Game Collection

This paper extends the use of the Monopoly® board game as an economic simulation exercise designed to reinforce an understanding of how the accounting cycle impacts the financial statements used to evaluate management performance.

In this article, I describe a potential avenue for investigating individual’s understanding of and reactions to risk using the medium of board games. I first discuss some challenges that researchers face in studying risk situations. Connecting to the existing probabilistic reasoning literature, I then present a rationale for using board games to model these situations. Following this, I draw upon intuition and dual-process theory to outline an integrated theoretical perspective for such investigations. The article concludes with two vignettes demonstrating how this perspective might be used to analyze thinking about risk in a board game setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Games have long been a staple of active learning environments. They are a fantastic way to reduce anxiety, promote competition, and energize classrooms. Board games, in particular, can be very useful in building real-world skills in a fun and non-threatening environment. Therefore, the author uses them extensively for Business English classes and lessons. This article explains how to play a game called "Business Decisions" to help students develop their language and business acumen.

This study examines the correlational relationship between the historical playing of indigenous strategic board games (also called mancala) and the socio-economic complexity of African ethnic groups as well as the incidence of entrepreneurial pursuits. Anthropology literature suggests that these games may be associated with socio-economic complexity of the ethnic groups—the so-called games in culture hypothesis. I revisit this hypothesis with better data and motivated by anecdotal evidence, introduce a contemporary hypothesis, origins of entrepreneurship hypothesis—that descendants of societies that played complex mancala games are more likely to be engaged in non-farm self-employment today. I compile the first comprehensive database of mancala games in Africa matched to ancestral characteristics data, and for 18 African countries, to the Afrobarometer survey data. Using historical and contemporary data, I do not find evidence for either hypothesis. Despite the null results, I explore how related hypotheses and studies can build on the comprehensive mancala database. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study aimed to investigate whether board games could be used to improve creative potential. Games have proven to be effective learning tools, and some studies have indicated positive links between creativity and other types of games, namely video games and role‐playing games. However, less is known regarding board games' potential benefits on creativity. This exploratory study compared two types of board games: creative and non‐creative board games. We used a within‐subject repeated‐measurement design, in which participants played to both types of games, across two sessions separated by one week. We assessed creative potential with a divergent thinking task, using fluency and originality as indicators. We controlled for openness, mood states, and enjoyment. Results suggest an improvement of originality after playing both types of games, whereas no differences were observed for fluency. Considering the base level of participants, we found improvement for low‐performing participants specifically, in both fluency and originality, although analyses' limited statistical power may have impacted the findings. These findings provide a first step in the study of creativity and board games and suggest they could help temporarily improve one's divergent thinking capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional board games are a common social activity for many children, but little is known about the behavioral effects of this type of game. The current study aims to explore the behavioral effects of cooperative and competitive board games in four‐to‐six‐year‐old children (N = 65). Repeatedly during 6 weeks, children in groups of four played either cooperative or competitive board games in a between‐subject design, and shortly after each game conducted a task in which children's cooperative, prosocial, competitive, and antisocial behavior were observed. The type of board game did not have an effect on cooperative, prosocial or antisocial behavior. Cooperative and competitive board games elicited equal amounts of cooperative and prosocial behavior, which suggest that board games, regardless of type, could have positive effects on preschoolers' social behavior. Our results suggest that children may compete more after playing competitive board games; but the measure of competitive behavior in particular was unreliable. Preschoolers enjoyed playing cooperative board games more than competitive board games, which may be one reason to prefer their use.

Board games are a promising, yet rarely used arena for learning about environmental issues. Existing research suggests that they are highly innovative communication tools that make complex sustainability problems more salient and easily understandable. To date, little to no research exists where several environment-themed board games have been compared in a single study. Method. 17 respondents were invited to board game nights where they were tasked to play an environmental board game of their choosing. The respondents were then invited to participate in subsequent focus group interviews about their gameplay experience and learning outcomes. Results. 5 focus group interviews were transcribed and subjected to a qualitative thematic analysis, revealing 2 main themes; the first revolving around board games as simplified environmental simulations and the second revolving around the players' perceptions of their own impact on the game board. Conclusion. Our results suggest that board games can be highly effective tools in some aspects of environmental communication. Limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores what happens when bilingual learners come together to play a board game specially designed to facilitate an interactive context in which the learning of English as a second or additional language is promoted. An example of the interactive behaviour of one group of bilingual learners is then presented in order to illustrate such language learning `in action' within this game playing context. Interactive episodes, analysed in detail from within a sociocultural framework, reveal the mechanisms by which pupils support and mediate one another's learning. Such analysis reveals second/additional language learning as a process, an aspect of learning often overlooked and undervalued in classrooms, given the quest for ever more standardised and summative forms of assessment in the UK today. It is argued that the resulting information on how bilingual pupils learn English is useful in suggesting subsequent teaching strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined the effect of a commercial digital video game on high school students' language learning motivation. Participants were 241 male students randomly assigned to one of the following three treatments: Readers, who intensively read the game's story; Players, who played the digital video game; and Watchers, who watched two classmates play the digital video game. A language learning motivation scale was given to the participants as a pre- and post-test. Also, field notes were taken. Results indicated a significant language learning motivation increase over time. Only the Watchers, however, showed significantly higher motivation than the Readers in the end. Thus, the use of commercial digital video games can help enhance high school students' language learning motivation.

