Presentation from the SiS Catalyst and EUCU.NET Technucation conferernce at the University of Porto, 28th November to 1st December 2013. Workshop A - The Content.

1. To what extent do serious games
foster risk taking as an innovation
skill?
Helen Smith (PhD student-AIT)

2. Barriers to risk taking in the
classroom
• High stakes assessment and the fear of
failure
• Time
• Resources
• Individual skills of the teacher
• Political rhetoric and controls over
pedagogical practice

3. Can we create a learning environment….
• That is engaging?
• That engages young people
in real world problems?
• That allows them to see the
links between global
problems and science and
technology?
• That allows students to work
creatively and
collaboratively ?
• That allows them to freely
take risks?

4. Positive educational features
of computer games
Mirror constructivist learning models that students:
•Face uncertainty as to outcome of the task
•Recieve in time feedback
•Actively construct knowledge
•Can work co-operatively
•Are self-regulated learners
•Experience situations within the games that
resemble real-life or authentic situations.

5. Some more positive educational features of computer
games…
Players experience ‘fun failure’ (McGonigal,
2011)

6. Games engage the ‘digital natives’ of
contemporary society (Prensky,1996)

7. Games allow for a state of creative ‘flow’
(Csikszentmihalyi, 2003)

8. Could serious
games be even
better?
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9. Theories of persuasive design (Fogg,
2002 and Bogost, 2007) suggest that
serious games are not value neutral and
that players are anchored in an
ideological position through a series of
processes
Does this lead to greater levels of
engagement than traditional educational
games?

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12. Many serious games model the ‘Science-
Technology-Society’ nexus typified by
the work of Carl Mitcham (1994, 2001)
What are the implications of
climate change?
Scarce resources?
What would be peoples lived
experiences?
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15. Games for Change and Games
for Good
Increase capacity for
social innovation?
Collaboration beyond
the game in socially
innovative practices?
Real engagement in
issues around science
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& sustainability? 15

16. • Engaged as both
creators and players
of serious games?
• Are more motivated
Young women by the social
& Serious aspects of science
Gaming and technology?
• Increase in serious
games that touch
upon the social
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position of women?16

17. „I foresee games that fix our educational
systems... I foresee games that raise rates
of democratic participation. I foresee
games that tackle global scale problems
like climate change and poverty. In short, I
foresee games that augment our most
essential human capabilities- to be happy,
resilient, creative- and empower us to
change the world in meaningful ways“
Jane McGonigal Why Games Make Us Better
and How They Can Change the World (2011 )
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18. Why are some of our young people fearful of taking
intellectual risks?
*psychological disposition
*a lack of cultural capital
*the consequence of living in a risk averse culture
What might be the limitations of serious games?
Could you apply the same principles of game based
learning to a non virtual environment with the same
degree of success?
What place can serious games have in the future of
educating our young people?
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19. Thank you for listening…
Helen.Smith.fl@ait.ac.at
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