T.M. Connolly, E.A. Boyle, M.H. Stansfield, and T. Hainey
Computer games, motivation, constructivism, challenge, fun
The popularity of computer games has attracted the attention of educationalists who are interested in finding out whether the features that make them so engaging could be captured and used to help people learn more effectively. In this paper we examine the relevance of computer games to Higher Education, reporting on a survey of University students’ computer games behaviours, their reasons for playing computer games, and their views of the features of computer games that might be useful in learning in Higher Education. The survey found that computer games play an important role in students’ lives with students playing for 7.5 hours per week on average and having played computer games for almost half their lives. Pleasure/relaxation, challenge/achievement, and control came out as distinct reasons for playing with challenge rated as the feature of games that might be most useful in Higher Education. The majority of students believed that computer games could be useful in learning. The challenge for games developers is to work out how the enjoyment associated with playing games can be successfully incorporated into activities to produce effective learning experiences.
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