Games, Simulations, and Virtual Environments for Learning

     The use of games, simulations, and virtual environments by adults has grown tremendously over the years and still continues to be considered a popular form of entertainment. In 2009, video games surpassed Hollywood movies in annual sales (Barab, Gresalfi, &Arici, 2009). It is evident that adults have found the gaming experience to be engaging. Bonk (2009) stated, "...our entertainment and communications technologies have become our learning technologies" (p. 276). Due to the endless options, adults can easily find relevance in their game selections. Game types such as sports, simulations, puzzles, or strategy are considered more educational (Bonk, 2009).  The two games I have selected to highlight this week are Fair Play and McDonald's Video Game.

     Fair Play (http://fairplaygame.org/) is a game that focuses on recognizing racial bias.  Players encounter racial bias while interacting with other characters as well as in the virtual environment. The primary character is an African-American male who is in the academic world on his way to becoming a professor. It highlights how bias can interfere with a successful journey. Successfully navigating the game to win involves learning to recognize and name the biases.  While many will succeed in in Fair Play, the true winners are those that learn the reality of bias.
     I selected this game because of its focus on such an important and relevant issue we face in society. The game acknowledges this issue and provides a means to help others identify and recognize these biases. In addition, it allows for an opportunity to experience this issue first hand but in a personal setting where normally many individuals are guarded and are not comfortable speaking freely. Most adults recognize that they perform best when learning by doing in the real world (Bonk, 2009).
     In my professional practice, I can see the use of this game in a variety of ways. It would be incorporated into the leadership and management courses that I oversee. I will also share this game with my human resources partners who directly support the leaders, managers, and employees. The intention would be for them us the game to bring awareness to this issue and help to minimize its occurrence.

     The McDonald's Video Game (http://www.mcvideogame.com) brings insight to the various aspects related to running a fast food company and the complexities involved in producing the end product for consumers. It focuses on the major decisions that need to be considered to be successful and profitable. This game was created to address the criticism that McDonald's has received over the years related to its negative impact on society.  Success at this game involves effectively managing all the components involved in producing the end product along with the external factors.  This includes purchasing land, producing cattle, feeding cattle, destroying infected cattle, managing production of the beef, and managing a location and its employees. In addition, corporate operations need to be monitored such as marketing, profitability, satisfaction of consumers and other groups, and the board of directors. While the game is entertaining, it provides its players with a general idea that running a corporation is not easy!
     I selected this game because it provides a comprehensive view of all the considerations and choices that need to be made in order to manage a business let alone be profitable.  It also provides great insight into the fact that just because you may be focused on one task other things are still occurring that impact your decisions which makes it necessary to keep a pulse on all activities.
     As an adult educator, I can easily see this game being incorporated into my professional practice.  I see the value for this game in my management classes.  While the industry is different, the core principles of management remain the same. I can also envision the use of this game for all supervisory roles as a coaching tool.  The general message it provides is ownership, decision making, and recognizing downstream impacts. Willis (2011) stated, "The popularity of video games is not the enemy of education, but rather a model for best teaching practices" (p. 1).


References:

Barab, S. A., Gresalfi, M., & Arici, A. (2009). Why educators should care about 
     games. Educational Leadership, (67)1, 76–80.
Bonk, C. J. (2009). The world is open: How web technology is revolutionizing 
     education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 
Willis, J. (2011, April 14). A neurologist makes the case for the video game model as a 
     learning tool [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/video-
     games-learning-student-engagement-judy-willis