Chapter 14: Implications of Constructivism for the Design and Use of Serious Games

The goal of this chapter is to examine how video games can support learning that is grounded in constructivist theory. Constructivism is a theory of learning that posits that people construct understanding from their individual and social experiences (Piaget, 1967; Vygotsky, 1978). Video games—and serious games in particular—can offer a powerful medium for engaging players in meaningful activities that support learning through experience (Kolb, 1984) and learning by doing (Dewey, 1933).

From the use of early entertainment games such as SimCity (Maxis, 1989) and Oregon Trail (Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium, 1974), video games have been used to engage, motivate, and teach learners of all ages. As computer and Internet technologies have become more advanced, so have our games. Video games are increasingly realistic, more sophisticated in terms of game play, more social, and more accessible across multiple devices and platforms (i.e., computers, game consoles, and mobile devices).