. DISCUSSIONS, articles, resources, games library and more. 10/01/03

EdTech 670 - Exploratory Learning Through Simulation and Games: (San Diego State University) This is an Edublog site, where the instructor and participants in the course contribute to an ongoing weblog and wiki, among other activities. If you want to watch games-for-education in action, it could be interesting to keep an eye on this site. "Our first project will be the design of an educational board game...create and deliver your board games as a PDF document. That makes the game completely self-contained, easily reproduced and instantly distributable." 09/07/03

Video Games in the Classroom? A transcript of a Colloquy Live chat (August 27/03) with James Gee, moderated by Scott Carlson from The Chronicle of Higher Education. "James Gee is a professor of education at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. His latest book, What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy (Palgrave Macmillan, 2003), explores the learning principles behind video games and the possibility of using them in education." 08/30/03

Educators Turn to Games for Help: This article explains that "schools soon may be using the technology that powers [video] games to help teach America's children. Academics...want to use the underlying software that powers the games to create learning simulations. " 08/16/03

Playing for Success -- Using Digital Games to Enhance Learning in your Online Courses: A great site with lots of resources from Bonita Bray and Bob Boufford at UofA, Alberta. 07/27/03

Digital Game-Based Learning: An interview with Marc Prensky, author of Digital Game-Based Learning, on why he thinks game-based learning will be the next big wave to hit the e-learning shores. 07/25/03

Top MUD Sites: These aren't necessarily created for education purposes, but in my experience, kids/adults who participate in MUDs are learning all the time. My dream would be to meet a programmer who wants to write a MUD that's just as much fun as the post popular games, specifically for the world of education, with specific learning objectives built in. (I began this dream as I watched my partner's addiction to Ultima Online -- what a learning community, and what potential for the world of education!) It's going to happen, I'm sure! 07/25/03

The History of Scrabble: OK, this has nothing to do with digital games -- well, you can get a digital scrabble game but I'm a board playing purist. However, I really had to post this link just to have it handy. 07/25/03

Learning with Role-Playing Games: See the section on Computer Role Playing Games, including some information on MUDs (Multi User Dungeons). "Whereas teachers, parents and other educators will concede the educational roles of traditional board games and some purpose-built, browser-based, curriculum-specific entertainments, they may at first glance question the value of Role-Playing Games as learning tools - in some instances, they will see them as too much like fun, a distracting influence at best, or even something worse. However, enthusiastic advocates continue to cite compelling historical precedent, classroom success stories, and the undeniable motivating qualities of RPGs as arguments for their inclusion in the learning toolbox ." 07/04/03

The Web's Impact On Student Learning ~ Three Areas That Can Enlighten Current Online Learning Practices: The three areas discussed are: The role of individual differences; Instructional design; and Specific skills that are enhanced by online environments. Here's something intriguing: today's college students, brought up with computers and video games, etc. "...arrive with brains that are more likely to have been shaped by very visual, rapid movement, hypertexted environments (Healy 1998). This has led some to suggest that these younger brains are different from those of faculty, who are more likely to have brains formed by reading - a largely linear and slow activity." 05/17/03

Digital Game Based Learning: What better way to capture and motivate young people -- take education to their world of digital games. Marc Prensky has begun a collection of Selected URLs and other resources for Digital Game-Based Education, e-Learning, and Training. 04/13/03

2. Games Resources

(alpha order)

26 Learning Games to Change the World: The author's list of educational games that are geared towards making a difference in the world. The emphasis is on FREE games; includes browser-based games & desktop games. 05/19/08

ActiveWorlds.com: "In minutes you can create fascinating 3D worlds that others can visit and chat in." FREE software to view and use the chat worlds. Pay educational pricing to build your own 3D virtual reality home on the Internet. Also, check out their Active Worlds Educational Universe! 10/29/03

Brainpop: "...the leading producer of educational animated movies for K-12. The company creates original animated movies to explain concepts in a voice and visual style that is accessible, educational and entertaining for both children and adults. In the K-12 arena, BrainPOP movies demystify Math, Science, Health, Technology and English topics. Through BrainPOP’s online subscription, Teachers use movies to enhance traditional classroom learning and Parents are given a safe and informative resource for their children." 09/20/03

Browser-Based Training Games  11/05/03

Crossword Compiler: "...has everything you need to create great educational, professional, and fun crossword puzzles. You can make freeform crosswords automatically from your own words, or fill words into a standard grid from a supplied word list. You can print out and export your puzzles in many ways, including interactive online puzzles for your web page. The program combines ease of use for the casual user with many advanced features for the serious constructor. 11/09/03

Cyberquest: This educational virtual game world  is not completed yet, but looks VERY promising! "This program will provide first year HD Foundations English students with alternative learning experiences using interactive multimedia technology. The program extends conventional classroom teaching by providing review and remedial opportunities in a stimulating game environment." 11/08/03

DiGRA (Digital Games Research Association): "Digital Games Research Association (DiGRA) is a non-profit, international association of academics and practitioners whose work focuses on digital games and associated activities." There's a membership fee to join (in UK pounds), but even if you're not a member there are many resources and links at this site, of course all focussed on digital games for education. 04/24/05

EclipseCrossword: "fast, easy, free way to create crossword puzzles in minutes. It's never been simpler—just give EclipseCrossword a list of words and clues, and it does the rest. In seconds, you'll have a crossword puzzle with just the words you want. 10/22/03

