Marc Prensky is an author and speaker on the topic of video games and learning. His book, Don’t Bother Me Mom — I’m Learning! is a good one and highly rated on Amazon.
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He’s also written a great assessment of what kids can learn from video games, which you can download from the web. This article takes on the criticism that video games are mindless, anti-social activities. He argues that whenever one plays a game, learning happens constantly, whether the players are aware of it or not. He defines Five “Levels of Learning” in Video Games. These are:
Learning Level 1: Learning How - This is where the player learns how to do things in the game. The moves; how the characters operate and what you can make them do.
Learning Level 2: Learning What - Kids are learning what to do, or the rules of the game.
Learning Level 3: Learning Why - Here is where the player learns the strategy of the game.
Learning Level 4: Learning Where - This is where the players learn the “cultural and environmental” context of the game. What are the games “ideas.”
Learning Level 5: Learning When/Whether - Here is where the player learns to make value-based and even moral decisions.
He then goes on to ask the question, is this learning Positive or Negative? And finally he takes on “What Parents Should Worry About.” (Hint, it’s not the video games…)
This article is highly recommended - you can Download his PDF here.