Video Games & Education

1. Video Games & Education Steven “Felix” Scott EDIT 202 Weekly Video Games Sales – VGChartz.com

2. Who are the gamers? At worst, the community of games players can be stereotyped as young males who revel in violent fantasy, cannot relate well to reality, are isolated, likely to have social problems which may become severe, are unhealthily constantly at play, and who relate better to machines than other people. Source: British Educational Communications and Technology Agency http://www.becta.org.uk http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamer#Types_of_video_gamers

3. Is It True What They Say? • Violence. • Do violent video games foster violence and aggression? • Addiction • Are children and adults wasting their lives playing video games? Are they suffering from video game addiction? Are there physical symptoms to video addiction? • Gender Issues • Are gender biases and stereotypes being perpetuated throughout most video games?

4. Types Of Violence • Does the type of violence make a difference? Ten Moments in Video Game Violence

5. Question About Video Game Violence • Are games with life-like violence worse than games with cartoon violence? Is there a difference between killing people and killing monsters. • What are the affects of first person shooter games? Are they a form of escapism or do they offer a more up close and personal style of violence? Video Game Rating System • What does the research say? Researchers’ POV #1, Researchers’ POV #2 Every Mortal Fatality Ever

6. Video Game AddictionWhat game designer’s say As far as addictiveness in games goes, one needs to first weigh whether it is a positive or a negative. I think that an addictive game is usually just a good game, so a game being addictive is just a sign of its quality. To me, it seems that intentionally making games "not addictive" is intentionally making them bad. Matt F – GameSpot.com

7. Video Game Addiction • Video game addiction does exist. Answers.com. • Online games allow you to create an avatar and players can become online actors socializing with other gamers. • To make games addictive designers try to make them fun, not allowing players to stop by removing natural pauses, make load times quick as possible, • Create multiple goals and quests (short and long quests, easy to complete quests and hard to complete quests) Video Game Addiction Explained

8. Video Game Addiction - Other Factors • Sounds, graphics, world simulation and elaborate game screens promising numerous options make these games fun and appealing. However is it more or less appealing to different people?

9. Gender Issues/Sexuality • Some of the earliest video games comprised of a central story line of rescuing the damsel in distress. Such as Donkey Kong, Super Mario Brothers, and Legend of Zelda. • Progressively over time women in video games started to become stronger characters, and even became central figures or heroines in games.

10. Gender Issues/Sexuality • There some games do portray women as strong characters and in a positive manner. • However even the video game heroine who is the central character is still sometime seen scantily clad. Can these heroines still be scene as positive role models? • Keep in mind sex still sells and there are some “Games” young children should not be exposed to.

11. Social Aspects of Gaming Socialization in video games can be divided into categories of competitive or collaborative. Individuals can compete against each other in a 2 player VS. mode or share strategies with other players. This is especially true with online games players can join a PVP server, join other players in a guild, or go it alone and occasionally ask other players for specialized assistance. Anonymous Posting HALO fan site

12. Social Aspects of Gaming • The MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games) genre of computer games which consist of “persistent state” worlds thrive on creating and sustaining a culture surrounding their game play.

13. Social Aspects of Gaming • Creating avatars. Do players create characters that resemble themselves or the opposite? All players must follow socially implicit, codified and non codified rules.

14. Gaming in Education • Students better retain information that is placed in a rich contextual background. • Games encourage pleasant frustration and motivation for hidden learning. • Gamers can act as designers, strategists, and producers, authors and programmers. • Gamers can act as problem solvers. • Sports games could improve participation in P.E. • Games inspiring social awareness.

15. Video Games -Learning in Context • The virtual worlds of games are powerful because they make it possible to develop situated understanding and even deductive reasoning. • One such game is the Age of Mythology which players control the fate of a civilization as it progresses through various historical ages. Civilizations are chosen based on historically accurate depictions of Greek, Roman and Norse cultures and then Deities are chosen to worship and aid their civilization when called upon. Sign the petition for Age of Mythology II Back

16. Video Games – Motivation • Good games are often challenging, but do-able, they are designed to be pleasantly frustrating. • Good games allow players to customize the game to their own levels of ability and styles of learning. • Players are encouraged to play again and again to improve or previous performance. Attempt new strategies and experiment with different options or paths in game play. Back Back

17. Video Games – Gamers As Authors • Along with the designer, the players actions co-create the game world. The players can become storytellers and designers. • Furthermore, players can use software that comes with the game to build new scenarios, storylines maps, episodes, or even creatures/monsters. NeverWinter Night Module Creation Tutorial Back

18. Video Games – Problems Solving • It is the job of a video game simulation to emulate real world scenarios in various business and educational fields. • The more accurate the simulation the more the skills employed in completing the simulation can be transferred into real life practical aspects. • In the context of lifelong learning, simulation games afford a realistic framework to use technologies as a means to an end and so can prepare learners for the world of work. Back

19. Video Games – Physically Active • Sports games which are based on the actual sporting rules of can be used to encourage participation in physical education by introducing students to various sports in a non-threatening environment. • Games are even being designed where the player has to be physically active to play. • Be careful with your controller. Back

20. Video GamesSocial Issues & Education • Then there are the games designed specifically to address cultural, social, political, and moral issues. • Used in an educational context such games can be used not only to introduce such topics, but also serve to provide students with accurate information concerning these topics. • Of course some games are better than others and it would be up to the teacher to decide whether or not a game can and should be used for this purpose. It also poses the question how could such socially relevant games be effectively incorporated into a lesson plan. Combating Drug Addiction With Video Games-TAVAD.com Back

21. Of Course We Have to Include Some Educational Links • Digital Games Research Association • Games2Train.com. • Choosing good games for your kids – Media Awareness.org • Online Games Educational or Just for Fun • Eternal Fun • http://www.addictivegames.com • GameSpy & GameSpyArcade.com • http://www.allgame.com/ • http://www.lucaslearning.com/ • James Gee – Video Games For Learning (Youtube)