Microsoft-funded study into benefits of gaming for education

Here is a post I can literally copy & paste from the source which, as it is early and my caffiene levels are still low, requires no effort on my part  🙂

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After two and a half years, Global Kids is delighted to release the results of the independent evaluation by the Center for Children and Technology of both Playing 4 Keeps, our after school gaming program, and Ayiti, the game produced with Gamelab during the first year of the program. For the evaluation CCT observed the program and interviewed the students. To evaluate the game they looked at the results of nearly 16,000 game plays. 

Download the full report here:

In short, when we made Ayiti we wanted to learn if players would learn if the factors affecting access to education within an impoverished condition are both interdependent and exist within a dynamic system. CCT’s research found that “the central idea embedded in the game play, that no single factor accounts for success, appears to have been successfully communicated to the majority of players.”

Bingo! 

In addition, they describe how youth report that through their participation in the after school program their experiences involved:     

* Engaging in activities that require useful life skills related to communication and collaboration;    
* Learning about social issues;    
* Realizing what goes into designing and creating a good game; and    
* Gaining general computers skills. 

A gaming program that improves the lives of its participants and creates a game that has a measurable affect on the critical thinking of its players AND is an award-winning, engaging experience – nice!

Source: seriousgames.org email listserv