Abstract
Advances in technology have blurred the boundary between representing shapes and objects in two and three dimensions. Similarly, the capacity to translate and transform shapes and objects has moved beyond static and concrete form to representations that are increasingly dynamic and animated. This chapter describes young children’s engagement with digital games as they interpret and navigate information using numeracy understandings and mathematics knowledge. In particular, the chapter highlights case studies of gamers utilising visuospatial reasoning as they solve problems in environments which require high levels of decoding. The chapter is underpinned by the notion that the embodied game space (i.e., the inside and outside space of the game environment) captures the interplay between how mathematics content is represented and the game’s architecture space. This multifaceted and multimodal access to information requires quite different demands than the mathematics encountered by students in typical classroom contexts. Games used by children in the case studies include Pokémon, Prince of Persia and The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Alibali, M. W. (2005). Gestures in spatial cognition: Expressing, communicating and thinking about spatial information. Spatial Cognition and Computation, 5(4), 307–331.
Arcavi, A. (2003). The role of visual representations in the learning of mathematics. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 52(3), 215–241.
Avraamidou, A., Monaghan, J., & Walker, A. (2012). Abstraction through game play. Technology, Knowledge and Learning, 17(1–2), 1–21.
Bishop, A. J. (1989). Review of research on visualization in mathematics education. Focus on Learning Problems in Mathematics, 11(1), 7–16.
Blazhenkova, O., & Kozhevnikov, M. (2010). Visual-object ability: A new dimension of non-verbal intelligence. Cognition, 117(3), 276–301.
Bobis, J., Mulligan, J., & Lowrie, T. (2012). Mathematics for children: Challenging children to think mathematically (4th ed.). Frenchs Forest: Pearson Education Australia.
Feng, J., Spence, I., & Pratt, J. (2007). Playing an action video game reduces gender difference in spatial cognition. Psychological Science, 18(10), 850–855.
Fernandez-Vara, C., Zagal, J. P., & Mateas, M. (2007). Evolution of spatial configurations in videogames. In S. de Castell & J. Jenson (Eds.), Worlds in play: International perspectives on digital games research (pp. 159–168). New York: Peter Lang.
Friel, S. N., Curcio, F. R., & Bright, G. W. (2001). Making sense of graphs: Critical factors influencing comprehension and instructional implications. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 32(2), 124–158.
Gagnon, D. (1985). Video games and spatial skills: An exploratory study. Educational Communication and Technology, 33(4), 263–275.
Gee, J. P. (2007). What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy (2nd ed.). Basingstoke: Palgrave McMillian.
Green, S. C., & Bavelier, D. (2006). Effect of action video games on the spatial distribution of visuospatial attention. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 32(6), 1465–1478.
Hegarty, M., & Kozhevnikov, M. (1999). Types of visual-spatial representations and mathematical problem solving. Journal of Educational Psychology, 91(4), 684–689.
Hegarty, M., Richardson, A. E., Montello, D. R., Lovelace, K., & Subbiah, I. (2002). Development of a self-report measure of environmental spatial ability. Intelligence, 30, 425–447.
Hwang, J., Park, H., Cha, J., & Shin, B. (2008). Effects of object building activities in second life on players’ spatial reasoning. In M. Eisenberg, Kinshuk, M. Chang, & R. McGreal (Eds.), Second IEEE International conference on digital games and intelligent toys based education (pp. 62–69). Los Alamitos: IEEE Computer Society. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/DIGITEL.2008.14.
Kalantzis, M., Cope, B., & Harvey, A. (2003). Assessing multiliteracies and the new basics. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 10(1), 15–26.
Kolb, D. A. (1976). The learning style inventory: Technical manual. Boston: McBer.
Kress, G. (2009). Multimodality: Exploring contemporary methods of communication. New York: Routledge.
Lakoff, G., & Núnez, R. E. (2000). Where mathematics comes from: How the embodied mind brings mathematics into being. New York: Basic Books.
Lawton, C. A. (2010). Gender, spatial abilities, and wayfinding. In J. C. Chrisler & D. R. McCreary (Eds.), Handbook of gender research in psychology (pp. 317–341). New York: Springer.
Lean, G., & Clements, M. A. (1981). Spatial ability, visual imagery, and mathematics performance. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 12(3), 267–299.
