Analysis Of James Gee's Chapter: The Digital Divide
I chose to make an argument on James Gee’s chapter: Learning theory, video games, and popular culture; in the book The Digital Divide. In this chapter, I believe there are very specific points that need recognition. First, is that we play out ‘scenes’ of our life before testing them out, second being that we use affordances.
In the chapter, it stated many scientists tried to look at the mind and attempted to tie it in with technology. As of lately, scientists are calling our minds a storage facility with all of our previous experiences stored and saying that we have an ability to make connections within patterns. The author James Gee explained that the brain- or more specifically the human brain- works like a video game. We, as people, often
think about the different types of plausible or even sometimes implausible scenarios of a situation and try to play them out in our head. The example brought up in the reading was a wedding. People can imagine a wedding because most people have attended one: it’s easy to place yourself as an attendee, part of the wedding party, or maybe even the priest, justice of the peace, etc. because you can remember what kind of rituals different weddings have. The example I thought of is when you (or whoever the character may be) are at a restaurant and plays out the different possibilities of food choices and the consequences of those items. For example, Karen thinks about buying the fifteen ounce steak, the next day Karen could have a food borne illness, therefore Karen does not choose the steak. Karen, going over all her options playing the scenarios out in her head makes a deductive choice in choosing the chicken. Another thing is when someone says “I have to ask you something.” or “I have something to tell you.” all the different scenarios of what that could be and what that person speaking or the recipient may do flies through their head.
Affordance, as described in the chapter, “..a feature of the world (real or virtual) that will allow for a certain action to be taken, but only if it is matched by an ability in an actor..” In a video game, to be able to accomplish certain tasks you must have the required level of experience and without the experience the quest or action can not be performed. A small business owner without any government or military connections doesn’t walk to a military base and punch in a required code needed from the highest ranking official. A doctor with little cooking experience does not make a rack of lamb correctly the first time. A man who has five dollars to his name does not get the two thousand dollar ring. To be able to accomplish tasks a level of experience of money is required.
In conclusion, people work out a multitude of things within their brains and work it out as a simulation before performing and having the right skill set, like in video games, to complete a task correctly.
In the chapter, it stated many scientists tried to look at the mind and attempted to tie it in with technology. As of lately, scientists are calling our minds a storage facility with all of our previous experiences stored and saying that we have an ability to make connections within patterns. The author James Gee explained that the brain- or more specifically the human brain- works like a video game. We, as people, often
think about the different types of plausible or even sometimes implausible scenarios of a situation and try to play them out in our head. The example brought up in the reading was a wedding. People can imagine a wedding because most people have attended one: it’s easy to place yourself as an attendee, part of the wedding party, or maybe even the priest, justice of the peace, etc. because you can remember what kind of rituals different weddings have. The example I thought of is when you (or whoever the character may be) are at a restaurant and plays out the different possibilities of food choices and the consequences of those items. For example, Karen thinks about buying the fifteen ounce steak, the next day Karen could have a food borne illness, therefore Karen does not choose the steak. Karen, going over all her options playing the scenarios out in her head makes a deductive choice in choosing the chicken. Another thing is when someone says “I have to ask you something.” or “I have something to tell you.” all the different scenarios of what that could be and what that person speaking or the recipient may do flies through their head.
Affordance, as described in the chapter, “..a feature of the world (real or virtual) that will allow for a certain action to be taken, but only if it is matched by an ability in an actor..” In a video game, to be able to accomplish certain tasks you must have the required level of experience and without the experience the quest or action can not be performed. A small business owner without any government or military connections doesn’t walk to a military base and punch in a required code needed from the highest ranking official. A doctor with little cooking experience does not make a rack of lamb correctly the first time. A man who has five dollars to his name does not get the two thousand dollar ring. To be able to accomplish tasks a level of experience of money is required.
In conclusion, people work out a multitude of things within their brains and work it out as a simulation before performing and having the right skill set, like in video games, to complete a task correctly.