MIT and ESA announce education conference at E3

A new joint initiative between MIT Comparative Media Studies and the Entertainment Software Association will see a three-day conference on the educational merits of gaming running at E3.

The conference, which is part of the Education Arcade initiative, will run from May 9th to 11th in the Los Angeles Conference Centre, prior to the opening of the E3 Expo show floor, and unusually for an E3 event, will be open to the public.

The aim of the conference, which will bring game designers, academics and educators together in a series of panels, talks and open discussions, is to offer a look at the development, use and marketing potential of videogames in education - a current hot topic among educators and game developers alike.

"While historically educational games have been a bit like a spinach sundae - not very tasty and not very good for you either - more and more people are discovering the pedagogical potentials of games," explains Henry Jenkins III from MIT Comparative Media Studies.

"This conference will bring together key players to discuss key issues and emerging trends that may help educational gaming achieve its promise," he continued. "The goal is to get educators and industry people talking and working together to see what we can build in the coming few years."

"We believe that games can be a powerful teaching tool, allowing kids to explore, create, and learn from their own mistakes," enthused ESA president Doug Lowenstein. "The Education Arcade conference will offer leaders in this area and interested attendees an in-depth forum through which to examine and further the role of games in education."

Further information - including a complete schedule and list of speakers, as well as the ability to register for the conference - will be available from the Education Arcade website by early next month.

External Link: [The Education Arcade]