by Gary S. Mansell Jr.
How can Atari, Super Nintendo, PlayStation and Pac-Man influence learning? Dr. Ron Brown is using his passion for video games and research to answer this question. An assistant professor in the School of Library and Information Science, he is interested in video games from a learning perspective and plans to partner with the Georgetown, S.C. public library to further investigate video gaming programs in libraries.
“I would like to find out if there are specific programs and specific learning objectives that we can achieve with gaming programs. For example, can we use the library and gaming to better inform students about flu and how to stop the spread of germs?” he asked.
Dr. Brown’s questions don’t stop there. How can we pair games with specific learning objectives? What if we could match certain video games to specific reading skills? What if we could match videos games to help people learn information? Can we learn through video games how different people receive and translate information?
Although not responsible for starting the project, Dr. Brown would like to continue his partnership with the Georgetown library and help them to do research. The partnership initially started when Dwight McInvaill spoke at The University of South Carolina. McInvaill’s library won a national award for literacy and innovation, which introduced Dr. Brown to the project. Since his visit, McInvaill and the Georgetown BYTES coordinator Donald Dennis (see sidebar) have been enthusiastic about partnering with the school.
Dr. Brown believes six video game consoles and games — including Atari and Super Nintendo and PacMan — could serve as models for children and adults alike. “I selected a variety of video games and compared them to how they relate to my life.” He learned by playing Resident Evil on the PlayStation gaming console to work through fears or obstacles that could hinder goals in life. He also discovered an important life lesson. “I learned how to become a good sport by playing Pac-Man on the Atari.”
In addition to his research, Dr. Brown teaches a variety of courses at SLIS, including Information Organization and Retrieval, Design, Management of Databases, and Digital Libraries. He also is developing a new course for Spring 2010, which will teach students about the improving the search rankings of their Web pages and online ads.
Only a select few make a living by mixing business with pleasure and Dr. Brown is blessed with this opportunity. Dr. Brown has turned his passion for learning and videos games into research that many would envy. “My overall goal would be to demonstrate a model for getting students to learn by using games.” Who wouldn’t want his job?
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