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10 - The Gamification of Written Problem Questions in Law

Reflections on the ‘Serious Games at Westminster’ Project

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 December 2019

By
Paresh Kathrani
Edited by
Catrina Denvir
Catrina Denvir
Affiliation:
Monash University, Victoria
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Summary

Hitherto, hypothetical legal cases in legal education, otherwise known as ‘problem questions’, have been predominantly presented in written form. Lecturers provide students with a set of written facts and, through the exercise of skills such as research and argumentation, require students to advise a fictitious client. Whilst problem questions are easily accessible and provide useful training in issue identification and legal research, they can be enhanced through the use of novel methods. This chapter explores one such enhancement, brought about by rendering the very same facts within a computer game. It is argued that this environment is important practically and pedagogically as it imports an authenticity that adds to the careful analysis of facts, and expands the environment of traditional problem questions and opportunities for questioning and deduction. This chapter demonstrates the benefits of rendering traditional, written problem-based scenarios into computer game environments (including those using virtual reality) by drawing on work conducted at the University of Westminster.

Keywords

legal educationlegal problem questionslaw studentsissue identificationlegal researchlegal gamificationvirtual realitylegal simulation
Type
Chapter
Information
Modernising Legal Education , pp. 186 - 203
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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