As a self-identified gamer, I am willing to say that I am thrilled to discover the incorporation of “gaming” into the educational curriculum. I believe it is a fitting that the gaming sphere should be incorporated into education considering the different types of learning that is discovered in video games. When I was a child, my grandfather bought my sister and I a Nintendo; however, my sister found no entertainment with it, but I discovered the different interactive functions of the game. It was Super Mario Brothers the original edition. The game was the foundation of the start of my educational building: the foundation being the problem solving skills and quick thinking strategies. As the years progressed, I challenged myself with more difficult games, pushing my capability to do so. I can’t recall where I have seen it (perhaps in the Anthropology of Education course at SFU), but James Paul Gee states in a video about the evolution of video games in the education system that this genre pushes children to progress through harder levels. The more difficult the game, the more problem solving and quick thinking the player has to do in order to achieve the completion of the level. With how complicated games are becoming, it requires more thinking and problem solving to complete certain levels and/or missions. Games have evolved from the side-scrolling platform to a range of genres that children can choose from. In my case, I do enjoy the occasional retro games (Super Mario Brothers, Castlevania, Mega Man etc.), but at my age I enjoy a good first person shooter (Mass Effect, Left 4 Dead) or a Mass Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) such as World of Warcraft (WoW) or Diablo 3. In this case, these games require quick thinking, multitasking, problem solving as well as additional traits that can be incorporated when playing these types of games. What is profound is the interaction ability and challenge and consolidation capability Gee mentions in his article “Good Video Games and Good Learning”.
I believe that is a fascinating feat for players to “become” their character. From experience, as I play my Pandarian Hunter on WoW, I escape into a world of fantasy and I become the character. Through this game, I help create the story, as Gee states that not only are the players the “readers” but we are also the “writers” as well. We create our own narrative and it is through WoW that I can create my story. There is also the sense agency and responsibility when playing the game: I am in charge of the strategies I use in order to complete different quests and raids that I partake. The quick thinking does come into play. There are also times that I find my gaming to be pleasantly frustrating. With the mistakes I make, I can see what I have done wrong in order to correct it for the replay, just as Gee states. Gee mentions WoW for the class specialization aspect. Having only played the game for three years, I can see the complications of the different classes. In order to play my Pandarian Hunter, I have to know the specializations, the weapons and armor needed, how I need to reforge and gem my gear as well as consider the rotation and cooldowns I need while I am in raid. If I were to play my Night Elf Monk that would be a different situation where I would need to research the specialization for this class. This is a great learning tool for those that are entering the game, as they are able to use the various gaming strategies that Gee mentions. With the cross-functional teams, WoW incorporates the methods of collaboration and control in which teammates must work together in strategic and defensive methods in order to “down” a raid boss. Not only are the members helping one another, but also communication is passed on and knowledge is transmitted to one another to help better their characters and their class.
The incorporation of video games in the education system is a fascinating and exciting concept that should be intergraded in the secondary curriculum, particularly in the English department. The story lines of each characters would be great study and this form of text would engage students further for the English classroom.
–Stephanie
1 response so far ↓
melaniem // Jul 20th 2013 at 8:02 am
I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on gaming and classroom Stephanie. I found that even though our experiences with gaming are so different (and by that I mean I have little to no experience) I can still understand what you are saying here and am able to make connections. I think this is an important point because it shows that learning and development that happens in gaming isn’t some strange foreign thing, but rather just a different way of going about an educational process.
I found it interesting when you stated that you’ve “only played the game for three years”. to me this seems like a long time, but I’m assuming that based on the use of “only” here that it is not? If that’s the case then I think there is something else to be said about the positive effects of gaming and that is commitment. Stretching out of the realm of the classroom and into the everyday lives of our students, I believe that it is important that we attempt to understand their talents and interests. However, I’m not sure that this is always done in a fair way. For example, if I had a student who was a soccer star and practiced everyday for 2 or 3 hours and had 2 games a week, I’d be impressed. However, if a student came to me and told me that they played WoW for 2-3 hours a day and was some sort of high level player I’m not sure that I would have the same reaction. Both of these students have something that they’re committed to and that they’re talented in and should both be appreciated. Just like everyone isn’t a star soccer player not everyone is a star WoW player (trust me I’ve tried), and if our students have a passion for something, shouldn’t we be embracing that passion and finding a way to bring it into the classroom?
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