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Abstract:

In this paper, we begin by discussing some of the statistics that reveal electronic gaming’s place as a major force in today’s economy. We next discuss two of the major problems involved with the usage of video games as a tool for teaching and learning in digital media: the issues of inconsistency and complexity. Gee’s pioneering work (2004) is used to establish some principles of gaming that transcend these problems and present a unique medium with which to examine the nature of digital media and its principles and tools. We expand upon Gee’s work to suggest specific ways that video games can be used to teach digital media students about a particular subset of digital media – in this case, that of project management, and speculate as to how this might be done in several genres of gaming. We conclude with a brief case study of our experiences in working with digital media students to build a video game that was used to teach fourth graders about African-American history and the Underground Railroad.