Microsoft Supports Games + Learning Research

Microsoft Investing in "The Games For Learning Institute"

“Serious games” is a term that I am not very fond of since it could imply that the games we discuss are just that: serious. More than that, “serious games” does not seem to be powerful and open enough to let in games that are NOT created with Education in mind. Well, not being the main focus of this post I will leave the “serious games” issue for another post. 

Here is an extract from the NewsObserver on Microsoft’s support for research around games and learning via the creation of The Games for Learning Institute:

Microsoft has put up $1.5 million to start The Games for Learning Institute, a joint venture with New York University and other colleges. The goal of the research is to see whether video games — and not just software specifically designed to be educational — can draw students into math, science and technology-based programs. The institute has begun lining up middle school students to study.

 

Here is from Microsoft itself:

The Games for Learning Institute (G4LI) is a first-of-its-kind, multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional gaming research alliance that will provide the fundamental scientific evidence to support games as learning tools for math and science subjects among middle school students. It is great example of how technology can play a role in changing how students learn and give teachers new tools to create dynamic and effective curriculum.