| What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. Second Edition: Revised and Updated Edition |  | Author: James Paul Gee
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
List Price: $18.00
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Rating:  32 reviews
Media: Paperback
Edition: 2nd
Pages: 256
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.4 x 1
ISBN: 1403984530
Dewey Decimal Number: 794.801
EAN: 9781403984531
ASIN: 1403984530
Publication Date: December 26, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
James Paul Gee begins his classic book with "I want to talk about video games--yes, even violent video games--and say some positive things about them." With this simple but explosive statement, one of America's most well-respected educators looks seriously at the good that can come from playing video games. In this revised edition, new games like World of WarCraft and Half Life 2 are evaluated and theories of cognitive development are expanded. Gee looks at major cognitive activities including how individuals develop a sense of identity, how we grasp meaning, how we evaluate and follow a command, pick a role model, and perceive the world.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 32
 Imperfect book but great resource November 26, 2009
Will (CALI)
There is not much critical theory out there on video games and James Paul Gee provides thoughtful observation on where literacy and learning intersects with video games. A lot of the book has to do with how video games as a new form of literacy, can construct our identities in ways unique to the medium and considers new levels of perception. He cites games like Half-Life, Tomb Raider, World of Warcraft and a handful of others and does a good job of keeping his analysis fairly close to the games.
The only place I would ding the book is that his examples are slightly outdated and this can be expected considering how quickly the video game industry moves but his observations still hold up. Gee has some very interesting ideas about video games without getting too caught up in theoretical terminology, so even though it tends towards the academic, it is still open to more casual readings. It's a good resource for critical theory on video games and well worth the cost.
 Boring August 28, 2009
AH (Raleigh, NC)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I haven't finished the book yet, but so far it is boring and full of semantics and long video game descriptions. I would not recommend it.
not fun. June 1, 2009
Lizzy Tafoya (seattle, WA)
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
assigned this book for class and not having a good time reading it. have no interest in the subject whatsoever, book is over-repetitive and redundant. get to the point! i agree that learning should be active though, but this book could be a lot shorter.
from [...] May 16, 2009
Miss Print (NYC)
What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy (2007) by James Paul Gee might be one of the most valuable and timely titles I have read in recent years. Coming to video games late in life, initially to "help" his son with gaming, Gee began to see connections to his professional life as an educator in the virtual worlds created by video games.
Specifically, Gee identified 36 learning principles often found in the best (most challenging, most fun, best designed, most popular) video games that are often lacking in contemporary schools that favor the skill-and-drill approach to deeper, more immersive learning. In discrete chapters, Gee identifies individual games (Tomb Raider, Half-Life, World of Warcraft, Sonic the Hedgehog to name a few) and the principles found in those games that could be applied to school learning.
The ideas Gee outlines in What Video Games Have to Teach Us will not be shocking or revolutionary to anyone who already plays video games. Gamers know that it takes more to play a video game than hand-eye coordination. As Gee underscores throughout this book, gaming is a multifaceted process that requires planning, reflection, strategizing, and even community interaction. In other words, it's impossible to play a video game without learning how to do so.
The key difference in learning a video game is that the learning is more strategic and immersive. Gamers learn by doing and through experimentation. They also learn in strategically effective ways. Instead of having adjust to the difficulty level of a game, the game--through its very design--often adjusts to the competency of the gamer. Schools have not found an effective way to do that yet. The main argument of this book is that video games create active, critical learners while schools often create passive learners.
There is a lot to like about this book. Gee keeps the book grounded in actual anecdotes and experiences and carefully avoids the hypothetical by using his own life as a gamer to explain the principles found within the book. The game play is described as carefully as the learning principles to create a book that gamers and non-gamers will be able to embrace--and understand.
Finally, this book isn't just about playing video games in isolation or even about schools. Rather Gee also looks at the community aspect of video games through their use of shared knowledge and, especially, through the creation of game related affinity groups (communities of sorts formed organically around shared interests). This multi-faceted approach to the subject creates a well-informed and thorough examination of video games, players, and how the ideas found in good video game play and design can be adapted to traditional learning environments to create a more engaging and enriching learning environment for every student.
Great book for the right reader! February 11, 2009
Tiffany Drape
Great book for class. Recommend to anyone interested in learning more about gaming in society and education.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 32
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