Playing computer games may be a nightmare for 21st century parents, who fear their children may become obsessed with games and develop computer game addiction. However, the use of gamification and game-based thinking is redefining business tools for the 21st century, and may also play a big role in classrooms of the future.
Marigo Raftopoulos is a management consultant; she helps organisations with their corporate strategy and organisational development, with her area of expertise being in the use of gamification.
Ms Raftopoulos was recently appointed the curator of the first Games for Change Festival Australia, which was held at RMIT University. This international event – held for the first time in Australia – demonstrates how individuals and organisations can learn from the power of digital games and game-based thinking, which are now being used as a method to achieve positive social, educational and business outcomes.
“The festival was fantastic, as for the first time we brought together practitioners, researchers and game designers to learn from each other, and to inspire the general public of how games can be used to transform education, health, government and business,” Ms Raftopoulos tells Neos Kosmos.
“Games for Change has been in operation in the US for nearly 10 years, and it was very exciting to have RMIT launch the movement here in Australia.”
In her strategic planning workshops, Ms Raftopoulos has always used role playing games. Observing the way that people become much more engaged, energetic and creative whilst in gameplay made her realise that those three ingredients are critical to a successful organisation or business.
“That’s how I decided to concentrate in that space. That was around the same time that computer games motivated my son to improve his reading and maths so he could play a better game,” Ms Raftopoulos says.
The profile of the world of computer games, which have been known for attracting more male than female gamers, has been changing lately. Younger generations of gamers, up to 12 years of age, are now split evenly between male and female.
“The reason for this is that game developers finally realised that girls actually do like playing computer games, but they want to play a different type of game that appeals to their particular areas of interests,” Ms Raftopoulos explains.
“The typical gamer for the big titles is a 35-year-old male, as they like their war or combat type games. For social games, the average gamer is a 42-year-old mother of two. For brain training games and Wii fit type games, the demographic is much older, at 50 and over. So there are now games for everyone.”
On parents’ fears that their children may get addicted to computer games, she responds that “too much of anything is a bad thing.” When kept in moderation with outdoor sporting and social activities, she explains computer games are not dangerous at all.
“In fact, they are beneficial as they aid learning through more creative use of solving problems and experimentation in simulated and engaging environments.”
Computer games are already being used in classrooms to cater to students’ natural preferences., and have been added to the current curriculum, rather than transforming it.
“Many educational games have failed as they still preach to kids, and many educators still do not understand that the games that kids are playing at home (for example – Civilization, Runescape, Minecraft, even Club Penguin) are teaching them about economics, trading, urban planning, leadership, history and geography well in advance of their year level at school,” Ms Raftopoulos says.
“The classrooms of the future will not simply include computer games – the classroom of the future will be a game.”
Explaining how computer games can improve learning, Raftopoulos says that fun and motivating game-based learning is designed around “engaging”, rather than “obedience”. A person can still learn the same facts or develop the same skills, but by doing so in a positive and much more interesting way.
“Material is presented as a mystical challenge, a puzzle to be solved, and adventure to be had. We all learn in different ways, at different speeds and have multiple intelligences,” she says.
“Good computer games can accommodate all this much more effectively. In the hands of a great teacher, together they can transform education as we now know it.”
With all the benefits the 21st century brings with its new style of game-based learning, the access to computer games may become a double-edged sword for young students, resulting in overconsumption of the product.
Even though this may occur quite often, many parents now understand the importance of setting limits.
“Even in households that have not set limits, all I can say is that at least computer games are interactive and kids are actively using their brains – compared to the absolute passive activity of simply watching television,” Ms Raftopoulos says.
Games for Change is an international not-for-profit organisation, that has been in operation since 2004. Australia has recently become one of its numerous license holders, which has enabled the country to represent regions of Australia, south-east Asia and New Zealand in promoting the values of games for social good.
Though Games for Change is often considered a branch of serious games, according to Ms Raftopoulos, every game can teach you something, as they are based on the human experience – this being the reason why we are attracted to them.
“I think we need to get away from limiting the benefits of games as a direct learning experience. We know that humans learn indirectly through play, fun, adventure and entertainment. My son learned to read by playing a game that was not intended to educate.”
“However, the games that were designed to teach reading were a failure because they were boring. We are still at early days,” Ms Raftopoulos emphasises.
While Games for Change Festival Australia, launched in November 2012, was the first of its kind in Australia and New Zealand, other countries are a long way ahead when it comes to game-based learning. Both the EU and the US have been active in researching and investing in the game-based learning industry for over a decade.
“The most exciting news came earlier this year in the US, where the Federal Games Working Group and the White House Academic Consortium on Games for Impact are now mobilising resources around how games can be developed and used to innovate and solve some of our systemic problems. That is amazing and inspirational.”