The days of reading a book or magazine to pass time while travelling are slipping away from us as a recent survey suggest a quarter of all commuters aged between 16 and 24 are playing mobile games instead.
Because mobile gaming has become so mainstream and accessible Tipperary Institute in association with Popcap Games, who carried out this survey, is looking at future trends in mobile game development including game based learning resources that can be used by students on consoles or mobile devices.
This survey came out to coincide with the Higher Education Authority funded Computing Adventure Camp, which the Tipperary Institute is participating in, and is part of an initiative to encourage students to pursue a career in computing.
“We are delighted with the positive feedback received from participants at this week’s Computing Adventure Camp. They are taking part in weeklong workshops in Creative Multimedia, Animation and Energy Technology; skills which are required in the real economy and also applicable to video games,” said Aisling Lynch, creative multimedia lecturer, Tipperary Institute.
Initial results, from looking at how gaming can impact on a student’s learning experience, suggest that it is having a positive effect.
“We have been using games based starter kits for the past seven years; allowing students to compete amongst themselves and their peers. This has led to improved academic performance and positive feedback from graduate employers, who use results to determine student capability, how they work under their own initiative and within teams,” said Philip Bourke, games design and development lecturer, Tipperary Institute.
