My interest in using games to teach extends beyond gaming in the video game context. Any tactic, tool or technique that motivates a person to master new content is an effective teaching tool. Using video games in particular might be an effective way to reach our learners remotely - in the online world. The potential for games or gaming to be an effective teaching tool comes down to the level of engagement that is ultimately achieved. As an overview for those who may not know much about computer/video games, I think the wikipedia article on video games might be a good place to start: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_and_video_games

It's my hope that if there are any successful applications of using video games to teach information literacy skills, readers of this blog will post their comments/findings here.

Learning retention - particularly retention of information literacy skills is another interesting area to explore. Will video games be effective? Will the gains be worth the pay-outs? I think the verdict is still out on that, but feel free to use this blog as an outlet for discussion.

There are some learning objects, games and simulations available in places such as MERLOT and CLOE. I haven't done a review to see who has been evaluating the effectiveness of these games in other disciplines, but it is definitely something that needs further exploration and may prompt future posts by me here.