Game changers in Omani education

At Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, a Master's level course offered by the College of Education began using online games to explore play learning and its potential educational value. As part of this course, students were provided with theories of gaming and play with respect to education. The discussion naturally extended to consider the wider context of Omani society and the potential relationship with traditional values. This investigation explores the construct of play through a pilot study integrating games-based learning into an existing graduate course curriculum during the spring semester of 2014. From the analysis, results outline some patterns of potential impact of play and share in these experiences with the respectful attention to culture and tradition. The paper concludes with some thoughts on the intrinsic value of play and potential opportunities for future developments of games to meet a global audience.