Games as Transformative Experiences for Critical Thinking, Cultural Awareness, and Deep Learning

All games are potentially transformative experiences because they engage the player in dynamic action. When repurposed in an educational context, even highly popular casual games played online to pass the time can engage players in a way that deepens learning. Games as Transformative Experiences for Critical Thinking, Cultural Awareness, and Deep Learning: Strategies & Resources examines the learning value of a wide variety of games across multiple disciplines.

Organized just like a well-made game, the book is divided into four parts highlighting classroom experiences, community and culture, virtual learning, and interdisciplinary instruction. The author crosses between the high school and college classroom and addresses a range of disciplines, both online and classroom practice, the design of curriculum, and the transformation of assessment practices.

In addition to a wealth of practical exercises, resources, and lesson ideas, the book explains how to use a wide and diverse range of games from casual to massively multiplayer online games for self-improvement as well as classroom situations.

David Seelow has taught in higher education continually since 1989 at both public and private colleges ranging from top tier research universities to community colleges. He has also taught several years in public school and holds 4 permanent education licenses from New York State, which has the most rigorous licensure requirements of any state in the nation. Dr. Seelow founded the Center for Game and Simulation-Based Learning based in Albany, New York, as well as an award-winning Online Writing Lab. Dr. Seelow has taught online course for 15 years, designed several online courses and developed entire online programs, all of which give the book and added appeal during a time when many schools rely on virtual and blended learning models. He has a certificate in game design and has published and presented nationally and internationally on games in learning, the humanities, and education. His previous books on Radical Modernism and Sexuality (Palgrave MacMillan, 2005), the well-reviewed Lessons Drawn: Essays on the Pedagogy of Comics and Graphic Novels (McFarland, 2019) and Game Based Classroom: Practical Strategies for Grades 6-12 (Routledge, Eye on Education series, 2021).