Gee's background in linguistics and current interests in education inform this discussion of video games, as he clearly outlines over thirty good learning principles that teachers can glean from the practice of gaming and apply to their classrooms. Gee's book should be commended for its detailed analysis of particular games--too often, theorists discussing games tend to shy away from minute description of their own interactions with games and go straight for lessons learned or abstract ideas garnered from gameplay. Gee also has a talent for talking openly and humorously about his development from non-gaming baby boomer to avid but still sometimes inept gamer.

If you're already convinced that video games are cultural objects worthy of study, Gee will only confirm your opinion. However, if you look at the book's title and can't contain a derisive snort, give Gee a chance. According to Gee, good video games (and yes, not all video games are good) model active, participatory, and embodied learning, a kind of learning often scarce in traditional school curricula. Good games demonstrate the effectiveness of pattern recognition over rule-based or rote learning, and they encourage players to reflect at a meta level not only about their own identity but also their practices, often via the formation of affinity groups both within and outside of the game world. At their best, gamers become producers, creatively "modding" their own gaming experiences and sharing information with others who take play seriously.

I'd always sort of believed the "video games are a waste of time" thing just because I'd heard it so much. This book is good but I couldn't understand all the technical stuff but I think I got the just of it. I actually had to write a persuasive essay on the HSPA (High School Profficiancy Assessment) agreeing or disagreeing with the hypothetical decision of some kind of governmental authority (I forget which one, congress maybe?) to ban all noneducational video games. I'd read the first few pages of the book and it helped. Now I regret ever believing that waste of time stuff.

I'd always sort of believed the "video games are a waste of time" thing just because I'd heard it so much. This book is good but I couldn't understand all the technical stuff but I think I got the just of it. I actually had to write a persuasive essay on the HSPA (High School Profficiancy Assessment) agreeing or disagreeing with the hypothetical decision of some kind of governmental authority (I forget which one, congress maybe?) to ban all noneducational video games. I'd read the first few pages of the book and it helped. Now I regret ever believing that waste of time stuff.