Even More Activity Ideas

Web Exclusive!

The 100+ activity ideas in the Playing to Learn book are only the beginning. From March to May of 2007, as the book was going to press, we regularly updated this space with brief synopses of even more activity ideas related to breaking video game news.

We wanted to show the powerful educational connections teachers can make when they link teaching, learning, and video games.

We hope the following list of additional activity ideas inspires readers of the book to browse the latest video game news at 1Up, Gamasutra, GameSpot, GameTrailers, IGN, TeamXbox, and other video game websites for even more teaching ideas.

Game Level Design: Gamasutra has published an excellent game development article that will be of interest to novice game designers. It is a summary of a recent Game Developer's Conference session that, among other topics, compares virtual level design to city planning.
Subject: Geography | Added: 2007/03/15

Second Life in Higher Education: Sarah Robbings, a Ph.D. candidate at Ball State University has posted these slides (in PDF format) from her recent presentation on the integration of Second Life into higher education.
Subject: Social Studies | Added: 2007/03/28

New Research on Video Game Violence: A recent study from the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia has concluded that video games only have an adverse effect on children who already demonstrate a tendency towards aggression. Have the students read a newspaper article about this research and then try to square the study's results with those of similar studies.
Subject: Social Studies | Added: 2007/04/04

The Benefits (or Lack Thereof) of Technology in Schools: A recent U.S. Department of Education study raises questions about the benefits of integrating computers (and other technologies) into the classroom. Have the students read a Washington Post article on the study and then discuss their views in class.
Subject: Computers | Added: 2007/04/06

Scenario Builder: Ask the students to brainstorm 250 word scenarios or premises for a new adventure game. Each student should choose a setting for their game (e.g. outer space) and list the main characters that will be featured. Make sure the motivation or crisis that propels the gameplay forwards is clearly articulated by each student. Consider leading this activity in advance of "The Pitch" activity which is featured in Playing to Learn.
Subject: Language Arts | Added: 2007/04/15

Real vs. Virtual Weapons: A recent article in Popular Mechanics compares the virtual weapons in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 to the real-world prototype weapons they are based on. Ask the students to read the article and then perform a similar real-world comparison for another historical, modern-day, or near-future wargame.
Subject: Science | Added: 2007/04/17

Video Game Sales Charts: The websites VG Chartz (www.vgchartz.com) and Video Game Charts (www.videogamecharts.com) are loaded with statistics that can be poured over, analyzed, and charted in math class. For starters, test the ability of your students to interpret a data table. Distribute one of the many charts at these sites and then pose a list of questions for students to answer as they review the statistics.
Subject: Math | Added: 2007/04/22

Exergaming in Schools: A New York Times article (as cited by Gamasutra) is reporting that more and more schools are looking to integrate Dance Dance Revolution and other so-called "exergames" into the physical education curriculum.
Subject: Health and Physical Education | Added: 2007/04/30

Halo Science: Gamasutra has posted an excerpt from Kevin R. Grazier's chapter in Halo Effect, a series of (unauthorized) essays on the popular first-person shooter. The excerpt delves into the fictional science that underlies the Halo universe.
Subject: Science | Added: 2007/05/02

Video Games and Violence: TeamXbox has posted an editorial which addresses the hot topic of violence in video games. In the article, the TeamXbox staff - all ardent gamers - sound off on their views. Have the students read the article and then ask the gamers and nongamers in class to share their views on violence in video games.
Subject: Social Studies | Added: 2007/05/04

ESRB Awareness: Gamasutra is reporting the results of a study that shows that more and more parents are utilizing the ESRB ratings system to make video game purchasing decisions for their children. Have the students design a take-home survey that queries their parents about their familiarity with the ESRB ratings system.
Subject: Social Studies | Added: 2007/05/04

Digital Images in the Classroom: Playing to Learn features dozens of video game screenshots. Are you looking for some effective teaching strategies in utilizing these and other images in class? Glen L. Bull and Lynn Bell's Teaching with Digital Images is a favorite resource and a perfect complement to Playing to Learn.
Subject: Computers | Added: 2007/05/04

Top 10 Best/Worst Consoles: GameTrailers has published two video top ten lists that count down the most and least successful video game consoles in history. Have the students watch the videos and then discuss the reasons these consoles succeeded or failed. Also have the students discuss the history of technological innovation as seen through the lens of this excellent visual history of console gaming.
Subject: Computers | Added: 2007/05/06

Online Gaming Study: Gamasutra is reporting the results of the latest NPD Group study on the playing habits of online gamers. Discuss the results of the study in class and then have the students predict where online gaming habits may be headed in the next five years.
Subject: Social Studies | Added: 2007/05/07

Living Worlds: Gamasutra has published a feature article by Kevin Carter that explores the ecology of level design. Gamasutra has also published a perfect companion interview with Clint Hocking, the Creative Director at Ubisoft Montreal, which addresses the virtues of exploration in open world games. Both articles are excellent reads for budding student game designers.
Subject: Computers | Added: 2007/05/14

Peering into the Future: One of my favorite quotes from Playing to Learn can be found in the introduction to the book: "Some games even try to see into the future." This news from GameSpot (sadly) resonates with this quotation. Battlefield 2142 is also premised on the notion of an ecologically depleted world. So what to do? Consider perusing my earlier book, Growing Up Green: Education for Ecological Renewal, for some suggestions.
Subject: Social Studies | Added: 2007/05/14

New Educational Game Development Tool: BBC news has published an article on Scratch, the easy-to-use educational game development tool that is especially designed for student use by MIT Labs.
Subject: Computers | Added: 2007/05/14

Featurette Report: Have the students view and report on the content contained in one or more of the video featurettes at the GameTrailers website. GameTrailers regularly features behind-the-scene developer interviews that offer plenty of advice for aspiring game developers. Ask the game designers in the class to pull out some kernels of wisdom from these featurettes.
Subject: Language Arts | Added: 2007/05/17

I...love...this...game: In parsing the reviews of movie critics, some movie studios have been known to eke out glowing praise for their films from overwhelmingly negative movie reviews. Recently, Games for Windows Magazine asked its readers to rework the reviews for poorly received video games into positive reviews, simply by omitting words from the reviews and replacing the omissions with ellipses (i.e. ...). The rules were as follows: 1) words can be deleted; 2) new words cannot be added; 3) existing words cannot be reordered. Try this exercise with your students in a language arts class. Purely by parsing the words in a video game (or movie) review, challenge the students to turn a negative review into a positive one.
Subject: Language Arts | Added: 2007/05/21

Games Therapy for Wounded Soldiers: The Washington Post has posted an article on the use of video games as therapy for wounded U.S. soldiers. Compare this article with the "Video Game Therapy: A New Frontier" article that is featured in Playing to Learn.
Subject: Social Studies | Added: 2007/05/27