Using Games to Enhance Learning and Teaching: A Beginner's Guide [Kindle Edition]

As its subtitle suggests, Using Games to Enhance Learning and Teaching is a beginner's guide. In this case, however, that refers to people who already have teaching experience and who are looking into expanding their methodology to include games. The editors and the authors have done an excellent job at balancing the basics of educational game theory with practical examples, making the book easy to understand yet academic enough to work also as a tool for convincing the more sceptical. Excluding some (in my opinion) slightly too optimistic parts on competition and contextualization, the authors are also wisely critical of what they say, way beyond most proponents of game-based learning and/or gamification.

The examples cases are drawn especially from alternate reality games, so if one is looking for guidelines on just using some games in the classroom, Whitton's own, excellent "Learning with Digital Games" (2010) may be a more suitable starting point. For those looking to create something a bit more all-encompassing, this is your book. Despite its beginner-friendly style, it also offers a fine list of references for further reading, although I must say that given the topics, the absence of some key texts (e.g. Juul's "Casual Games" and Montola, Stenros & Waern's "Pervasive Games: Theory and Design") was something of a surprise.

All in all, Whitton and Moseley have created a very useful volume that should see a lot of use both in the hands of enthusiastic teachers of all kinds, as well as something that should be given to people who are potentially interested in supporting learning games, yet remain wary of them. It presents a very convincing argument on why, how, where and with what limitations game-based learning can be applied.

I am still only at the beginning of this book, but so far I am finding it interesting and an easy read. I like the academic look at the facets of gaming in education. I mentor adults through their teaching qualifications, and this will be a useful resource not only in assisting me with my teaching but in helping to broaden the thinking of the newly qualified. At this stage, I am enjoying the theoretical explanations and I'm looking forward to getting lots of ideas on how to implement games, something which I'm sure I will be getting from flicking through.