Published in the Meridian Middle School Computer Technologies Journal (Volume 12, Issue 1), this paper provides an overview of the relationship children and youth have with video games. Author Jill M. Olthouse explores the relationship between video games, which combine film, graphics, sound, and text to communicate narratives and goals to the player with children's motivation and learning.

Exploring the rationale behind the study of this relationship, Olthouse acknowledges that video games draw from previous forms of media, including symbols, spoken language, early writing, manuscripts, print, and video. However, she stresses that video games also differ from traditional media, largely due to the forced interactivity incorporated into video games. "This interactivity offers both an element of choice (the player has a role in the development of the storyline) and paradoxically, influences the storyline, as the player is forced to respond in certain predetermined ways in order to succeed and advance the storyline. Thus, these choices introduce sporting elements to the media which includes reaction times, strategy, and competition which are generally not found in traditional media. Video games also differ from other media in their ability to adjust to the player's learning ability by relying on the computer's artificial intelligence. This means that players have the opportunity to experience more successes than they might have if they were playing a board game against someone who is more advanced. For some players, this may keep them engaged longer as they receive feedback that they are continually making progress. These types of feedback and reinforcements may have a profound influence on why some children spend such a great amount of time with this media. Investigating the ways in which children interact with video games may have the potential to provide insight into how these children are accustomed to processing information differently than children of the TV or print generation."

Olthouse notes that the category of video games is composed of an increasing diversity of genres, which appeal to and emphasise different capabilities. The variety of video game genres, she says, speaks to their popularity with an increasingly diverse audience. The popularity of video games among children indicates that a large number of children have a shared cultural experience that the older generation may have difficulty relating to. She encourages teachers seeking to understand their paedological value to consider their appeal as play, reinforcement, social interaction, fantasy, and cognitive exercise. Olthouse examines each of these elements; for instance, the social motivations of video games include competition, cooperation, communities, tribes, and teams. "Online gaming, especially, delivers a social environment in which bands of players defeat their rivals. Bands must develop strategies that capitalize on individual strengths, and communicate with each other as they carry out their plans..."

Research has shown that video games have different types of appeal to players of different ages; individuals will gravitate towards different game genres and different games within these genres. "Some serious topics, such as disease, are not considered fun to some players". But how can the learning experience be a positive one? Olthouse explores the paedagogical elements of games, including "background scenarios (such as relevant historical context in a WWII battle simulation), scaffolding, diagnostic capabilities, debriefing, forced moments of reflection, libraries of successful and unsuccessful plays, chat rooms, tests and quizzes, mnemonic devices, and pop-up prompting." One way in which video games teach metacognition is by requiring players to understand systems: Variables within the game interact according to predetermined rules, rules the player must discover and understand to become successful. Players learn that taking on a large challenge is a matter of breaking it down into smaller steps. Players also learn the metacognitive skill of persistence through difficulties. In multiplayer games, players learn mediation and leadership skills as they work with other players to accomplish game goals. Other skills that video games can develop are perceptual and motor skills.

There is, Olthouse says, debate about whether video games are teaching children skills and values that will help them. Some point to research indicating that playing violent video games, especially for a short period of time, increases physiological arousal and aggression. However, as Olthouse notes, not much is known about the differences between types of games and how long-term play affects these gamers. Also, video games can be considered miseducative when the learning goals are not clear or when an alternative teaching method is a better way of presenting information. But other research has shown computer simulations were effective at teaching procedural knowledge and improving attitudes. For instance, a meta-analysis of 32 studies cited here found that interactive simulations and computer games were more effective at teaching concepts, in both instructional value and motivation, than traditional classroom instruction. This held true for both males and females of ages ranging from elementary school to college.

So, should video games be incorporated into education? Olthouse cites one researcher who has pointed to a problem of trying to bring fun into education: Play is self-motivated, governed by fantasy rules, and removed from everyday life. Learning is more akin to work. Work requires purpose, demands goals, takes effort, engenders frustration, and bears fruit. According to Olthouse, "[t]here is a middle ground where fun and learning intersect", and the determination of this point of convergence is largely dependent on the interaction of the player and the context. "Thus, video games and their effects cannot be judged as a whole." Thus, "[i]nstead of asking, 'Are video games fun and educative?' the questions that should be asked are: 'In what contexts and with which students are video games fun and educative?', 'To what extent do players examine the values in the video games and question them?' and 'In what contexts do skills learned in video games transfer to other areas?' These questions provide a basis for future research into how children relate to video games."