ETEC 565MA3: Mobile Learning Games

Forecast

Chris Chapman

University of

British

Columbia

The SituationAccording to Ambient Insight,

in 2013 the North American

market for mobile learning

games (MLGs) was worth

over $227.9 million dollars

and growing at a rate of

12.5% per year.

This number is expected to

soar to over $410 million by

2018.

Worldwide GrowthFurthermore, the number

of global mobile users

surpassed the number of

desktop users in 2014.

This trend is expected to

continue, especially in

Asian, African and Latin

American markets.

(that's only about 6 billion people)

Who is Buying MLGs?The largest group of

consumers for MLGs are

the end-users

themselves.

Most MLGs on the

market are designed for

young children (over 53%

of MLGs in the US and

49/50 of the top MLGs in

Canada are for this

group).

What Inhibits the Market

for MLGs?Since most MLGs are bought

for young children,

developers need to be aware

of regulations regarding

privacy protection for children

under the age of 13.

Also, due to startups flooding

the market, discoverability is

an issue for new entrants, as

are the costs related to the

online marketplaces.

What About Educational

Institutions?Institutional use of MLGs is still in

its infancy due to the fact that it is

still relatively new and products

cycles for preK-12 and higher

education are traditionally slow.

However, in the US, federal

funding is based on adoption and

most major universities are

conducting research on MLGs, so

there is massive growth potential.

Some Other Factors

Inhibiting the Use of MLGs in

Institutions:• Lack of time for teachers to

integrate MLGs into lessons

• Lack of professional

development/support for

teachers

• Mobile device bans in schools

• Attitudes towards MLGs from

students, staff and

administration

MLGs Can Be Broken

Down Into Two Main

Elements

Mobile

Education

Educational

Gaming

Mobile Education

Incorporates the use of

mobile devices such as

smartphones, tablets or

mobile gaming devices to

provide just-in-time learning

services to students

independent of location.

Educational Gaming

Involves the integration

of game-based

elements and/or

simulations to benefit

learning experiences.

Some of the Factors

Driving Mobile Learning

Include:• Higher computing power of current

generation mobile phones.

• Affordable and ubiquitous internet

connectivity

• An increase in the display capabilities of

mobiles (larger screens and better resolution)

• An overall reduction in the price of mobile

devices

While the Rise in

Educational Gaming is due

to:• Increased internet access without

administrative constraints

• Pressure on schools to produce better

learning outcomes

• Increased software adoption in schools

• A decrease in the cost of computing

hardware

BUT…

There are Difficulties

Merging the two Elements

The development of

educational games is both

time and cost-intensive, and

their integration into school

systems requires acceptance

from stakeholders.

Mobile learning includes a

large range of mobile

devices that use proprietary

hardware, and mobile

software is in a continual

state of development.

Also…The current offerings for MLGs

are (surprisingly) limited.

While researching them for my

OER, I found that most MLGs for

children were either math or

language-based, while most of

the ones for adults were trivia-

related.

Research by Ambient Insight has

confirmed this.

And…At the moment, the use of

MLGs in institutions lacks

infrastructure. According to

research by Schmitz, Klemke

and Specht, there is a 'lack

of scientifically acceptable

methodology for choosing

games,' as well as an

inability to identify and define

the benefits of MLGs and

their impact on learning

outcomes.

Forecast

Mobile Learning Games

will Become Pervasive

in Education For the

Following Reasons:

There Is A Need for

Improved Educational

Offerings"There is a vital need for tailoring

learning offers to learners' needs,

capabilities, and according to

learning targets"

(Klemke et al., p. 10).

They (Can) Work

While research on the

subject is still limited,

researchers have found that

MLGs can increase learner

motivation in regards to

engaging with both the

learning content and the

learning environment.

MLGs Can Promote

Learning Because They:

• allow for metacognitive reflection during the

gaming process, which is a key component of

constructivist pedagogy

• promote just-in-time and DIY learning as they

can be accessed independent of time and

location

• provide consequence-free environments in

which learners can experiment and learn from

failure

• have the potential to integrate physical

movement and non-visual/auditory sensory

perception

Their AffordancesWhile they lack some of the

affordances that larger

computers provide such as

the use of Flash and

computing power, these

disadvantages are

decreasing with every new

generation of mobile device.

Also, mobile devices allow

for the use of

accelerometers,

compasses, cameras and

other components that have

the potential to make MLGs

more immersive.

Open-Source MLGs

As in other technological

industries, open-source

mobile gaming platforms will

allow teachers and/or

schools to create their own

mobile learning games. As

an example, Aris games

allows users to create

augmented reality-based

MLGs.

Increased Absorption by

Institutions

As more research is done

into game-based learning,

mobile technologies

develop and become

cheaper, and the number of

teachers who grew up

playing video games

increases, frameworks for

integrating MLGs into

learning environments will

develop, which will allow for

their integration into

educational institutions.

Learning Analytics

MLG data can be used by

both institutions and

developers to track both

learner motivation and how

well learning outcomes are

being met. This data can

then be used to create new

generations of MLGs and

aid data-driven research of

pedagogy.

References• Ambient Insight. (2013). Ambient insight targeted report: 2013-2018 north america mobile

edugame market. Ambient Insight. Retrieved from:

http://www.ambientinsight.com/Resources/Documents/Ambient-Insight-2013-2018-North-

America-Mobile-Edugame-Market-Abstract.pdf

• Bosomworth, D. (2015). Mobile marketing statistics 2015. Smart Insights. Retrieved from:

http://smartinsights.com

• Klopfer, E., Osterweil, S., & Salen, K. (2009). Moving learning games forward: Obstacles,

opportunities, and openness. The Educational Arcade. Retrieved from:

http://education.mit.edu/papers/MovingLearningGamesForward_EdArcade.pdf

• Lavin-Mera, P., Torrente, J., Moreno-Ger, P., Vallejo-Pinto, A., & Fernandez-Manjon, B. (2009).

Mobile game development for multiple devices in education. International Journal of Emerging

Technologies in Learning. Retrieved from: http://www-ijet.org

• Schmitz, B., Klemke, R., & Specht, M. (2012). Effects of mobile gaming patterns on learning

outcomes: A literature review. Open University of the Netherlands. Retrieved from:

http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Birgit_Schmitz/publication/235265707_Effects_of_mobile_ga

ming_patterns_on_learning_outcomes_a_literature_review/links/0fcfd510b83a454e47000000.pd

f

• Tack, D. (2013). Serious games and the future of education. Forbes. Retrieved from:

http://forbes.com

*All images are taken from wikimedia commons and pixabay and fall under the creative domain.*