What is it about?
This chapter is a report of the results of an after school program conducted at a middle school in the southeastern United States. The goals were to: (a) teach students how to create digital games; (b) help students learn computer programming concepts; (c) get students experience being producers of digital media rather than consumers; and (d) teach students complex problem-solving skills by using game-design.
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Why is it important?
Student participants showed improvements in complex problem solving. There was a change in participant interest in complex problem solving at the conclusion of the after school program.
Perspectives
This project interested the student participants. The programming environment, Microsoft's Kodu, that was used allowed them to create high-quality games without a steep learning curve. We used The Genetics Lab, a computer-based test to assess students’ complex problem solving abilities. The Genetics Lab was a different type of assessment than typically used in this type of research and was definitely interesting. We had more participant attrition than we would have liked due to competing after school programs like soccer practice.
Professor of Instructional Technology Charles B. Hodges
Georgia Southern University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Game Design as a Complex Problem Solving Process, IGI Global,
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-0513-6.ch010.
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Resources
The Genetics Lab
A computer-based test to assess students’ complex problem solving abilities
Kodu Gamelab Community (Official Kodu Website)
Kodu requires Windows. Kodu lets kids create games on the PC and Xbox via a simple visual programming language. Kodu can be used to teach creativity, problem solving, storytelling, as well as programming. Anyone can use Kodu to make a game, young children as well as adults with no design or programming skills.
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