BIOGRAPHY

Levi Giovanetto is a graduate student of Kurt Squire, studying games at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A child of the Nintendo Generation, Levi currently is looking at how games like Civilization can be used in the classroom. He also works at the Center for the Integration of Teaching and Learning’s Diversity Institute where he’s helped to create Reaching All Students: A Resource Book in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. In addition to being an avid gamer, his past work has focused on math anxiety, theoretical statistics, and student government. He received his bachelor's degree with honors in psychology from Truman State University.

ABSTRACT

Videogames as Designed Experiences

Over the past few years, an increasing number of educators have turned their attention to video games noting the strong learning principles that exist in successful video games and the contrasts between students' engagement in games and in schooling. Models of game-based learning environments have begun to emerge, but thusfar, we have lacked a coherent theoretical underpinning for how they work. This talk provides both a theoretical model for the design of game-based learning environments and a theoretical model for the design and development of game-based learning environments. This presentation ties together naturalistic studies of games and gaming cultures with examples of games designed for learning that span across commercially available games, research-developed games, and emerging prototypes. This model argues for the design of game-based learning environments that emphasize trajectories of participation for players from novice users of systems, to designers, and eventually, to proactive participants in (aspects of) society.