Students’ Perspectives of Gaming
May 8, 2008Incorporating games into classrooms has been a controversial issue for sometime. Many cannot see the benefits they may bring, and only see them as a source of entertainment rather than educational. Watch the following video that takes students’ perspectives on gaming. Do you think these gamers’ reasoning for gaming is educational based or for entertainment purposes only? What are the negative aspects that this video doesn’t touch upon? Please explain your answer.
~Ashley
I think that it’s important for us to realize the amount of time that people spend on games. I know many people who spend countless hours playing games, being sheltered from humanity in their living rooms. The time spent on games could be spent socializing face-to-face, or doing SCHOOLWORK, rather than alone or with a couple of friends… just my opinion.
Krystina
I agree with Krystina. While games can have their positives, they can quickly become negatives if the kids spend too much time on them. This website I found outlines the positives and negatives of gaming:
http://www.mediafamily.org/facts/facts_effect.shtml
One negative related to what Krystina said is that ” Over-dependence on video games could foster social isolation, as they are often played alone.” Also, “academic achievement may be negatively related to over-all time spent playing video games.” So, I think that games can be good in moderation. This website went on to point out that “In many violent games, players must become more violent to win.” This is providing positive reinforcement for violent and agressive behavior. I think that video game violence can make kids more immune to violence. After watching gory deaths over and over again, they begin to find it comical and fun. I find some of the gore and violence in video games to be disgusting and no one needs to see that.
That youtube video actually opened my eyes a lot to how playing these games can be educational. To be honest although we were shown all of these great educational games and I was thinking of how we can use them in the classroom, in the back of my mind I still thought that students would only be amused by these games for entertainment usage only. But the students shown in that video were definitely playing these games and getting something much more out of it than just entertainment. I would say in the past that playing these games are a waste of time, and I think many parents will initially think this too, I will completely take that back. I think these games are a great way for students to learn educational skills that could be taught to them in the classroom but will most likely be absorbed more through this way of learning.
Penn State actually has created their own gaming website for their students as a way to collaborate and interact. Here’s a link..
http://ets.tlt.psu.edu/gaming/
Well the video didn’t actually sell me completely on seeing the gaming as educational as opposed to entertaining.This website highlighted the mostly negative effects of video games:
http://www.pamf.org/preteen/parents/videogames.html Although, one point did stand out–that parents do not enforce a time limit. So the blame here would have to fall back on the parents. I have a friend who has a 16 year old son who will stay up until 5:00 in the morning playing some soldier game with people from all over the US. I am lucky that my kids are all active in sports and into riding dirt bikes, even my daughter. I wish I could get them to sit still for half an hour and watch TV or play a game! Well probably not. I would be concerned about their inactivity and really i think it is a form of escapism that could foster social isolation and a misconception of what reality is.
I see your points, and I agree that a lot of gamers spend too much time playing games, making them tired and socially isolated, but at the same time, it is the gamer’s choice to socialize in the game realm, just as it would be our choice to go to a get together. A lot of games have vast amounts of potential to educate – and some actually do educate, like Brain Age and Cranium. I think learning should be fun, in order for it to be retained, and so games in school to me is an inevitable thing.
Sites like this one here are already designed to educate younger students, so why not start designing games for high school and college students? Active learning is key.