A controversial look at the positive things that can be learned from video games by a well known professor of education. James Paul Gee begins his new book with 'I want to talk about vide games yes, even violent video games and say some positive things about them'. With this simple but explosive beginning, one of America's most well respected professors of education looks seriously at the good that can come from playing video games. Gee is interested in the cognitive development that can occur when someone is trying to escape a maze, find a hidden treasure and, even, blasting away an enemy with a high powered rifle. Talking about his own video gaming experience learning and using games as diverse as Lara Croft and Arcanum, Gee looks at major specific cognitive activities: How individuals develop a sense of identity How one grasps meaning How one evaluates and follows a command How one picks a role model How one perceives the world This is a ground breaking book that takes up a new electronic method of education and shows the positive upside it has for learning.

Table of Contents

Introduction: 36 Ways to Learn a Video Game; Semiotic Domains: Is Playing Video Games a 'Waste of Time'? Learning and Identity: What Does It Mean to Be a Half-Elf? Situated Meaning and Learning: What Should You Do after You Have Destroyed the Global Conspiracy? Telling and Doing: Why Doesn't Lara Croft Obey Prof. Von Croy? Cultural Models: Do You Want to be the Blue Sonic or the Dark Sonic? The Social Mind: How Do You Get Your Corpse Back after You've Died? Conclusion: Duped or Not? Appendix: The 36 Learning Principles

Author Biography

James Paul Gee is one of the most well-known professors of education in the United States. He teaches at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and is the author of several books.