What are you kidding?!?!
Yes, in theory the idea of using games to promote learning sounds fantastic and I agree with a few points they've made. Such as that games challenge the player to quickly learn and adapt in order to complete a certain objective. But that's about it!
Let me address my concerns about certain points made in the video and article:
"We should make games with real world application, or based on events that may occur, such as 'the world without oil'"
Well the first thing they fail to realize is is that people don't play realistic games! They play games in which they can do things they can't do in real life. The main reason people are intrigued World of Warcraft is because you can build up a person who can do magic and crap, not because they can be a used car salesman in it. Even with The Sims, a game about building an avatar and controlling their life, they do it because they feel they cant do it in real life! (Or if you're like me, you used to play for the twisted fun of destroying you avatar's life.)
"Gaming hours need to increase."
Oh this is a GREAT idea! Let's try and make the next generation even more socially awkward then they teens we have now. Maybe if we increase the gaming enough, they won't even need to learn to talk, only to type!
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Yes, gaming provides problem solving techniques. But they're specific to gaming and don't transfer to real life. If we tell kids they need to play video games more, there's no way they'll learn the interpersonal skills they need to function in the REAL WORLD. Trust me, I lived with a kid that did nothing but go to class then play World of Warcrap, or has he called it "WoW". The kids had no interpersonal skills, hated interacting with others, and still lives at home with his parents playing that game. But man, his avatar was wicked powerful!
They provide good ways to build trust between people."
I'll admit, I play Call of Duty when I'm bored... but it's only when I'm bored! I don't pass up on other things in order to level up on CoD, because it's just a game. One thing I've learned from playing online is that playing games does NOT build trust! If you start talking on while playing, 99% of the chat is people insulting each other, each other's mama's, and each other's "whack skillz yo". Hardly building trust I'd say.
If you haven't gather already, I actively deny the notion that game play does any good in advancing our society or our student's knowledge. You have to be off your rocker to think sticking a kid in front of a computer nearly 40 hours a week to play any type of game is a good idea. The best way to help children build trust and interpersonal skills is to expose them to situations that require it in the real world, not the virtual world!
Hi, Kyle - I admit that, not being much of a gamer myself, I'm probably one of the less-excited educators about gaming. I keep an open mind, but I'm still on the fence.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if people who game a lot are becoming less social or are developing their own society that they can function in? I doubt that this is all of a sudden a new kind of person, but gives a certain kind of person a community to belong to that maybe we weren't aware of before, like ham radio operators, or model ship builders, or fish breeders, groups that have been in existence for a long time, but were jut not as out to the public
ReplyDeleteTo do good in some of these games you need to develop certain cooperation skills and build a reputation, just like real life. And is there much difference between that super football fan who played in college and goes to every game vs the one who plays online collaborative games? What is the distinction we make between those two?
And, although it wasn't the focus of the articles, there are a LOT of board games, but I think they definitely can be useful and unity building.
Kristen - I can totally understand not being exciting about gaming, but I think finding what our students ARE into (gaming, sports, dance and so on) and using that as an in to their lives is something that will be a majorly useful as an educator. I guess it isn't about you loving gaming, but letting your students love gaming and recognizing that love and using it for all that you are worth!
ReplyDeleteAh LK, way to bring in board games. The difference between those games and online games is that you get to see the person face to face, and there is much to learn about interaction with the visuals. I think it's interesting that we hadn't even brought that up yet!
ReplyDeleteHaha Kyle - I don't know what you mean World of Warcraft is extremely similar to real life! But in all seriousness, I too found these ideas to be rather conflicting to what I had believed about gaming, particularly as someone whose gaming resume consists of Super Mario Bros and Oregon Trail (does Angry Birds count?). But I am going to maintain openness on this one because I do think there were some compelling points to the functions of gaming. However, I don't think that increasing hours may be the best thing to do either!
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