EdGames directory of digital games for education: Also see their EdGames blog. 09/28/03

eMail Games: an overview, list of games, and more. Also check out their sub-directories for PBEM (play by email) & PBM (play by mail) games. 01/03/05

eMail Games ~ Google's directory of sites: 01/03/05

Education Arcade: "A consortium of international game designers, publishers, scholars, educators, and policy makers who are exploring the new frontiers of educational media that have been opened by computer and video games. Our mission is to demonstrate the social, cultural, and educational potentials of games by initiating new game development projects, coordinating interdisciplinary research efforts, and informing public conversations about the broader and sometimes unexpected uses of this emerging art form in education. In short, we want to lead change in the way the world learns through computer and video games." 02/01/05

Flash Learning Game Generator: A beta test site where you can create your own Flash quizzez. "This Game Manager is provided as a courtesy service to educators." Sample/play from the long list of games already created. Creating a game requires registration to use (free). Created by Dr. Dan Lim, Director, Instructional Technology Center, University of Minnesota. 10/29/03

"For Kids Only": (even the old kids like me  :)  CLN/Open School's site of java enhanced games for learning. Includes activity centres, colouring books, games, storytelling, and songs. 07/25/03

FREEBIES: from the Thaigi Group. "You've hit the jackpot! This location contains 1000s of pages of ready-to-use games and practical tips." Includes over 100 games, plus Instructional Design Tips, Tips for Facilitators, Articles and Handouts, and much more. Check around the rest of the site while you're there! 12/03/04

Game Based Learning Resources: from the U. of A., Alberta, Canada. 07/27/03

Gaming for Education: An excellent collection of links, under the headings: Definitions, Organizations and Research Centers, Game Development Books, Journals related to Game Development, Design and Development, PowerPoint Games, Kids Sites. 02/24/05

Google Lively: George Siemens said, "A quick initial reaction: it’s Second Life distributed." Google says it's "a chat experience in which you can communicate and express yourself using avatars in your very own space. Choose an avatar and use it to make friends and chat. Create rooms, decorate them to your liking, and make sure to invite your friends over." Google Lively is a 3D Virtual environment released July 8/08. You construct your own rooms, avatars, and furniture, etc. right in your browser window on your own website or blog rather than having to go to a specific 'game' site. As Tech Crunch said, "Well, this sucks for Second Life." Here's an introductory video, then you can decide whether you want to link via my title. 07/27/08

Math recreation: 15 popular puzzles and games. 12/27/02

Memory Lifter: "The superlative memorization flashcard software". 11/09/03

Personal Educational Press: Create free educational worksheets such as flashcards, game boards, and quizzes to print directly from your browser. Simply choose a word list and an output style. 11/09/03

Powerpoint Classroom Games: "Mark E. Damon has been kind enough to share all of his entertaining creations so that you may download them NOW for use in your classroom. These PowerPoint™ presentations can be modified with your own questions to create an interactive review or test for your students." 11/26/03

Puzzle Maker ~ Create Vocabulary games: A new tool from Lesson Corner. "We are announcing a new suite of free vocabulary building tools for teachers. LessonCorner's Puzzle Makers allow teachers to find or create their own free custom word search, scramble or crossword puzzles...Teachers and Homeschoolers who want to make engaging handouts for vocabulary building exercises." 12/10/08

Puzzle Maker: "a puzzle generation tool for teachers, students and parents. Create and print customized word search, crossword and math puzzles using your word lists." 11/09/03

Quiz Game Master: "Want to Create Interactive Web-Based Quiz Games on the topics of your choice ? Don't know all that xhtml/dhtml/javascript/stylesheet stuff ! This is the site for You. Turn your Questions and Answers into exciting Web Based Quiz Games you can save to your computer." Want a sample of what it can do? Try out Battle Master, a multi-player game created by Mike Capstick, who created QuizGameMaster. 06/08/04

SCoPE's Serious Games - Resource Links: In conjunction with SCoPE's current seminar series, Serious Games & Virtual Worlds, members are developing this page of Resource Links. I assume the page will still be there after the seminars are over, so check it out. While you're at it (and if it's still there), here's their Mind Map on this topic. 04/10/07

TeAchnology ~ Games for One & All: "Whether you're looking to use games for educational purposes or just looking for some fun, we have you covered! We constantly add new games. Why spend hundreds of dollars on a gaming console? Our games are totally free!" Their category headings are: Educational Games; The Animated Arcade; Other On-line Educational Games; Silver Membership - Make your own educational games. 05/10/06

Thinking Worlds™: "Serious Educational Game Online" ~ "...an incredibly versatile and globally unique educational games authoring engine. This game allows you to play, edit, create and even share games with other members of the Thinking Worlds™ community. Thinking Worlds is based on well researched and proven learning principles and has already been used to develop highly engaging games in many subject areas. This is your chance to take part in a GLOBAL six month BETA trial of this new exciting learning-based game for FREE." 08/18/06

Here's an article about Thinking Worlds from the blog: Educational Technology & Life. 08/18/06

Tools for Games: Created by Marc Prensky, a list of sites that support the building and development of games for learning. 12/03/05

Webgames: FREE. I tried out the one where you grab and place each of the states in the USA on a map. [blush: Only got 70% on my first try.] There are some other great learning games here too. And while you're there, check out their other website areas, including Free for teachers, Quizzes, and Software. 02/15/05

Word Games from AskOxford.com: Take the Oxford Word Challenge! 07/25/03

Workshops by Thaigi, Inc.: A collection of email games that can be easily adapted for discussion forums. Great ways to keep your course forum active and enjoyable. 03/06/02

wwwTools Games Sites: The link leads to a list of the various Games in Education sites, each one a full reference & resource page in itself. 09/01/05