About The Site and Myself
The Development of My Paper
It all started when I was presenting policy proposals to the CEO of the Center for Excellence in Education (CEE). I was asked to draft a paper for Congress that was in line with CEE’s goals and my own ambitions. Most of my ideas were slashed except for one bizarre idea that stood out. The CEO gave me a questioning look when she read, “Digital game-based learning can facilitate higher orders of learning in STEM subjects.” I stumbled over my words, trying to justify the proposal that I had hesitantly thrown in at the last moment. I thought this was my own silly idea that my gamer friends and I occasionally talked about.
She then, to my astonishment, smiled and said, “It’s not as obscure as you think. Go look into that.” So I did! Lo and behold there was more research about games in education than I could imagine. I was thrilled and quickly drafted a new outline and proposal. When it was approved, I couldn’t believe my luck. For the entire summer of 2012, I would be researching productive ways of using games. I was pretty much ecstatic.
As this summer is ending, I can’t stand thinking my research will be buried in one of my filing cabinets. Instead, I decided to create a site (one of the many) that offers information about game-based learning. I hope you find what I have to offer useful. I hope you also consider it a bit of a wiki page and e-mail me what YOU find and what you think I need to improve. When I have finished my paper, I will upload it to my website for anyone to read.
She then, to my astonishment, smiled and said, “It’s not as obscure as you think. Go look into that.” So I did! Lo and behold there was more research about games in education than I could imagine. I was thrilled and quickly drafted a new outline and proposal. When it was approved, I couldn’t believe my luck. For the entire summer of 2012, I would be researching productive ways of using games. I was pretty much ecstatic.
As this summer is ending, I can’t stand thinking my research will be buried in one of my filing cabinets. Instead, I decided to create a site (one of the many) that offers information about game-based learning. I hope you find what I have to offer useful. I hope you also consider it a bit of a wiki page and e-mail me what YOU find and what you think I need to improve. When I have finished my paper, I will upload it to my website for anyone to read.
About Me:
My name is Sarina Peterson (before I married, I was Sarina Rapini). I graduated from Texas A&M with my bachelors in economics in 2010. I then stumbled into a graduate program at the George H.W. Bush School of Government and Public Service where I studied public policy with concentrations in nonprofit management and education policy. I graduated in 2013 and currently work for a Texas school district. You can learn more about me at my official website.
Yes, I do play games, mostly on the PS3 and PC. I am not the hardcore gamer I used to be (school and work definitely do not allow time for that), but I still consider myself part of the gamer community. I also recognize games as valuable tools for problem solving, scientific inquiry, creativity, and technology literacy. However, as a gamer myself, I also understand the drawbacks and am very cautious about implementing them in the classroom. I see a need for more research and careful consideration but believe that games can transform education into an interactive, rich experience.
Yes, I do play games, mostly on the PS3 and PC. I am not the hardcore gamer I used to be (school and work definitely do not allow time for that), but I still consider myself part of the gamer community. I also recognize games as valuable tools for problem solving, scientific inquiry, creativity, and technology literacy. However, as a gamer myself, I also understand the drawbacks and am very cautious about implementing them in the classroom. I see a need for more research and careful consideration but believe that games can transform education into an interactive, rich experience.
A Letter to All Gamers
Dear Gamers,
While I hope this website attracts researchers, educators, school administrators, and politicians, the real action begins with us. If we want people to take our games seriously, we need to be positive examples and welcoming advocates. It’s time to invite people into our exclusive communities to show them around our forums and wikis where creativity, investigation, and advice flow freely. It’s time to show them our digital art, machinima, and mods. Instead of trash-talking certain consoles or games, encourage those Wii Sports and Farmville players to try something new and broaden their horizons. Show them the non-violent and artistic games like Braid, Portal, Flow, Splice and Flower so that they can understand that we aren’t all mashing buttons on Mortal Kombat while eating Cheetos in the basement. Show them games like Mario Party, Left 4 Dead, and Borderlands, so they can see that many of us play games as a community and not in social isolation.
Yes, we are pretty l33t, but we need to be able to have a civil conversation about the benefits AND drawbacks of games. More than anyone else, we know the darker side of game addictions but also how games can be used productively. We know that games can help us discover our own beliefs, inspire our creativity, stimulate philosophical debate, and teach us to persevere after failure. If we want people to take us seriously when we tell them this, we need to set a good example. Don't change who you are, but please just keep that in mind. Let’s change the gamer stigma! I don't know about you, but I'm ready for the label "gamer" to bring positive thoughts to mind. Thanks and happy gaming!
~Sarina
While I hope this website attracts researchers, educators, school administrators, and politicians, the real action begins with us. If we want people to take our games seriously, we need to be positive examples and welcoming advocates. It’s time to invite people into our exclusive communities to show them around our forums and wikis where creativity, investigation, and advice flow freely. It’s time to show them our digital art, machinima, and mods. Instead of trash-talking certain consoles or games, encourage those Wii Sports and Farmville players to try something new and broaden their horizons. Show them the non-violent and artistic games like Braid, Portal, Flow, Splice and Flower so that they can understand that we aren’t all mashing buttons on Mortal Kombat while eating Cheetos in the basement. Show them games like Mario Party, Left 4 Dead, and Borderlands, so they can see that many of us play games as a community and not in social isolation.
Yes, we are pretty l33t, but we need to be able to have a civil conversation about the benefits AND drawbacks of games. More than anyone else, we know the darker side of game addictions but also how games can be used productively. We know that games can help us discover our own beliefs, inspire our creativity, stimulate philosophical debate, and teach us to persevere after failure. If we want people to take us seriously when we tell them this, we need to set a good example. Don't change who you are, but please just keep that in mind. Let’s change the gamer stigma! I don't know about you, but I'm ready for the label "gamer" to bring positive thoughts to mind. Thanks and happy gaming!
~Sarina