The video game market continues to increase, reaching millions of users on a variety of platforms and revealing how engaging and pervasive gaming can be. Games create engagement and offer both entertainment and a powerful way to understand and interact with the world. It is natural that educators see the potential of games as a learning tool that can support students who have difficulties learning and also reinvent it. Practical Perspectives on Educational Theory and Game Development is a critical scholarly resource that combines educational scenarios and game fundamentals in order to improve the way people learn and evolve. The book supports professionals with the creation of strategies for using gamification and game-based learning theory with effectiveness and measured results. Featuring a wide range of topics such as entrepreneurship, gamification, and traditional learning, this book is ideal for academicians, education professionals, curriculum designers, educational game developers, researchers, and students.

"This book will give readers a solid understanding of issues in educational game design and deployment in the classroom"--Provided by publisher.

Videogames have risen in popularity in recent decades and continue to entertain many all over the world. As game design and development becomes more accessible to those outside of the industry, their uses and impacts are further expanded. Games have been developed for medical, educational, business, and many more applications. While games have many beneficial applications, many challenges exist in current development processes as well as some of their impacts on society. It is essential to investigate the current trends in the design and development of games as well as the opportunities and challenges presented in their usage and social impact. The Research Anthology on Game Design, Development, Usage, and Social Impact discusses the emerging developments, opportunities, and challenges that are found within the design, development, usage, and impact of gaming. It presents a comprehensive collection of the recent research, theories, case studies, and more within the area. Covering topics such as academic game creation, gaming experience, and violence in gaming, this major reference work is a dynamic resource for game developers, instructional designers, educators and administrators of both K-12 and higher education, students of higher education, librarians, government officials, business leaders and executives, researchers, and academicians.

"This book applies the principles of research in the study of human cognition to games, with chapters representing 15 different disciplines in the learning sciences (psychology, serious game design, educational technology, applied linguistics, instructional design, eLearning, computer engineering, educational psychology, cognitive science, digital media, human-computer interaction, artificial intelligence, computer science, anthropology, education)"--Provided by publisher.

At a time when digital games are becoming much more commonly used in classrooms, Game-Based Learning: Theory, Strategies, and Performance Outcomes provides a much-needed guide to different forms and applications of digital game-based learning. This book brings together researchers and practitioners from around the world who share their theories, strategies, findings of case studies, and practical approaches to support better performance and learning outcomes when learning with digital games. This book is intended to provide readers with three main parts of information. One is a clear and practical understanding of theory and research-based principles of game-based learning. This first section of the book includes fresh perspectives and an overview of existing and emerging theories in game-based learning, which are also presented in the form of case study findings and implications. The second section of this book gives readers the "how to" information needed to turn the understanding of intellectual grounding into effective practices of digital games for classroom use. The third part of this book also includes some practical approaches for evaluating different aspects of learning within the game-based learning context. This information about practical approaches is presented through chapters on achievements and performance outcomes. Game-Based Learning: Theory, Strategies, and Performance Outcomes synthesizes arguments, practices, and research findings on the effectiveness of different designs and approaches within game-based learning practices. But, a major message of this book is that the joint influence of implementation, context, and learner characteristics interacting with digital games is what determines learning and achievement outcomes. This book is intended for researchers, practitioners, designers, policy makers, and current and future teachers. The teacher/-educator will benefit from topics such as practical strategies to improve student performance, while researchers can use the findings from the case studies presented in this book as a foundation for future explorations and research studies.

Gaming is increasingly prevalent in our society and everyday lives as a form of leisure or competition. The typical aim of gaming is to gain a pleasant experience from the game. Because of the saturation of gaming in global society, the gamification concept and its operationalization in non-gaming contexts has become a growing practice. This technological novelty is the basis for an innovative change in many types of environments such as education, commerce, marketing, work, health, governance, and sustainability, among others. The service sector especially has shown widespread adoption of the method as it seeks to increase and motivate audiences and promote brands. However, little research is available on the adoption of gamification in organizations, leading to a need for literature that investigates best practices for utilization and implementation. The Handbook of Research on Cross-Disciplinary Uses of Gamification in Organizations is a comprehensive and timely reference book that explores the field of gamification for economic and social development. This book provides dynamic research from this emerging field. Covering topics such as distance learning, health behaviors, and workplace training, this book is a valuable reference for researchers, marketing managers, students, managers, executives, software developers, IT specialists, technology developers, faculty of P-12 and higher education, teachers, professors, government officials, and academicians.

