Critical Review: Applying Video Game Learning to Education System

This report provides a comprehensive review of James Paul Gee's book, 'What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy,' focusing on Gee's thesis that video games offer valuable learning principles applicable to K-12 education. The review summarizes Gee's argument that video games engage players through immersive environments and communicative interactions, contrasting this with traditional formal education methods. It analyzes and evaluates the book's exploration of thirty-six learning principles found in video games, highlighting their potential to enhance cognitive skills and adapt teaching methods for a technology-based community. The review concludes by emphasizing the importance of implementing these principles in educational settings to foster both cognitive and teaching-learning skills.

Book Review
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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Summary of content.........................................................................................................................2
Analysis and Evaluation of the book...............................................................................................2
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................3
References........................................................................................................................................4

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Introduction
What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy is a book written by James
Paul Gee. The book emphasizes upon the learning principles of video games and how these
principles could be implemented to K-12 classroom. The book intends to attract readers such as
administrators, parents, teachers, and educators based on the modification of approach to
pedagogy.
Thesis statement
Video games create a sense of identity that helps an individual to follow as well as evaluate a
command.
Summary of content
James Paul Gee takes a personal approach within this book to demonstrate how the
communicative and immersive world of video game involves the player in ways where formal
education fails to involve. He argues that players play the game after that they view the manual
rather than reading the manual before playing a game. Within the book, he suggested that as the
students are asked to read the textbook before putting it into a context, the same is to be done
before playing a video game (Gee, 2003). By assembling a huge range of learning principles, he
takes a positive opinion of the video games. He believes that video games are an amazing
teaching tool rather than a waste of time. However, in this book Gee recommended that in the
formal educational environments students possess the ability to develop their knowledge similar
to the players when they beat a level.
Analysis and Evaluation of the book
In this particular book, Gee demonstrates thirty-six learning principles of playing video games. It
has been analyzed that video games could be utilized as a tool to test players while they gain
success. Gee revealed the fact that video games inspire players and simultaneously teaches
different ways to play a game. As a result, this helps an individual to generate more and
innovative ways to learn in workplaces, communities, and schools. Gee argues that the
application of these thirty-six principles will be helpful if applied within the classroom. Based on
the analysis it can be seen that the implementation of progressive learning within the classroom
will reduce student's frustrations in academic situations.

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Moreover, Gee discussed thirty-six learning principles within learning and semiotic domains,
cultural models, the social mind, situated learning and meaning, Doing and telling and identity
and learning. He evaluated that learning from games will be useful for the teachers to improve
their teaching and learning skills as well as organize students to face technology-based
community. Based on the evaluation it can be seen that Gee is highly interested in developing
cognitive skills within the students.
Conclusion
The paper provided a review of the book based on the thesis statement. It discussed the
importance of video games. It also demonstrated an understanding of the thirty-six principles of
learning that is helpful for the teachers and the students. The paper revealed the fact that all these
learning principles must be implemented within the school environment as it helps in acquitting
cognitive and teaching and learning skills.

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References
Gee, J.P., 2003. What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy. Computers in
Entertainment (CIE), 1(1), pp.20-20.