Computer Games

Daniel P. Auld & Fran C. Blumberg & Tracy M. Hogan

According to Greenfield (1994), computer and video games may be seen as cultural artifacts that provide vehicles for cognitive socialization of the children that play them. That is, media-based games may create venues in which to enhance cognitive skills and computer literacy. For example, the playing of computer games has been linked to enhanced spatial skills, such as mental rotation and computer-readiness skills among young children. Unlike video games, computer games tend to serve more of an educational goal. For example, the instructional value of computer games has been long recognized by the military as an intrinsically motivating and relatively inexpensive vehicle by which to introduce trainees to new skills and content (Ricci, Salas, & Cannon-Bowers, 1996). Educators have also acknowledged the advantages of the computer game environment over the traditional classroom environment for facilitating learning and for transfer of skills and content gained outside the game context (Koedinger, 2001; ...

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