Educational Values in Digital Games

Abstract

The aim of the study is to research, analyse and explain the media values and educational values of digital games. The work is based on the philosophy of education according to Vuk-Pavlović and the semiotics of the media according to Barthes’ theory. The aspect of media pedagogy towards digital media is discussed, especially the context of adventures and interactive drama. It answers the question of what the hidden meanings of digital games are. The author starts from the hypothesis that digital games users receive media messages on a semiotic level, and by deconstructing symbols, educational values and media meanings are revealed. The context of media literacy was observed from the aspect of understanding the symbols of digital games in accordance with media competencies. Since digital games reflect social reality, at least in the context of messages, attitudes and values, media competences represent the ability to understand and compare cultural and media literacy. In this sense, digital games have a specific aesthetic, ideological, pedagogical, and symbolic impact on users, which results from the critical thinking of society. Kellner’s theory of media culture will help us to understand the reasons why certain content, symbols and myths become popular and to raise awareness of the social environment of media culture from which digital games emerge. The research results of this study confirm that the observed digital games have educational values and that media meanings are deconstructed through semiotic analysis. This is especially true of the archetypal roles of parents and guardians.