Lehrer, R., & Pritchard, C. (2002). Symbolizing space into being. In K. Gravemeijer, R. Lehrer, B. van Oers, & L. Vershaffel (Eds.), Symbolization modelling and tool use in mathematics education (pp. 59–86). Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Lowrie, T. (2005). Problem solving in technology rich contexts: Mathematics sense making in out-of-school environments. Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 24(3–4), 275–286.
Lowrie, T. (2011). “If this was real”: Tensions between using genuine artefacts and collaborative learning in mathematics tasks. Research in Mathematics Education, 13(1), 1–16.
Lowrie, T., & Clancy, S. (2002). Multimodal texts: Numeracy development in naturalistic learning contexts. In Educational research, risks and dilemmas (Refereed proceedings of the annual conference of AARE/NZARE). Auckland: NZARE.
Lowrie, T., & Diezmann, C. M. (2009). National numeracy tests: A graphic tells a thousand words. Australian Journal of Education, 53(2), 141–158.
Lowrie, T., & Jorgensen, R. (2011). Gender differences in students’ mathematics game playing. Computers and Education, 57(4), 2244–2248.
Lowrie, T., & Logan, T. (2007). Using spatial skills to interpret maps: Problem solving in realistic contexts. Australian Primary Mathematics Classroom, 12(4), 14–19.
McGregor, G. L. (2007). Situations of play: Patterns of spatial use in videogames. In B. Akira (Ed.), Situated play (Proceedings of the 2007 Digital Games Research Association conference, pp. 537–545). Tokyo: The University of Tokyo Press. http://www.digra.org/dl/display_html?chid=07312.05363.pdf.
Nintendo. (1998). Pokémon series [Games]. Tokyo: Game Freak.
Ramirez, G., Gunderson, E. A., Levine, S. C., & Beilock, S. L. (2012). Spatial anxiety relates to spatial abilities as a function of working memory in children. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 65(3), 474–487.
Sefton-Green, J. (2004). Initiation rites: A small boy in a poké-world. In J. Tobin (Ed.), Pikachu’s global adventure: The rise and fall of Pokémon (pp. 141–164). London: Duke University Press.
Sims, V. K., & Mayer, R. E. (2002). Domain specificity of spatial expertise: The case of video game players. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 16, 97–115.
Stieff, M., Ryu, M., Dixon, B., & Hegarty, M. (2012). The role of spatial ability and strategy preference for spatial problem solving in organic chemistry. Journal of Chemical Education, 89(7), 854–859.
Tversky, B. (2005). Visuospatial reasoning. In K. J. Holyoak & R. G. Morrison (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of thinking and reasoning (pp. 209–240). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Tversky, B., & Hard, B. M. (2009). Embodied and disembodied cognition: Spatial perspective-taking. Cognition, 110, 124–129.
Van Eck, R. (2006). Digital game-based learning: It’s not just the digital natives who are restless. EDUCAUSE Review, 41(2), 16–30.
van Garderen, D. (2006). Spatial visualization, visual imagery, and mathematical problem solving of students with varying abilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 39, 496–506.
Wai, J., Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (2009). Spatial ability for STEM domains: Aligning over 50 years of cumulative psychological knowledge solidifies its importance. Journal of Educational Psychology, 101(4), 817–835.
Wolbers, T., & Hegarty, M. (2010). What determines our navigational abilities? Trends in Cognitive Science, 14(3), 138–146.
Zacks, J. M. (2006). Multiple systems for visuospatial imagery. In Proceedings of the 28th annual conference of the Cognitive Science Society (p. 2654). http://csjarchive.cogsci.rpi.edu/Proceedings/2006/docs/p2654.pdf.
Zacks, J. M., & Tversky, B. (2005). Multiple systems for spatial imagery: Transformations of objects and bodies. Spatial Cognition and Computation, 5(4), 271–306.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Lowrie, T. (2015). Digital Games, Mathematics and Visuospatial Reasoning. In: Lowrie, T., Jorgensen (Zevenbergen), R. (eds) Digital Games and Mathematics Learning. Mathematics Education in the Digital Era, vol 4. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9517-3_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9517-3_5
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-017-9516-6
Online ISBN: 978-94-017-9517-3
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawEducation (R0)