Games Serious and Social

In Bill Gates' vision of the classrooms of the future, students are grouped according to skill set. One cluster huddles around a computer terminal, playing an educational game or working on a simulator. Another works with a human teacher getting direct instruction, while another gets a digital lesson delivered from their teacher's avatar.

An amazing platform/puzzler game based on the hugely successful Intel "The Chase" video. Playing as Eva, you need to protect the package from the bad guys as you race across the world of your PC. Yup that's right you are playing in a world of browsers, windows, desktops, games and there is even a bit of ASCII art thrown in. Nice touch with the LEVEL EDITOR, it's another game in its own right, create your own levels and share them with friends to get the best rating and the highest rank in the Gallery.

A collection of links to online communities for educators interested in gbl (edWeb is a very active one)

"you can't simply add game mechanics to employee participation in business processes and expect voluntary engagement by players over time."

Bev Lander presented on Gaming August 2, 2012

Innov8, a "serious game" created by IBM to educate users about business process management.

Dianne - Thanks for sharing this. I just recently acquired the Kinect sensor and I am planning to create a classroom use for it. I watched a student use the Kinect at the US Science and Engineering Expo and it looked like a great way to get students involved "in" a lesson.

As mobile gaming explodes worldwide, the market for "games for good" (either with an educational or social-change focus) is open for growth. Mobile games provide a way to quickly pass time, an always-on-hand source of entertainment, and a way to connect with others through competing scores or sharing strategies.  Can mobile games also be used to teach, inform, and raise awareness?

I'm not such a fan of this one. The puzzles aren't all that educational but I thought the graphics were a bit interesting.

Alternate Reality Games for Orientation, Socialisation and Induction (ARGOSI) was a JISC-funded project that ran from April 2008 to March 2009

Using games for behavior change

Not all the links work but you can use it as a reference to look up some of the games

A thought provoking article and slidecast that discusses how extrinsic rewards can make games terrible...

Also, geared more towards hs students but an interesting approach

Games with a purpose

Includes some game examples