Computational Thinking in Constructionist Video Games

Abstract

Video games offer an exciting opportunity for learners to engage in computational thinking in informal contexts. This paper describes a genre of learning environments called constructionist video games that are especially well suited for developing learners' computational thinking skills. These games blend features of conventional video games with learning and design theory from the constructionist tradition, making the construction of in-game artifacts the core activity of gameplay. Along with defining the constructionist video game, the authors present three design principles central to thier conception of the genre: the construction of personally meaningful computational artifacts, the centrality of powerful ideas, and the opportunity for learner-directed exploration. Using studies conducted with two constructionist video games, the authors show how players used in-game construction tools to design complex artifacts as part of game play, and highlight the computational thinking strategies they engaged in to overcome game challenges.

Fostering computational thinking through collaborative game-based learning

“…Digital games proved attractive and engaging for all groups of people and therefore, Game-Based Learning (GBL) has been proposed as one pedagogical framework for developing CT skills [62]. In order to help to acquire CT skills two main approaches have been introduced in GBL: learning through designing games and learning through gameplay.…”

“…In line with [30], TAPASPlay also aims to foster collaborative learning, that is, it regards CT as a creative and social practice. Finally, TAPASPlay fits within the realm of Constructionist Video Games [62], namely computational environments in which players may create personally meaningful artifacts to overcome artificial conflicts or obstacles resulting in quantifiable outcomes. In the following, the design and implementation of TAPASPlay are described in detail.…”

Publication Trends Over 10 Years of Computational Thinking Research

“…The main findings of the reviewed studies primarily included findings about CT skills. Study findings included elements that improved CT skills such as programming instruction (Olabe et al, 2015;Pellas & Peroutseas, 2016;Perez & Roig-Vila, 2015;Repenning et al, 2014;Wang, Wang, & Liu, 2014), robotics (Bers, 2010;Sullivan & Heffernan, 2016) and computer programs (Ioannidou, Repenning, & Webb, 2009;MorenoLeón, Robles, & Román-González, 2015;Repenning et al, 2015;Weintrop et al, 2016). It was observed that these studies were conducted since the beginning of the related literature.…”

“…Accordingly, it was observed that several topics such as programming instruction (Denner, Werner, Campe, & Ortiz, 2014;Pellas & Peroutseas, 2016), computer software (Haseski, İlic, & Tugtekin, 2017;Tahy, 2016;Weintrop, Holbert, Horn, & Wilensky, 2016) and robots (Berland & Wilensky, 2015;Bers, 2010;Kafai & Burke, 2013) were investigated with respect to CT. Furthermore, there are also studies in the literature on the integration of CT to educational contexts (Israel, Pearson, Tapia, Wherfel, & Reese, 2015;Olabe, Basogain, & Basogain, 2015) and the design of CT-oriented curricula (Bers, Flannery, Kazakoff & Sullivan, 2014;Manson & Olsen, 2010).…”

Beyond the player: A user-centered approach to analyzing digital games and players using actor-network theory

“…Others have found that learning in games may have more to do with the surrounding physical and social environment than the design of the game itself (Stevens et al, 2008). Many studies rely on testing learning technologies in controlled, laboratory conditions (Weintrop et al, 2016) and fail to consider the real world contexts in which these technologies are deployed (Sanford et al, 2015;Stevens et al, 2008;Wright and Parachoma, 2011). Research is also limited by what researchers choose to study.…”