Games Based Geography

I have been exposed to quite a lot of Games Based Learning research and ideas over the years, because of the work of Derek Robertson, Ollie Bray and others...

I have just listened to a podcast from the VerySpatial archive (although at the time of writing it's the most recent podcast.

The feature on Games Based Learning (GBL) began with a quote from the New York Times article linked to here.
There was a quote from Dan Houser, who is the creative leader of Rockstar Games, who produced the new game "Red Dead Redemption".
“Westerns are about place,” he said. “They’re not called outlaw films. They’re not even called cowboys-and-Indians films. They’re called westerns. They’re about geography.”

“We’re talking about a format that is inherently geographical,” Mr. Houser added, “and you’re talking about a medium, video games, the one thing they do unquestionably better than other mediums is represent geography.”

Comments

Anonymous said…
I'm not getting the correlationship between geography and video games. Unless you are talking about RIsk
July 10, 2010 at 5:42 AM
Alan Parkinson said…
It depends on what you think "geography" is... the mapping angle is only a tiny element of what geography is. The relationship with place, scale, inter-relationships between people and their environment, representations of locations and the physics of the real world would all be part of geography and also the latest video games.
The podcast makes the geography element clear.
Thanks for reading Cultcha...
July 10, 2010 at 10:44 AM
Ryan said…
There are a few great online geography games I enjoy. Geosense.net, travelpods Travel IQ, Facebook's Geo Challenge.

I think these woul dbe great tools in schools of basics like location, capitals, major cities and flags- critical components to a larger understanding and appreciation of geogrpahy!
July 23, 2010 at 9:58 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

On the trail of the 'Detectorists'

Image
As I was in Suffolk last week, I headed for Framlingham as I knew that there were various locations from the series 'Detectorists' and also a wonderful pub just a few miles away where we could go for lunch. Parked up in the Market Square, and from there it was a short walk to several locations. Here are plenty more on a map. Managed to track down four locations: the outside of the 'Two Brewers' pub (the interior was filmed elsewhere), Lance's upstairs flat, the shop where Lance's former partner sells Spiritual goods and scented candles, and the village hall where the DMDC met. Here's me outside said hut. Don't forget the uniformbooks book of course. Still available and an excellent read.
Read more

Jonathan Meades on Sustainability

Image
Have blogged about Jonathan Meades before, and his particular presentation style which I like... Lunchtime today was spent in the company of the first in the series "Off-Kilter", made for BBC Scotland and was about Aberdeen . I liked the look of the area known as Fitty. Towards the end, he moved on to Donald Trump and his controversial plans for a golf course in the sand dunes close to Aberdeen. He called the planned development "New Trumpton on Sea" and talked about gated communities and their absentee residents. He riffed on the idea of ' sustainability ' and how every architect and development trumpeted its sustainable credentials. New words like : "Sustain-abulous" and "Sustain-astic" ! Called it "architectural correctness"... "It's a slogan of conformist unoriginality..." "The very act of making a building is energy hungry and vastly wasteful even if the building is an eco-igloo of Fairtrade otter dropp...
Read more

Edexcel Cultural Geography Contexts

Image
Those teachers who have opted for the Edexcel 'A' level specification in the UK (for students aged 16-18), there is a unit called "The World of Cultural Diversity" . Today, the pre-release titles were announced. Students will be expected to prepare OPTION 4: The World of Cultural Diversity • Explore what is meant by a global culture, how it is defined and, if it exists, what its characteristics are. • Research contrasting locations, some of which show the effects of cultural globalisation and others which seem to be resisting the process. Would be interested in hearing the thoughts of any blog readers on any suggested resources or thoughts on these particular contexts...
Read more