How Do We Make and Reflect on Decisions?

Chapter 9 describes how games may help in the practice of critical skills such as reasoning, making decisions, and reflection. How do people ask questions and posit answers, and how might games support this? What are the best practices and strategies for supporting critical thinking using games? The chapter includes an overview of why decision-making and reflection matter in civics and ethics, and why games may support this. It also includes the limitations of using games to explore peoples’ choices, and how to minimize those limitations. Finally, it reviews strategies that teachers can take to use games to practice skills related to critical thinking. It opens with the example of the game Life Is Strange, and also shares three examples-in-action: Moral Machine, Undertale, and Walden.

How Do We Take Real-World Action?

Chapter 5 describes how games can support real-world action and change. How can knowledge be applied to the public sphere and serve communities? Why and how should games be used to enable ethics- and civics-in-action? What are the best practices and strategies for supporting connections among civics, ethics, and the real world using games? The chapter includes an overview of why it is necessary to engage in real-world action. It describes the benefits of applying learning to real-world contexts and processes, and why games may support this. It also includes the limitations of using games to apply knowledge, and how to minimize those limitations. Finally, it reviews strategies that teachers can take to use games to take action and make change. It opens with the example EteRNA, and also shares five examples-in-action: Reliving the Revolution, 1979 Revolution: Black Friday, Community PlanIt, Bay Area Regional Planner, and Thunderbird Strike.

We the People

Chapter 1 introduces the reader to the main arguments of the book We the Gamers. It provides an overview of why ethics and civics matter, why games matter in the practice of ethics and civics, and why these types of skills need to be taught at this particular moment in our lifetimes. The chapter provides the necessary context for the book—including the COVID-19 pandemic and concomitant health, economic, and social issues. To help solve these systemic, complex problems it is necessary to connect, civically engage, and ethically evaluate and deliberate. People need to not only learn these skills themselves, but teach their neighbors, community members, and leaders. This chapter reveals how games and gamers are already engaging in civics and ethics. Games are communities and public spheres where people come together to play, practice, deliberate, solve problems, and repair our world. The chapter also reviews the variety of games that may enable the practice of these skills, from in-person card games to big-budget console games, and from classroom-based collaborative games to livestreamed competitive games. Finally, this chapter introduces the concept of practicing as a citizen, which is to grapple with the complexity of humanity and governance. How do individuals “citizen” together and play with, critique, and redesign systems? How do games help people to overcome the unnecessary obstacles and unjust inequities of our world? How do people help one another to flourish as human beings?

How Do We Understand Ourselves and Our Emotions?

Chapter 7 describes how games may help people to understand themselves, their emotions, and their roles as citizens in society. How might games support the exploration of one’s own identities and others’ identities, as well as engage us in social and emotional learning? What are the best practices and strategies for supporting identity and emotional explorations using games? The chapter includes an overview of why identity and emotions matter in civics and ethics, and why games may support this. It also includes the limitations of using games to explore our identities and emotions, and how to minimize those limitations. Finally, it reviews strategies that teachers can take to use games to practice skills related to communication and connection. It opens with the example of the game Fortnite, and also shares three examples-in-action: Kind Words, What Remains of Edith Finch, and That Dragon, Cancer.

How Do We Cultivate Compassion and Respect for Others?

Chapter 8 describes how games may help people to cultivate empathy, compassion, care, and respect for others. How do individuals learn how to treat people with dignity and humanity, and how might games support this? What are the best practices and strategies for supporting perspective-taking and bias reduction using games? The chapter includes an overview of why perspective-taking and compassion matter in civics and ethics, and why games may support this. It also includes the limitations of using games to explore our perspectives and biases, and how to minimize those limitations. Finally, it reviews strategies that teachers can take to use games to practice skills related to empathy and compassion. It opens with the VR experiences Tree and 1000 Cut Journey, and also shares five examples-in-action: Mission US, Attentat 1942, The Migrant Trail, The Road Not Taken, and When Rivers Were Trails.

Guidelines, Questions, and Considerations

Chapter 13 describes the practical and logistical considerations of playing and using games in the classroom, in remote learning environments, or in other educational contexts. This includes how games are chosen for students and curricula, as well as the additional activities around and during games. A table in this chapter outlines different categories of questions to ask about incorporating games into learning experiences, including questions about technological constraints, teacher expertise, gameplay, and student needs. Finally, this chapter covers some assessment considerations, such as what types of ways learning may be assessed through and around the game.

How Do We Connect and Communicate?

Chapter 6 describes how games may support connection, community, and communication. Games are communities where civic deliberation and values-sharing take place. They also may be communities that foster harassment, exclusion, and cruelty. What are the best practices and strategies for supporting connections and communication using games? The chapter includes an overview of why communication matters in civics and ethics, and why games may support this. It also includes the limitations of using games to connect, and how to minimize those limitations. Finally, it reviews strategies that teachers can take to use games to practice skills related to communication and connection. It opens with the example of the game Way, and also shares four examples-in-action: Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, Lasers, Minecraft, and Argument Wars.

Why Should We Teach Ethics and Civics?

Chapter 2 reviews the reasons for learning ethics and civics. Why do these skills matter and why should they be taught—now? This chapter dives into 10 reasons why ethics and civics education should be prioritized, and why it is currently lacking. It includes evidence-based research and data-driven perspectives. These reasons include the need to navigate an increasingly interconnected, global, and diverse world; the need to close the gaps in civics knowledge and skills; the fact that ethics and civics skills prepare students for success more generally; the need to navigate disinformation, trolling, and other disruptive communication; and the need to reduce hate, harassment, and toxicity, both online and offline.

How Do We Analyze Problems and Systems?

Chapter 11 describes how games may help people practice problem-solving skills such as analyzing solutions and systems. How are social and civic problems solved, and how might games support this? How might games help to understand problems as being dynamic and systemic? The chapter includes an overview of why problem-solving and systems thinking matter in civics and ethics, and why games may support this. It also includes the limitations of using games to explore problems, and how to minimize those limitations. Finally, it reviews strategies that teachers can take to use games to practice problem-solving and systems analysis skills. It opens with the example of the game Plague Inc., and also shares four examples-in-action: Happy Farm, Papers, Please, Quandary, and Vox Pop.

What Should We Teach?

Chapter 3 delves into the specific civics and ethics skills and knowledge that are necessary to teach. It dives into US standards, approaches, and frameworks, including the college, career, and civic life (C3) framework for social studies state standards; the civics assessment framework; the 10 proven practices for civics education; connected civics; action civics; and the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework. It also includes the Jubilee Centre for Character & Virtues framework from the United Kingdom. From these frameworks, the chapter poses three different themes and nine guiding questions. The three themes are real-world knowledge and action; connection and community; and critical thinking and inquiry, and the nine questions form the basis for the subsequent chapters in the book.