Contextual Studies:casual games with learning elements.

unlike the edutainment games that I talked about before these games are not directly made for entertainment purposes but have educational values in them.

'Little Big Planet' By Media Molecule is a puzzle platform video game for the PlayStation 3 the game is for large audience including children all the way up to adults. this game unlike the edutainment games doesn't undermine their players as the game allows the player to create, share and play levels that they or other players have made this can be said similarly of 'Minecraft' also as it allow the players to make meaningful play.

when looking at these games I started to think of Jane Mcgonigal’s theory from one of her TED talks which is about how are super powerful people because they are optimistic, constructive, productive, meaningful and motivated. this can be seen when people play games like 'Little Big Planet'

another game I found interesting was the 'Civilization'series by 'Microprose' a turn-based role-playing game which was brought up in Ian Bogost book.  

"Games like Civilization12 and Empire Earth focus on the progress of history from era to era. As software systems, these games can be seen as historiographies, representing history with rules of interaction rather than patterns of writing."

This video game allows the player to understand how civilizations have grown through-out history and what could possibly happen in the future. this leads the player to think outside the game seeing what they could do for reality.

sources

Bogost, I. (2007). Persuasive games. 1st ed. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Alexander, B. (2014). Techne » Teaching with a video game: the case for Civilization.[online]

Blogs.nitle.org. Available at: http://blogs.nitle.org/2010/10/06/teaching-with-a-video-game-the-case-for-civilization/ [Accessed 18 Apr. 2014].

Little Big Planet. (2014). Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.

Mcgonigal, J. (2010). My book. [online] you found me. Available at: http://janemcgonigal.com/my-book/ [Accessed 17 Apr. 2014]

 MicroProse. (1991)Civilization . DOS, Windows, Amiga, Machintosh, Atari ST, Sega Saturn, Super

NES, Playstation. Reading: MicroProse

TED, (2010). gaming can make a better world. [video] Available at: http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world#t-652003 [Accessed 19 Apr. 2014]