Program Title: Gaming: Distraction or New Way of Learning? - de Castell
Description: The popularity of online games has never been greater than today. For some, games mean community and a new way of learning and being in the world while others fear some people may be leaving the real world behind and losing themselves in the virtual worlds of online role playing.



Our speakers will address the psychological and sociological effects of online gaming and the pros and cons of interacting in a virtual world. Come and discuss whether virtual personalities are
healthy or unhealthy, if gaming encourages isolation and addiction or greater sociability and creativity, and the phenomena of online
communities like FaceBook and MySpace.

Host(s):
Featured Speakers/Guests: Suzanne de Castell
Associate Dean of Education, Simon Fraser University
Dr. de Castell is a professor in SFu’s Faculty of education, specializing in literacy, new media and educational technology studies. Her current research includes educational game design and developing new multimodal research tools and methods. In 2005, Dr. de Castell chaired the Digital Games Research Association (diGRA) international conference and she co-founded the Canadian Game Studies Association. She is lead editor of Worlds in Play: International Perspectives on Digital Games Research (Peter Lang Press, 2007).

Credits: Recorded and edited for CJSF by Charlotte Bourne

Comments: All references to CJSF have been removed.