It was the summer of 2011 when I sat
down for another discussion session for my Teaching Film and Media
Class. I fidgeted in my chair since today was the day we finally
discussed a topic that I had been waiting for all semester, video
games. After talking about new ways to incorporate movies,
commercials and television shows for lessons in grades K-12, I was
eager to discuss with my fellow classmates on how video games could
be included as well. The excitement mostly stemming from my passion
and what I had learned from the medium. However, once we started the
discussion I was reminded of the general perception that most
teachers in the educational community have on video games. The
perception that while they can help kids with some levels of critical
thinking, it is still more entertainment than education. Looking
back, I understand that as an interactive medium, it is almost
impossible to include video games in a class room curriculum
(Although I hear that there are a few schools who are doing just
that), yet at the same time I am still awestruck that even teachers
that are more open to using media in their classroom are still unsure
if video games can be defined as educational. I am here to tell you,
they are. In more ways than you can imagine.
Now this does not include games that
are designed exclusively for educational purposes such as Leapfrog
and the like. Those games are great for kids and how they help get
them excited about learning and reinforcing skills they need for
school. What I want to talk about in this blog are the games that you
wouldn’t expect to be educational and the knowledge kids, even
adults can take away from them. Just because video games have gotten
a bad reputation for violent content doesn’t mean they all should
be denied their potential to share important knowledge.
Keep in mind that all that is written
here is my opinion based on my past experiences with video games
combined with all that I have learned from before and after college.
I encourage discussion about each topic I present, but try to keep it
constructive (No “I don’t agree with this. This is stupid!”).
Also feel free to share your own experiences, everyone has a story to
tell and I’m more than happy to listen. I also want to make it
abundantly clear that I do not, repeat do not, consider video games
to be substitutes for good teachers (Or even babysitters). I wouldn’t
have even made the connection that video games could be educational
without their guidance (I may have never gotten into video games
period... but that is a story for another day). I am merely proposing
that certain content that I have found in video games introduced
topics that I would later learn about in school. However, due to the
perception that I mentioned above, I was discourage to talk about
these experiences since at the time it was considered,
“non-educational.”
For more of my work, check out: Common
Sense Media at http://www.commonsensemedia.org
This is an amazing website for parents
who are looking for advice on how to manage their kid’s media
intake. Thousands of reviews of movies, TV, books, video games, apps
and much more written by parents for parents to help out with what is
age appropriate for your kids. My latest contribution to this site is
a blog article about how I have shared my passion for video games
with my parents over the years and how we have bonded through these
experiences.
Check out the article here:
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/how-my-parents-accepted-me-as-a-gamer
I also want to
give a shout out to two individuals whose work has inspired me to
write about my experiences of what I have learned through video
games. James Paul Gee and Jane McGonigal. You guys helped me to find
my voice and gave my undiscovered passion, words. I can only hope I
inspire others as much as you both have inspired me about what video
games can be a tool for learning instead of just entertainment.
For more info on these amazing
individuals check out their websites.
James Paul Gee:
http://www.jamespaulgee.com/node
Jane McGonigal:
http://janemcgonigal.com/
Now with all that out of the way, let’s
get to our first topic.
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