The relationship between video games, simulations, and experiential learning

Is it possible to learn by playing Minecraft?

Abstract

Not only can we relate to life playfully but we can also model different areas of life as games. It is perhaps no coincidence that research on the learning potential of simulations coincides with the advent of the first video games. Their cross-section, serious gaming, is a phenomenon that has been around for at least half a century. However, can we learn from a leisure game? If so, what and how? The literature on these topics has developed in several ways, in parallel. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive picture of the relationship between leisure video games and informal and experiential learning by finding com­monalities between them. It also attempts to outline the theoretical foundations of a set of criteria for their evaluation. The study is based on a secondary research project elaborating on Simulation & Gaming, a journal decisive for the subject. A narrative literature review of three related topics can be found below. By analyzing the so-called serious games, in other words, gaming simulations for learning purposes, it is possible to identify various functional mechanisms and criteria that can be used to assess the learning potential of recreational video games.