Games and Education Scholar James Paul Gee on Video Games, Learning, and Literacy
Channel: Connected Learning Alliance
Date: 2011-08-04

James Paul Gee is an expert on how video games fit within an overall theory of learning and literacy. He is the Mary Lou Fulton Presidential Professor of Literacy Studies, Division of Curriculum and Instruction, at the Mary Lou Fulton College of Education at Arizona State University. He is also a faculty affiliate of the Games, Learning, and Society group at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a member of the National Academy of Education.

"What is a video game?" Gee asks. "It's just a set of problems; it could be anything. Doesn't matter what the problems are. All a video game is, is a set of problems that you must solve in order to win." (0:02)

"What I'm pushing is really not digital media," James clarifies. "It's what I call 'situated and embodied learning.' And what I mean by that is being able to solve problems with what you know, not just know a bunch of inert facts. But be able to use facts and information as tools for problem solving in specific contexts." (3:26)

Learn more about James Paul Gee on his personal website at http://jamespaulgee.com.