On 6–7 October 2009, The National Academies held a workshop on computer games, simulations and education in Washington, DC. The stated purpose of the workshop was to ‘explore the connexions between what is known about science learning and computer games and simulations, the role computer gaming and simulations could play in assessing learning and the pathways by which they could be used on a large scale.’The workshop brought together leading developers and researchers of computer games and simulations for science learning, who presented a wide breadth of knowledge about how students learn with computer games and simulations. The presenters also made evident the great need for more and deeper research in this area. This book carries on that theme. Eleven papers were commissioned by the committee, which form the basis for this book. I ran an analysis of these papers and found that there were 96 unique journals or proceedings cited (Podolefsky, 2010). This result speaks to the broad range of research on simulations and games and makes even more compelling the need for a summary volume.

A book of this type is essential to a research community that is spread so broadly across research topics and journals. It is a well-organised, comprehensive listing of research results, with brief summaries at the end of each chapter. Researchers wishing to become well versed in the literature would do well to start with this book and then, delve more deeply into papers of interest. The book also does a nice job of setting the context for research on games and simulations, in particular the motivations and difficulties for research, as well as issues of accessibility and acceptance of the technology by teachers and policy-makers. A thread throughout the book is that though there are many research papers, there are few conclusive results, and the need for further research is clear. I found Chapter 5, on assessment, especially insightful. The authors point out that in order to have robust research conclusions, the assessments must be well matched to the technology being tested. Research to date has focused primarily on conceptual understanding of science and learning measured with paper and pencil tests. Embedded assessments, such as games or tasks incorporated into simulations, might be better measures of what students gain from using these technologies. Further, these technologies allow for new types of learning, as well as changes in attitudes about nature of science, identity and affect, which may not be measured by traditional assessments.