Monday, October 14, 2013

Can we use strategy games outside classroom?


Big Fish Games is strategy game that students can play outside classroom. This is an online game which is designed for strategy learning. It has a casino in the game, you can choose to play Blackjack, Texas, or other games online. I think by playing this game, students would definitely learn how to make decisions. I played this game for 4 times. It is play-friendly game, because it is easy to start and easy to follow instruction. The challenge in the game would be how to make your strategy work and how to get more money from gambling. Students would find it interesting because it simulates the real-world situation--Casino! You can have your own chips in the game and also, you can choose your bet.There are also some vocabulary in the game, like "stand","hit", "double", which some of them contain different meaning from what students know before.

The language learning objectives for this game would be SWABT:
Distinguish different meanings of one word according to context;
Apply new words in real life learning;
Enhance the ability of strategy-making.
Through this game, I wish to complete the mission that it would help students to make strategy, I would focus on the simulate situation that they play. I think I would assess students by ask them how much money do they win in the game, ask them to make an oral report of how they win or loose money in the game, and also what do they get from the game. If they really are into the game, they might find some rules in play Blackjack, for example, when do you need to hit, when do you need to stand,  when can you double your bet, and when do you need to buy insurance in case of loosing too much money. In addition, I would make a word check-list that they need to finish which contains polysemy on the list. They need to find out the difference in context. And also, there would be a test on Blackjack, like if they get a 12, what will they do to win the bet. I think this activity would test their ability in decision making.

Even though I had fun in play Big Fish Games, I still doubt that if we really can employ this kind of games in teaching. What if students show no interest in the game or what if they are addicted to the game? There are still lots of questions need to be answer about using games for teaching.

4 comments:

  1. The game you chose is not a strategy game. Please try to look at the categories in Big Fish Games and choose one under the category of strategy games.

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    Replies
    1. I actually played the Casino in Big Fish Game, isn't it a strategy game?

      Delete
  2. Casino is not listed under the category of strategy games on the website of Big Fish Games.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great information!!! Thanks for your wonderful informative blog.
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