Tim PriceWalker

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Education and Games?

• Tim Price-Walker
• MissionMaker Project Manager
• Immersive Education Ltd
• Computer Games in Education
• RSC London - JISC

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Immersive Education who are we?

• Founded in 1998
• Developer and publisher of educational software
• Oxford-Intel?Education initiative
• Roots in the UK games industry

Immersive is the product of a most creative
collaboration between Intel and the Department of
Education at Oxford University and the results
are staggering Bethan Marshall, The Guardian
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Product platforms

• Kar2ouche 3D storyboard role play tool
• Krucible virtual real-time science simulations
• MediaStage 3D virtual production studio
• MissionMaker game authoring software

Education software using the production values of
games technology
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Award winning software

• UK BETT Award 2004, 2005 2006
• British Computer Society Award 2002
• EDDIE Award 2002
• BAFTA Award Nominee 2002 2003
• BESA Best Educational Award 2001

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What is ?

• Game authoring software for educational and
  creative use
• A collaboration between The Centre for the Study
  of Children, Youth and Media (Institute of
  Education, University of London) and Immersive
  Education

IOE project leaders David Buckingham, Andrew
Burn Immersive Education Jeff Woyda, Donna
Burton-Wilcock
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Research Outline

• What? Software to enable children to create their
  own computer games.
• Why? Enable children to become producers, not
  just consumers of games.
• Who? KS3 (11-14) particularly girls and children
  with literacy difficulties.

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Outcomes
Software 3D game-authoring tool, allowing
children to design their own action-adventure
games Theory a model of game-literacy,
defining gaming and game design as a form of
reading and writing Teaching ways of
teaching game literacy, both formally (in
schools) and informally (in clubs and
homes) Participatory design a model for
industrial design, incorporating user input and
feedback Still in progress
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Parkside Community College, Cambridge

• Focus on narrative and representation Media

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Charles Edward Brooke Girls School, London

• Lunchtime club for game playing, after-school
  club for game design
• Focus on game-making as a design practice

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Apex Summer School Bath (GT)

• Technology immersion
• High adult-child ratio

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Aspects of Games
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Games are Motivating
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Anticipated Issues

• Curriculum links
• Support materials
• Research findings
• Time available curriculum structure
• Hardware
• Teacher uncertainty and suspicion
• Training

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Website and email contact

• Organisations
• www.childrenyouthandmediacentre.co.uk
• www.londonknowledgelab.ac.uk
• www.immersive.co.uk
• Project Managers
• ray_at_imed.co.uk
• tim_at_imed.co.uk
• donna_at_imed.co.uk