Knowledge Games

How Playing Games Can Solve Problems, Create Insight, and Make Change

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Education & Teaching, Higher Education, Science & Nature, Technology, Engineering
Cover of the book Knowledge Games by Karen Schrier, Johns Hopkins University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Karen Schrier ISBN: 9781421419213
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press Publication: June 15, 2016
Imprint: Language: English
Author: Karen Schrier
ISBN: 9781421419213
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication: June 15, 2016
Imprint:
Language: English

Imagine if new knowledge and insights came not just from research centers, think tanks, and universities but also from games, of all things. Video games have been viewed as causing social problems, but what if they actually helped solve them? This question drives Karen Schrier’s Knowledge Games, which seeks to uncover the potentials and pitfalls of using games to make discoveries, solve real-world problems, and better understand our world. For example, so-called knowledge games—such as Foldit, a protein-folding puzzle game, SchoolLife, which crowdsources bullying interventions, and Reverse the Odds, in which mobile game players analyze breast cancer data—are already being used by researchers to gain scientific, psychological, and humanistic insights.

Schrier argues that knowledge games are potentially powerful because of their ability to motivate a crowd of problem solvers within a dynamic system while also tapping into the innovative data processing and computational abilities of games. In the near future, Schrier asserts, knowledge games may be created to understand and predict voting behavior, climate concerns, historical perspectives, online harassment, susceptibility to depression, or optimal advertising strategies, among other things.

In addition to investigating the intersection of games, problem solving, and crowdsourcing, Schrier examines what happens when knowledge emerges from games and game players rather than scientists, professionals, and researchers. This accessible book also critiques the limits and implications of games and considers how they may redefine what it means to produce knowledge, to play, to educate, and to be a citizen.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Imagine if new knowledge and insights came not just from research centers, think tanks, and universities but also from games, of all things. Video games have been viewed as causing social problems, but what if they actually helped solve them? This question drives Karen Schrier’s Knowledge Games, which seeks to uncover the potentials and pitfalls of using games to make discoveries, solve real-world problems, and better understand our world. For example, so-called knowledge games—such as Foldit, a protein-folding puzzle game, SchoolLife, which crowdsources bullying interventions, and Reverse the Odds, in which mobile game players analyze breast cancer data—are already being used by researchers to gain scientific, psychological, and humanistic insights.

Schrier argues that knowledge games are potentially powerful because of their ability to motivate a crowd of problem solvers within a dynamic system while also tapping into the innovative data processing and computational abilities of games. In the near future, Schrier asserts, knowledge games may be created to understand and predict voting behavior, climate concerns, historical perspectives, online harassment, susceptibility to depression, or optimal advertising strategies, among other things.

In addition to investigating the intersection of games, problem solving, and crowdsourcing, Schrier examines what happens when knowledge emerges from games and game players rather than scientists, professionals, and researchers. This accessible book also critiques the limits and implications of games and considers how they may redefine what it means to produce knowledge, to play, to educate, and to be a citizen.

More books from Johns Hopkins University Press

Cover of the book Mathematics in Twentieth-Century Literature and Art by Karen Schrier
Cover of the book Lyric Poetry by Women of the Italian Renaissance by Karen Schrier
Cover of the book Information at Sea by Karen Schrier
Cover of the book Sandlot Stats by Karen Schrier
Cover of the book Science and Technology in World History by Karen Schrier
Cover of the book The Thebaid by Karen Schrier
Cover of the book The Class of '74 by Karen Schrier
Cover of the book Victorian Literature and the Victorian State by Karen Schrier
Cover of the book A Short History of Medicine by Karen Schrier
Cover of the book Bad Logic by Karen Schrier
Cover of the book Who Owns America's Past? by Karen Schrier
Cover of the book Integrating Women into the Astronaut Corps by Karen Schrier
Cover of the book The Inquisition in New Spain, 1536–1820 by Karen Schrier
Cover of the book Plants of the Chesapeake Bay by Karen Schrier
Cover of the book Nature's Calendar by Karen Schrier
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy