Video Gaming as Digital Media, Play, and Practice: Implications for Understanding Video Gaming and Learning in Family Contexts

• In Event: 33.080 - Poster Session 6
  In Poster Session: 33.080-6 - Poster Session

Abstract

While a number of studies have investigated learning associated with video gaming in out-of-school settings, only recently have researchers begun to explore gaming and learning in the contexts of home and family life. This paper discusses three different conceptual frameworks for understanding video games and learning in these contexts. Using an ecology metaphor to characterize the complex nature of family life, these perspectives are (a) video gaming in an ecology of digital media, (b) video gaming in an ecology of play, and (c) and video gaming in an ecology of family practices and routines. Each framework contributes new insights into gaming as a source of learning and connection for children, adults, and families as a whole.

Authors

• Elisabeth R. Gee, Arizona State University

• Sinem Siyahhan, California State University - San Marcos

• Anna Montana Cirell, Arizona State University - Tempe