Chapter 21: Computer Games, Present and Future

This chapter reviews and summarizes themes and results found in research on the use of computer games in instruction. It discusses the present state of this research and raises some concerns about the studies. Finally, it extrapolates from current trends to suggest what the future use of games in instruction may be.

We begin by discussing the implications of research in a number of areas on using games for learning from instruction. These areas include inert knowledge, transfer, formative and summative evaluation, multimedia learning, game taxonomies, and return on investment.

Evidence for the wide use of computer games appears throughout this book and elsewhere. Chapters in the book document the popularity of games within and across standard population groupings based on factors such as gender, age, socio-economic status, education, and occupation. This intense, widespread interest arises primarily from the entertainment games provide, not from their instructional value. However, motivation is at the heart of good instructional design (e.g., Martin & Reigeluth, 1999), and it is not surprising that educators and trainers want to capitalize on this enthusiasm and enlist games in the service of learning.