Multimedia learning and games

Many strong claims are made for the educational value of computer games, but there is little strong empirical evidence to back up those claims. For example, in a recent review, Hannifin and Vermillion observed: "Games are very motivating and have tremendous potential in education, but despite a rapidly growing research base, there is yet insufficient evidence to draw definitive conclusions." Similarly, O'Neil and Perez noted: "Computer games were hypothesized to be potentially useful for instructional purposes [but]... there is almost no guidance for game designers and developers on how to design games that facilitate learning." In order to provide guidance to game developers, it would be useful to have research-based principles for how to design educational computer games (i.e., a science of instruction) and a research-based theory of how people learn from educational computer games (i.e., a science of learning). The goal of this chapter is to examine how best to build a scientifically rigorous research base relevant to the design of effective educational computer games. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)