Do Games help learning? Where is the evidence?

Do games help learning? Where is the evidence?












This is, of course, the most important question which I reflect on in my practice surrounding video games and education. As the field is still relatively new, tangible studies are still forthcoming. In my teaching practice, I am continuing to question myself whether the video game text is just a substitution for a traditional media text such as a film, or can it, by its nature, be something more transformational in its learning design?
In my current use of video games, I am not focussing on the benefits which are proposed for reflexes and reaction time, but the propensity for video games to inspire and foster ideas pitted against the over-stimulation or distraction which they can pose for some learners. While this may not be age specific, I have wonderings about the suitability or purpose of video games as narrative tools for younger learners, when the focus is more on the key literacy skills of spelling and the basic building blocks of writing.
Another challenge which I acknowledge is that many of the more heavily based narrative games allude to themes or ideas which are not relevant for our younger learners. Is this initiative something that would make itself more suited to the senior years of the school in a more intermediate or early secondary level, where both achievement results and engagement in the writing process and literacy are proven to decline, nationally?