Chapter 7: Gaming And The Network Generation

There is a conception of the modern student, brought up on computers and interactive media, as part of a cognitively different generation, who learns in ways that are significantly different from previous generations of learners. It has been argued that computer games, through the provision of immersive interactive environments, have the potential to motivate and engage this new breed of learner (Oblinger, 2004; Prensky, 2001).

This perceived change in the learning needs of the “games generation” (Prensky, 2001) or “Net generation” (Oblinger, 2004), coupled with the ongoing growth in use and acceptability of a range of communications technology, has precipitated a growing interest in the potential of computer games for learning. In a recent survey, 36% of primary school teachers and 27% of secondary school teachers said that they had used games to teach (Sandford, Ulicsak, Facer, & Rudd, 2006). It is not clear, however, the extent of use of games-based learning in postschool education, or the appropriateness of this method with older learners.