From over thirty years ago when a Pong prototype was first switched on in Andy Capp's bar in California, computer, arcade and videogames from here on referred to collectively as videogames) have made a significant cultural, social, economic, political, and technological impact on society (Newman, 2004). Since the launch of Pong in the 1970s, computer and videogames have grown into a $30 billion worldwide industry. Between 2000 and 2004 the UK's consumption of videogame products and activities grew by over £15 billion, with the recent successful UK and US launches of Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sonyj Playstation Portable (PSP) not yet included in those figures. In recent years there has been an upsurge in the number of researchers stdyinggaming. Topics have inclzlded investigations of the reasons why people play videogames, the potential of games in educational settings, and the efects which these games, and the culture which surround them, may be having on society. As videogame phying becomes more widespread and increasing numbers of videogame playing students enter higher education, educational research into the impact of extensive videogame playing on student approaches to learning and attitudes toward higher education is vital. The chapter begins by presenting an introduction to the culture of videogames and continues with a discussion on the relevant literature in this research area. An overview of our research project currently being carried out in the School of Education at the University of Edinburgh in the UK will be provided. The project is seeking to explore the experience of videogame play among students in higher education, and to identify the differences which might exist between gamers and non-gamers in their approaches to learning and study, and in their attitudes toward higher education. Finally, key results of our project will be presented and discussed in the context of current research. Read more...