Relatively short attention spans during learning; multitasking; and a learning approach that emphasises investigation and discovery are but a few cognitive characteristics of the ‘game generation’—not to be confused with the ‘generation game’. Sauvé, Renaud and Kaufman (2010: 5) report that use of digital games would motivate the learning of members of the ‘game generation’.
Marc Prensky (in Kuran & Forbes, 2007) differentiates between Digital Immigrants—people born before digital games and Digital Natives—people that grew up with games based on video consoles. Prensky identified ten contrasting personality traits, namely:
Game Generation / Digital Natives |
Nongame Generation / Digital Immigrants |
Twitch Speed |
Conventional Speed |
Parallel Processing |
Linear Processing |
Graphics First |
Text First |
Random Access |
Step-by-step |
Connected |
Standalone |
Active |
Passive |
Play |
Work |
Payoff |
Patience |
Fantasy |
Reality |
Technology-as-friend |
Technology-as-foe |
Video games, such as those available on seventh generation home consoles—beginning 22 November 2005 with the release of Microsoft's Xbox 360 and continued with the release of Sony's PlayStation 3 on 11 November 2006, and Nintendo's Wii on 19 November 2006—changed the way of learning of the ‘game generation’. Learners play at first and understand later—a constructivist approach in which the learner actively participates in the construction of knowledge and generalise by applying the learning in new situations.
Adolescents today are born intuitive and visual communicators with strong visual and spatial capacities, as result of the experience gained from video games. The ‘game generation’ prefer to learn by experimenting, rather than carrying out assignments. There is an energetic response to questions and demand fast answers in return; but move easily from one task or activity to the next if their interest is not sustained.
In essence, the ‘game generation’ prefers learning by interactivity, visualization, sensation, and immediacy. Online games offer “digital natives” the opportunity to reason inductively; to increase their visual skills and their capacity to relate various sources of information. Games permit players the opportunity to resolve cognitive conflicts; games require constant cycles of hypotheses, testing and revision.
Curran, K & Forbes, K. 2007. Addressing the student dropout rate in engineering through induction of students with interactive gaming. The higher education academy: Engineering subject centre. Electronically accessed http://www.engsc.ac.uk/downloads/interactive-gaming.pdf
Prensky, M. 2001. Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants — Part 1 & Part 2. On the Horizon, Vol. 9 No. 5, October 2001 (NCB University Press).
Sauvé, L; Renaud, L & Kaufman, D. 2010. Games, Simulations, and Simulation Games for Learning, pp 1-26. In D Kaufman & L Sauvé (Eds) 2010. Educational game play and simulation environments case studies and lessons learned. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.
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