African American Males and Video Games

"Kenneth Jones wants African American Males and Video Games to jumpstart a culture of academic growth and achievement for African American males inside an inclusive educational environment that both addresses their needs and enhances learning outcomes for all students. Drawing from his own experiences and those of other African American males, he offers a highly readable and rigorous argument for the way forward."

James Paul Gee, Regents’ Professor Emeritus, Arizona State University

"African American Males and Video Games: How Gaming Technology Can Motivate and Enhance Learning is a timely and valuable resource. It challenges us to rethink traditional educational approaches and consider innovative solutions that can truly make a difference. This book inspires and guides efforts to harness the power of video games for academic success and equity for African American males. Jones’s work is a call to action, urging us to embrace new technologies and methodologies to create a fairer educational landscape. His insights are a testament to the transformative potential of video games, not just as a tool for learning but as a catalyst for broader social change."

Marybeth Gasman, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Endowed Chair in Education & Distinguished Professor Educational Psychology, Rutgers University

"Dr. Kenneth Jones and I share some striking similarities in our early school experiences. We both wrestled with a system that didn’t seem to fit, skipped a few classes, intercepted the occasional truancy call, and found solace in video games. Now, as adults—or as close to adulting as we’re likely to get—we’re channeling that same passion, distraction, and obsession into tools that can truly make a difference. Dr. Jones draws on his personal journey to illuminate a critical issue of our time: how to empower more African American boys to believe in the transformative power of education and learning. He explores how to create media that resonates with them—media that inspires, informs, and uplifts. This book offers a compelling dive into the history and context of video games and their impact, spotlighting the voices of Black men in gaming, both as players and creators. It’s also a guide to the art and science of crafting games designed for real-world change. With its thorough research and practical insights, this book lays a foundation for creating playful, inclusive, and impactful educational media—particularly for the kids who need it most."

Dan Norton, Chief Creative Officer, Filament Games

"In African American Males and Video Games: How Gaming Technology Can Motivate and Enhance Learning, Dr. Kenneth Jones advocates for a transformative approach to education, where video game and design literacy become essential tools for today’s educators. By fostering a shared language, educators can bridge cultural divides, particularly in marginalized communities where representation in games—both as creators and as characters—holds the potential to inspire. The book argues that video games are more than entertainment; they are a cultural force capable of motivating and engaging students, particularly African American males, to thrive academically and socially. Highlighting the power of nurturing environments and equitable educational practices, this work calls for innovative collaboration between educators, game designers, and communities to empower learners and create meaningful opportunities for success."

Clay Ewing (he/his/him), Associate Professor, Department of Interactive Media, School of Communication, University of Miami

"Dr. Kenneth Jones has written a convincing book to support the use of video games as an instructional tool for teaching African American youths in our classrooms. Using the research conducted over the last few decades as well as interviews with African American students and observations of their gaming practices and skills, Jones concludes that 'using video games as an educational learning resource will motivate African American males to achiever success in public and private education.'
 Jones' research is thorough. He has looked at studies conducted from the period when computer games first became popular to games popular in today’s culture. Perhaps the most interesting part of his study are the comments of the students who participated in his study as they describe their responses to the gaming and to the knowledge and skills they were developing as they played.
 Jones’ book offers support for expanding meaningful instruction for African American males. I believe, however, that his argument is also relevant to females and to many other ethnic groups, including white males and females. I look forward to learning that gaming has been adopted by many classrooms and has become one more method to help students learn."

Carolyn Boiarsky, PhD, Purdue University Northwest-Hammond Campus, Prof. Emerita, Dept. of English

Acknowledgments

Foreword

Introduction

Chapter 1
The Academic Disparities of Black Males

Chapter 2
The Genesis of Video Games and Learning

Chapter 3
Voices of Black Males: Video Games and Education

Chapter 4
African American Males’ Perspectives and Aspirations for Video Games

Chapter 5
Video Games and Critical Thinking: A Student-Centric Exploration

Chapter 6
The Potential of Video Games to Empower Black Males in Education

Appendix

About the Author

Index

NOTE: Table of Contents subject to change up until publication date.

Kenneth Jones

Dr. Kenneth Jones Sr. (EdD., University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign) is a dynamic educational leader with an impressive career spanning over 16 years. His experience includes teaching general and special education at Gary Community Schools, serving as a Scholar Researcher at the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign, leading a not-for-profit organization focused on young minorities in technological occupations, and being the CEO of Sundiata Educational Consultants.