August 15, 2003

Can Grand Theft Auto Inspire Professors?

Educators say the virtual worlds of video games help students think more broadly

By Scott Carlson

There are moments when James Gee seems like a teenager in the body of a middle-aged man. Many of those moments have to do with video games.

Mr. Gee is a distinguished professor of education at the University of Wisconsin's flagship campus here, but it is conversations about video games that win his undivided attention. He can tell you how to beat fantasy games like Everquest and Morrowind. He can outline the learning principles behind Pikmin, a cartoonish game made for young children.