Quote:
“In a video game, the player “plays” a character or set of
them. The player must discover what
goals this character has within the game world and carry them out, using
whatever abilities the character has.”
Reaction:
Although the author made several
excellent points, I chose to react to the social and personal aspect. I had never considered the fact that when you
game, you are “playing a character.” You
have to learn the limits in capabilities of this character. Misinterpreting your character can be
detrimental to the outcome of the game.
If you do not know what could help the character “win,” you will not
win. It is important for people explore/get creative outside of their own social zone. I can see the benefits of portraying a character in a different world.
Extra:
You may ask why in the world I chose this photo. I know this picture is kind of making fun of video games calling them a waste of technology; Why does video gaming have to have the negative connotation? I think this article shows there are several useful aspects of gaming. Why does Science/Medicine have nothing to do with technology used in video games? Would it not be beneficial for those in science/medicine to have simulations before doing the real thing?
How did this reading change or confirm your understanding of the
connection between video games and learning?
Prior to reading this article,
when I thought of the educational benefits of gamin I was thinking of the brain
busting puzzles and trivial games that the author mentioned many think of at
first. This article really helped me see
how (when utilized properly) video games can be good for learning in ways that
I had never thought of before.
I like your comment about thinking about educational games as some type of puzzle or trivia, because before I started reading the articles for this class, I thought the same thing. When I was student teaching last semester, Tuesday was our "technology day." We had laptops all morning and went to the computer lab in the afternoon. For the laptops, I had to find educational games for the students to play that dealt with math/reading/science. Everything I found was either a drill type practice, trivia, or some other simple type of game. I had never thought that there were more complex types of games I could have used. I hope to use those types of educational games in the future.
ReplyDeleteI did the same thing. I never thought of the benefits of regular video games. I just thought of the reasoning and trivia games as the only ones that could be considered educational (obviously excluding the intended educational games).
ReplyDeleteAlso, I like the quote you picked. That was another gaming aspect that I hadn't considered. All the thoughts and processes involved in figuring out the goals and objectives in order for your character to win the game are the same critical thinking skills needed in school subjects, such as mathematics.
I like the quote you chose. These sentences made me think too. I also had never considered all that is involved when you “play a character.” This reading has made me think about video games in a different way. In order to succeed in a game you must learn your characters strengths and weaknesses. This is an essential part of the characters survival and in the end winning the game. I guess gaming does involve creativity and pushing the limits.
ReplyDeleteAt first the photo did make me wonder but I knew you would explain your thinking and you did. My feelings toward video games have started changing and I know this will only continue throughout the course. Technology is not a waste and every day is becoming more important. As a scientist I have used simulators and after reading this article has decided they are basically video games themselves.
I enjoyed your post, thanks for sharing!
In fact, video games are being used a medical education tools! Here is a link to an article about that very topic!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.aamc.org/newsroom/reporter/june2011/250894/games.html