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Research into games for educational purposes reveals some interesting trends. Early studies of consumer games helped to identify the aspects of games that make them especially engaging and appealing to players of various ages and of both genders: the feeling of working toward a goal; the possibility of attaining spectacular successes; the ability to problem-solve, collaborate with others, and socialize; an interesting story line; and other characteristics. These qualities are replicable, though they can be difficult to design well, and they can transfer to games featuring educational content.

1. Ascolta - Ping the Router. A web-based game for learning computer network engineering skills. 2. think3 - Time Mechanic. The company's second, web-based, game for learning to use their CAD software 3. Imparta - Sales Co-Pilot. The company's sequel to Strategy Co-Pilot 4.Learnetix - Zwolf. A game for technical learning. In German. 5. Institute for Creative Technologies, USC (ICT) - Full Spectrum Command - A company-level training game for Army Captains 6. Institute for Creative Technologies, USC (ICT) - Full Spectrum Warrior - A Squad-level Training Game for the Army. On X-Box. 7. MIT - Supercharged! - A game for understanding counter-intuitive physics concepts 8. MIT - Environmental Detective - A game for determining the source of a water contamination problem. On Pocket PC 9. Carnegie Mellon - BioHazard - a game about dealing with a bioterror attack. 10. Will Interactive - Think Like a Commander - Army training game. 11. MAK - Marine Air-Ground Task Force -MAGTF XXI - Marines training game 12 MAK - Battle Command 2010-BC2010 -Army training game 13. SimuLearm - Virtual Leader - A game about driving one's agenda through a variety of meetings at different levels

Features of game-based learning (GBL): GBL uses competitive exercises, either pitting the students against each other or getting them to challenge themselves in order to motivate them to learn better. Games often have a fantasy element that engages players in a learning activity through a storyline. In order to create a truly educational game, the instructor needs to make sure that learning the material is essential to scoring and winning.Learn more here. Categories of games that can be adapted for learning include: Video Games (Digital Game-Based Learning) Board and Card Games: with descriptions of geoscience games

To integrate learning and game play: Work out how to give students points for accomplishing certain goals in a lesson plan Decide on rewards for the victors Create game pieces Test your game before you run it

Some games are highly specific about skills development in a particular (subject-focused) area. For example, Dr Kawashima's Brain Training has led to tangible improvements in numeracy and learner confidence in Scotland. But generally, video games hit several specific traditional subject areas while also being superb at hitting a lot of these new media literacy base

Linked to the general principles of how we learn are more specific principles that describe how we learn in the context of effective game environments. James Paul Gee, author of What Video Games Have to Teach Us about Learning and Literacy , describes 36 learning principles that well-designed games embody. Following are four: Subset Principle: Learning, even at its start, takes place in a (simplified) subset of the real domain. For example, the setting for the loading dock game should represent an actual loading dock, so that players can easily map their in-game behavior to on-the-job performance. However, it must be a simplified version that omits unimportant details, so that players can focus on aspects of the simulation that are relevant to the learning objective—things like crosswalks and pedestrians. Active, Critical Learning Principle: The learning environment must encourage active and critical, not passive, learning. In the loading dock example, this means players do not merely watch correct and incorrect examples of loading dock behavior, followed by a quiz—they actually think, act, experience consequences and pursue goals in a variable game environment. Probing Principle: Learning is a cycle of probing the world (doing something); reflecting on this action and, on this basis, forming a hypothesis; re-probing the world to test the hypothesis; and then accepting or rethinking the hypothesis. For example, an effective loading dock game must present a functional environment in which players may choose from and evaluate many different actions. The goal is to find the right course of action via experimentation—making choices and experiencing the consequences. Practice Principle: Learners get lots of practice in a context where the practice is not boring (i.e. in a virtual world that is compelling to learners on their own terms and where the learners experience ongoing success). For example, to encourage practice—and thus, development of good habits—the loading dock game must gradually increase the difficulty level of the in-game challenges. This keeps players engaged and encourages them to continually hone their skills.

Games often have a fantasy element that engages players in a learning activity through narrative or storylines. Educational video games can be motivating to children and allow them to develop an awareness to consequentiality.[1] Children are allowed to express themselves as individuals while learning and engaging in social issues. Today's games are more social, with most teens playing games with others at least some of the time and can incorporate many aspects of civic and political life.[2] Students that participate in educational video games can offer deeper, more meaningful insights in all academic areas. The success of game-based learning strategies owes to active participation and interaction being at the center of the experience, and signals that current educational methods are not engaging students enough. Experience with and affinity for games as learning tools is an increasingly universal characteristic among those entering higher education and the workforce

is a branch of serious games that deals with applications that have defined learning outcomes. Generally they are designed in order to balance the subject matter with the gameplay and the ability of the player to retain and apply said subject matter to the real world.

After years of research and proselytizing, the proponents of digital game-based learning (DGBL) have been caught unaware. Like the person who is still yelling after the sudden cessation of loud music at a party, DGBL proponents have been shouting to be heard above the prejudice against games. But now, unexpectedly, we have everyone's attention. The combined weight of three factors has resulted in widespread public interest in games as learning tools.

A quick review of published studies indicates that games have been used in design education. However, no systematic study of the use (or potential) of games exists in these disciplines, and no published data exists on the use of video games in this regard. Further, no one has engaged in the long-term development of video games for the collegiate design student. This study will provide key information for presentation, publication, and building a foundation for seeking future funding.

For Red Bull, Circ.us created a mobile gaming app for the iPhone that allows people to create their own race track by arranging and photographing Red bull cans.

That arrangement then becomes the shape of the race track in the game.

The work succeeds on two fronts. It offers up a free and customizable mobile game and it gets people to buy Red Bull in order to make the game possible. Fun + Sales = Win.

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games – so there is quite a lot of R&D looking at the multi-player aspects of AR gaming such as this La

What’s the difference between a computer simulation and a backyard game of tag? Quite honestly, not much – which is exactly why we, as educational media designers, have failed three decades of curious kids (with some notable exceptions). Interactive quizzes and digital flash cards may make content more exciting than their analog counterparts, but that’s a short-sighted approach that fails to get at the root problem, an extrinsic motivation when kids are already intrinsically motivated to learn. The fundamental problem is not that learning isn’t fun, it’s that we’re answering questions that kids aren’t asking (Who?, What?, When?, Where?) instead of giving them tools to experiment, build on, and share their own ideas. The problem is that we’re trying to replace teachers and parents with software rather than giving them complementary tools to help them become facilitators and coaches instead of test administrators.

I think the real thing Google brings to the table is introducing the feasible technology so that game companies can follow suit. I don't think the information in Google Street View is granular or clear enough to satisfy the needs of a game, but it might inspire an innovative game developer to mount a camera to a car and go capture the data in a similar fashion for their projects.That being said, Google Earth is a fascinating piece of software, and I would love to see some sort of online multiplayer experience that could take advantage of all that data

Augmented reality, a capability that has been around for decades, is shifting from what was once seen as a gimmick to a bonafide game-changer.

Various forms of augmented reality, starting with early head-mounted displays, have been around for more than 30 years. Over that time, increased bandwidth and smart phone adoption, as well as a proliferation of AR browser applications, have helped AR evolve from a family of cool gadgets on the periphery of graphics and visualization technologies to an increasingly central player in the technology landscape.

Augmented reality (AR) refers to the addition of a computer-assisted contextual layer of information over the real world, creating a reality that is enhanced or augmented.