Summary Of James Paul Gee's 'Pro Of Reality'

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Ryan Weckerly
Mr. Dan
English 101-251
28 April 2015
The Future of Video Games
There are often times debate about criticism of children who spend too much time inside the home playing video games and being consumed by stimulation, but what society fails to realize is that there are actually many beneficial factors to video gaming. “Pro of Reality” by James Paul Gee is the strongest factor to prove that video games help to develop literacy skills in children. Gee makes very valid points throughout his paper and gives numerous examples. He supports his opinions and thoughts which favor the argumentative side supporting gaming to enhance literacy skills. There are actually many benefits to playing video games that many overlook in the media. Video games are often times used in educational settings and aid in literacy. They can help in literacy skills because they hold features that exercise the brain improving pattern recognition/memory, enhance and enlarge the brain, and improve and promote creativity.
Today's technology is so sophisticated that most people use it to their advantage, including video games.
When looking at a deeper perspective, there are more positive effects found in, “Pro of Reality”, by James Paul Gee where he often mentions, “Different types of video games can have different kinds of effects”. He starts by expressing how games like Tetris, Bejeweled and Trivial Pursuit are fun, but also help exercise the brain by visualizing the patterns repeatedly. These particular patterns help develop the memory of the brain (Gee1). In the article, “How Do Video Games Affect the Developing Brains of Children and Teens”, by Amy Paturel, she states, “practicing anything repetitively physically changes the brain. With time and effort, you get better at the specific tasks your practicing.. Those repetitive actions and thoughts stimulate connections between brain cells
creating
Weckerly 2 neural pathways between parts of your brain. The more you practice a certain activity, the stronger that neural pathway becomes” (Paturel 1). Paturel supports her argument by comparing a child playing a nonviolent versus a violent video game. When a child is exposed to a more conservative/ nonviolent video game, the child will use the frontal area of the brain; this process builds concentration, self-control, and defers shyness. When a child is exposed to a more violent, gory game the child will use the Amygdala, which is the center of emotion and emotional behavior. Playing these type of action games “enhances visual capabilities, such as tracking multiple objects, mentally rotating objects, and storing and manipulating them in the memory centers of the brain” (Paturel 1). Not only do video games help with memory, but they also help enhance and enlarge the brain. A great source that also supports how video games enhance and enlarge the brain is the Lumosity website. The Luminosity website is one that actually targets problem solving where it takes a few minutes out of each day to complete a series of small tests to further solving skills. When searching Lumosity on MD health we find that Lumosity is designed to “treat the brain like a muscle that needs to adapt when it is presented with new challenges, the portion of your brain meant to help solve them will grow larger and more functional (MD Health)”. This program produces very positive results, it has been researched at universities such as Brown and Michigan where the participants were “exceeding expectations in brain performance after using brain training games to aid in their work”(MD Health), which is evidence that it enhances the brain. Not only does the Lumosity website help with enhancing and enlarging the brain, but puzzles that are complex help enlarge the brain because it includes different types of combinations. When playing games you must retain bits of information, images, patterns and mental for a short period of time which is both healthy and helpful for the brain in the future. Lastly, videos games improve the mind and creativity which enhance literacy. Videos games are an entrance to imagination, anything can happen/you can make anything happen. The mind reorganizes
Weckerly 3 itself many times to give children the opportunity to rethink, expand and elaborate on many subjects which lead to endless possibilities at a very young age. Linda Jackson proved in her research paper, “...the more kids played video games, the more creative they were in tasks such as drawing pictures and writing stories”. This gives more support and motivates researchers to continue studying this theory to prove there is a very positive reaction in children; not only in children, but the elderly also have a chance to exercise their brains as they never have before, gaining new knowledge and using different parts of their brains. In conclusion viewers can see that can see that video games help in literacy skills because they hold features that exercise the brain improving pattern recognition/memory, enhance and enlarge the brain, and improve and promote creativity. If studies and research are continued in the future there should be development in the human brain that will only help for advancements ahead. These studies on literacy and education give the vision of a bright future ahead and a more intellectual society.

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Work cited Gee, James Paul.What Video Games Have to Teach Us about Learning and Literacy. New York: Macmillan, 2003. Web. 01 Apr. 2015. Health, MD. "Does Lumosity Work?"Does Lumosity Work? | MD-Health.com. MD Health, Mar. 2015. Web. 01 Apr. 2015. Kulman, Randy. "Games for the Brain: Improve Your Memory Playing Video Games - LearningWorks for Kids."LearningWorks for Kids. N.p., 29 Sept. 2013. Web. 01 Apr. 2015. Paturel, Amy. "Game Theory: How Do Video Games Affect the Developing Brains of Children and Teens?" American Academy of Neurology. American Brain Foundation, July 2014. Web. 1 Apr. 2015.