Farming Education: A Case for Social Games in Learning

Social games have skyrocketed in popularity; much to the surprise of many in the game development community. By reinforcing individualized internalization of concepts while framing those experiences in terms of social activities, social games are filling a void not adequately filled by other games and may turn out to be power learning tools. Their potential use in education is still in its infancy as many consider how the characteristics unique to social games could be used within a learning paradigm. By creating asynchronous multiplayer environments and play dynamics designed to leverage both individual and collaborative goals, social games may foster long distance relationships and encourages reflection of the tasks preformed.