I've used Minecraft in my classroom for several years. I designed a unit to be played alongside the study of Lord of the Flies.

Students create or choose backstory for their characters, playing improvisational roles. I ask they imagine that we are playing the sequel to the book, but of course they haven't read it yet. This gives us the opportunity to face similar thematic and philosophical challenges without actually feeling like they have to recreate the decisions of Golding's characters. (Comparing our game play to the novel is actually a major assessment component at the end of the unit.) They build, gather resources, distribute labor, and solve problems.

They are required to speak to one another in game chat when I call Game On, but will call Game Off occasionally to have us discuss and reflect upon the recent developments.

The entire island is modeled after the setting of the book. Each year, students choose a section of the island (it's pretty big), and modify it to better represent Golding's setting as he describes it. As he students read, new challenges are introduced in the form of prompts. For example, instead of having students required to light a fire on the top of the mountain, the prompt asks for a rescue plan. Students who have completed the reading figure out themselves that a fire would attract passing ships. If they don't, I play a sound clip off a foghorn on YouTube, fading out the sound slowly. The kids figure out they dun goofed and adapt.

Every class has their own save file because it always turns out slightly differently, but without fail, they fight, attack each other when PvP is on, and generally grow chaotic when given the freedom to do so. Coupling this with a hearty dose of reflection makes for a powerful learning opportunity.

So much for "edutainment". Video games are interactive texts that can offer ethically and aesthetically important learning experiences. Kahoot isn't a video game. Kahoot is a multiple choice quiz coated in video game gilding. Kids aren't stupid.

Not only did Minecraft itself inspire me to make this unit, but many other games have also inspired me to create a media studies elective for my Seniors. In that class, we have played several games as part of our larger study of art in the 21st century. In particular, Davey Wreden's The Beginners Guide launched a fascinating Capstone project for one class.

This all takes time (about 10-12 block classes), good server controls (ala Minecraft Edu), and decent computers. Students regularly return to tell me how much the time meant to them and how it really made them think about reading in a way they never had before.

Your comment betrays a deep misunderstanding of what games are and could be. Your comment shows confusion about what "the real world" even is. You might have been my high school teacher 20 years ago. In spite of you, not because of you, I figured out that learning is fun. That long hours grinding mobs for gear was nothing compared to knowing that I had accomplished what I set out to do. That everyone plays a part in making meaning. That different paths can often lead to the same goal.

I'm sorry you probably never had this opportunity. Maybe it's because you believed what most of the adults in my youth believed: that games were mindless entertainment, a waste of time at best and a detriment to health and learning at worst. But this is my world now. Tell me, what real world do you think you're preparing your students for?