Games As Stealth Learning Tools?

Thanks to the Chronicle Of Higher Education for their transcript on 'Video Games in the Classroom', chronicling a video Q+A with Professor James Gee, following his earlier article on the same subject. A number of interesting points are raised - to the question of "Where's the research that shows that games... improve application of logical reasoning [or cause] increased sensitivity to moral issues?", the professor suggests: "I would not want to claim that 'video games have positive effects,' but rather that 'video games used in different ways have different effects'." The concept of 'stealth learning' is also discussed - Gee says that "Learning works best when the learners are so caught up in their goals that they don't realize they are learning, or how much they are learning, or where they actively seek new learning inside and outside the game."

Comments

The simulation paradigm

[RobotWisdom]

I started asking myself what question I'd pose in a Slashdot q&a, and realised it's one that wouldn't likely get a high rating, so i'll pose it here:

Most(?) of the educational advantages of games seem related to the fact that they're simulations, but sims are usually educational even if they're not games.

I see simulation as a new stage of the scientific method in general-- we can test our hypotheses best by simulating them. But in the social sciences, this implies a pretty complete rejection of all 20thC theories-- Will Wright had to start from scratch to build "The Sims".

So I'd ask Professor Gee if he sees any signs of a more all-encompassing paradigm-shift around science and simulation, with games sneaking in by association?