Simulation and game-based learning are essential applications in a learning environment as they provide learners an opportunity to apply the course material in real-life scenarios. Introducing real-life learning allows the learner to make critical decisions at different points within the simulation providing constructive education that leads to a cognitive understanding of the material. The use of simulations provides the learner with the ability to cognitively store and recall learning in real-life experiences. Therefore, it is crucial to not only provide course material but to have students apply what they have learned in simulations that replicate real-life scenarios. These learned skills are essential for students to be marketable and thrive in a career field where decision making, problem solving, and critical thinking are job requirements. Simulation and Game-Based Learning in Emergency and Disaster Management is a cutting-edge research book that examines the best practices and holistic development when it comes to simulation learning within emergency and disaster management as well as global security. Drawing upon the neuroscience of learning, classroom instruction can be enhanced to incorporate active-experiential learning activities that positively impact a learner with long-term information retention. Each simulation project is carried out in different environments, with different goals in mind, and developed under various constraints. For these reasons, this book will provide insight into the simulation planning and development process, provide examples of online simulations and game-based learning activities, and provide insight on simulation development and implementation that can be used across disciplines in educational and training settings. As such, it is ideal for academicians, instructional designers, curriculum designers, education professionals, researchers, and students.

Featuring contributions from leading experts in software engineering, this edited book provides a comprehensive introduction to computer game software development. It is a complex, interdisciplinary field that relies on contributions from a wide variety of disciplines including arts and humanities, behavioural sciences, business, engineering, physical sciences, mathematics, etc. The book focuses on the emerging research at the intersection of game and software engineering communities. A brief history of game development is presented, which considers the shift from the development of rare games in isolated research environments in the 1950s to their ubiquitous presence in popular culture today. A summary is provided of the latest peer-reviewed research results in computer game development that have been reported at multiple levels of maturity (workshops, conferences, and journals). The core chapters of the book are devoted to sharing emerging research at the intersection of game development and software engineering. In addition, future research opportunities on new software engineering methods for games and serious educational games for software engineering education are highlighted. As an ideal reference for software engineers, developers, educators, and researchers, this book explores game development topics from software engineering and education perspectives. Key Features: Includes contributions from leading academic experts in the community Presents a current collection of emerging research at the intersection of games and software engineering Considers the interdisciplinary field from two broad perspectives: software engineering methods for game development and serious games for software engineering education Provides a snapshot of the recent literature (i.e., 2015-2020) on game development from software engineering perspectives

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced companies, institutions, citizens, and students to rapidly change their behaviors and use virtual technologies to perform their usual working tasks. Though virtual technologies for learning were already present in most universities, the pandemic has forced virtual technologies to lead the way in order to continue teaching and learning for students and faculty around the world. Universities and teachers had to quickly adjust everything from their curriculum to their teaching styles in order to adapt to an online learning environment. Online learning is a complex issue and one that comes with both challenges and opportunities; there is plenty of room for growth, and further study is required to better understand how to improve online education. The Handbook of Research on Developing a Post-Pandemic Paradigm for Virtual Technologies in Higher Education is a comprehensive reference book that presents the testimonials of teachers and students with various degrees of experience with distance learning and their utilization of current virtual tools and applications for learning, as well as the impact of these technologies and their potential future use. With topics ranging from designing an online learning course to discussing group work in an online environment, this book is ideal for teachers, educational software developers, IT consultants, instructional designers, administrators, professors, researchers, lecturers, students, and all those who are interested in learning more about distance learning and all the positive and negative aspects that accompany it.

At this juncture in the history and development of education in the digital age, constituents of education systems across the globe are challenged with revising or rediscovering the purpose of educational institutions within societies. Institutions need to retool to include digital games-based and problem-based learning, and education itself must adapt to serve the needs of a diverse student population. Stagnancy Issues and Change Initiatives for Global Education in the Digital Age is a cutting-edge research publication that explores the complex discourse of trends, shifts, and changes happening in the field of education and to understand the implications for teaching, learning, and professional development. The book helps educators understand how to make their pedagogy and andragogy relevant in the framework of constant technological shifts and changes in order to help students thrive in a global economy. Featuring a wide range of topics such as gamification, pedagogy, and intercultural learning, this book is ideal for curriculum designers, academicians, education professionals, researchers, policymakers, and students.