Multiplayer Online Games as Educational Tools

Mysirlaki Sofia, Papagianni, Aikaterini, Paraskeva, Fotini. "Multiplayer online games as educational tools: Facing new challenges in learning." Computers & Education 54.2 (2010): 498-505. Brigham Young University-Scholar Search. Web. 23 Feb. 2010.

The authors of this article are professors at the University of Piraeous in the Department of Technology Education and Digital Systems. This article is about their research in the field of using video games to teach skills and general knowledge and outlines an idea for developing educational online games as a "means of promoting collaboration among students." These educational games would require the making of hypotheses and testing them, strategizing, and problem solving, instead of just memorizing information. The authors analyzed different factors such as gender, game preferences, academic standing, self-esteem, and technological aptitude to determine what kind of effect they have on subjects trying to learn from video games. They determine that these different factors have a big influence on the ability of people to lean from such games.