This study examined the role of formative and summative assessment in instructional video games on student learning and engagement. A 2 (formative feedback: present vs absent) × 2 (summative feedback: present vs absent) factorial design with an offset control (recorded lecture) was conducted to explore the impacts of assessment in video games. A total of 172 undergraduates were randomly assigned to one of four instructional video game conditions or the control. Results found that knowledge significantly increased from the pretest for players in all game conditions. Participants in summative assessment conditions learned more than players without summative assessment. In terms of engagement outcomes, formative assessment conditions did not significantly produce better learning engagement outcomes than conditions without formative assessment. However, summative assessment conditions were associated with higher temporal disassociation than non-summative conditions. Implications for future instructional video game development and testing are discussed in the paper.

Qualitative interview data is presented in support of previously-published quantitative evidence that suggests commercial video games may be used to develop useful skills and competencies in undergraduate students. The purpose of the work described here was to document the attitudes of those students involved in the quantitative study and to explore how the game-based intervention was perceived. To this end, student attitudes to the use of specified games to develop communication skill, resourcefulness and adaptability are examined. A broadly positive perception of the games' efficacy for skills development is revealed, and the aspects of game play that students believe contribute to skills development are discussed. These aspects include the need to communicate with team mates in order to succeed, and the fluid, unpredictable nature of in-game challenges. It is suggested that while the games played an important role in skills development, interaction between students, facilitated by game play, was also a significant factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sedentary activities are perpetuated by aging and the COVID-19 pandemic. While demands for video games grow, few studies explored the potential of virtual reality (VR) games to promote sports engagement and health among young adults. Objective. To examine sports engagement and health changes of young adults when utilizing a VR sports game and investigate the relationship between sports engagement and health. Method. This study used a single-group design with 20 participants, aged 19–29 years, with no preexisting health conditions. The VR game "Sports Scramble" was used thrice within a span of one week. Outcomes sought include sports engagement and health, measured through the Sports Engagement Scale (SES) and Short Form 36 (SF-36), respectively. Results. A significant difference (p < 0.001) was found between the pre-posttest scores of the SES. Moreover, a positive trend was observed in terms of health with a significant difference (p < 0.05) between pre-posttest scores of the SF-36's vitality dimension. There were positive correlations among the dedication and vigor subscales of the SES with the dimensions of health. Conclusion. This study showed the potential of VR sports games in positively influencing sports engagement and health among participants with the vigor and dedication positively influencing health. Future studies may involve the exploration of the effectiveness of VR to promote engagement and health through a randomized controlled trial with a longer timeframe and across various populations.

Accompanying the wide-spread availability of performance systems (both computationally and graphically capable), academic research on video had expanded. While a significant portion of it has explored negatives aspects of video games, awareness of it positive applications and effects is not as expansive. A medium that has been around for 4 decades is now projected to take over cable entertainment in the coming period. Gaming has primarily been a form of entertainment but, this paper offers a literary analysis of existing research on feasibility of video games as an apparatus to develop skills used for solving real world problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on efforts of educators to conduct role play games for students in an attempt to develop their critical thinking and problem solving skills. It discusses the significance of the process of game composition in ensuring growth as thinkers, writers and teachers of writing. It also mentions impact of games on ensuring cognitive development of students in the field of language, meaning and a variety of social spaces.

The purpose of this article is to describe the tabletop role-playing game’s emerging context, a few of its specificities and functions, to show links with several education, play and game, and personal development theories, and to raise awareness about its transformative potential.

The article discusses the impact that the history pedagogical method known as Reacting to the Past (RTTP) on U.S. freshmen college students, including its role in students' historical thinking, student retention and student engagement. The involvement of games in the RTTP methodology, including a game involving the restoration of democracy to ancient Athens, Greece, is discussed. An overview of college students' attitudes towards the RTTP method are also discussed.

Reacting to the Past (RTTP) is an established program that works to engage students on a deeper level by having them work with primary materials actively through role playing. We used an established French Revolution game tweaked for our particular student population. Generally set in historical moments of extreme conflict and debate, the games are meant to be a catalyst for student learning and engagement. In RTTP pedagogy, students are assigned primary readings from the era under discussion and are then given a role to play in an interactive game. For the French Revolution, for example, a student might be assigned the role of a literary figure, a politician, or an artist. The game is intended to take about six weeks, leaving ten weeks for lecture and reading. Using the primary readings as their guide, students react to arguments and discussions based on their characters' interpretations of events. The program has an established curriculum and hosts conferences where instructors learn how to manage the games successfully. Hosted by Barnard College with games published byNorton, RTTP has an impressive record of success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]