If I were to say to a teacher:
“Hey, you should try out this great IF game with your class”, it would generate a response ranging from “Fantastic, what’s it about and how do I play it” – from a teacher familiar with the principles digital game-based learning, to “I have adult students, they don’t like games” from a teacher who doesn’t know how a video game can be applied to a learning context .
We all know the popular saying: “work and play do not mix”. When it comes to using video games for learning, Gee (2003) disagrees:
“When we think of games, we think of fun. When we think of learning we think of work. Games show us this is wrong. They trigger deep learning that is itself part and parcel of the fun. It is what makes games deep.” —IF only » The semantics of Interactive Fiction.