Video Game Education
TWhat if you could learn through experiences in another reality? It is no longer a delusion clouded in science fiction. It is what is taking place currently in today’s generation through the virtual platform of video games. Video games have opened up a whole new venue for knowledge, literacy of problem solving and of course-entertainment. There is still debate on the negative effects concerning video game exposure, but a new light has been shed in the more positive direction within the last couple years.
Gamers, as many of the general public and even themselves would call them, make up a majority of the US population. It was documented that around 67% of US households partake in gaming (“ESRB”). In 2010 a poll was held to find out the average age of the gaming population. The results yielded that a quarter of gamers are under the age of 18 while just under half, 49%, ranged from 18 to 49 years of age (“ESRB”). It was also documented that many gamers spend an average of 8+ hours a week plugged into the virtual world of video games (“ESRB”). That’s a lot of people, spending a lot of time possibly gaining valuable life lessons and learning.
The world around us is evolving and migrating to a digital culture and lifestyle. Digital literacy is becoming a need-to-know as the world grows and advances through the always changing technologies of tomorrow. Dr. Mark Griffiths stated in one of his articles titled The Educational Benefits of Videogames, “Some evidence suggests that important skills may be built or reinforced by videogames. For example, spatial visualization ability (i.e., mentally, rotating and manipulating two- and three-dimensional objects) improves with video game playing.”(Griffiths 45).
It’s not uncommon to see a child running home from the school bus just to plop down in front of the TV with a video game controller in their hands. It’s a form of relief from the struggles of everyday life and a venue for entertainment and stimulation that can redirected
Gamers, as many of the general public and even themselves would call them, make up a majority of the US population. It was documented that around 67% of US households partake in gaming (“ESRB”). In 2010 a poll was held to find out the average age of the gaming population. The results yielded that a quarter of gamers are under the age of 18 while just under half, 49%, ranged from 18 to 49 years of age (“ESRB”). It was also documented that many gamers spend an average of 8+ hours a week plugged into the virtual world of video games (“ESRB”). That’s a lot of people, spending a lot of time possibly gaining valuable life lessons and learning.
The world around us is evolving and migrating to a digital culture and lifestyle. Digital literacy is becoming a need-to-know as the world grows and advances through the always changing technologies of tomorrow. Dr. Mark Griffiths stated in one of his articles titled The Educational Benefits of Videogames, “Some evidence suggests that important skills may be built or reinforced by videogames. For example, spatial visualization ability (i.e., mentally, rotating and manipulating two- and three-dimensional objects) improves with video game playing.”(Griffiths 45).
It’s not uncommon to see a child running home from the school bus just to plop down in front of the TV with a video game controller in their hands. It’s a form of relief from the struggles of everyday life and a venue for entertainment and stimulation that can redirected
Cited: Games: Improving Education, http://www.theesa.com/games-improving-what-matters/education.asp. Entertainment Software Association, n.d., Web. 14 August 2013. Griffiths, Mark. “The Educational Benefits of Videogames”. Education and Health 2002: 47-51. Print. Video Game Industry Statistics, http://www.esrb.org/about/video-game-industry-statistics.jsp. Entertainment Software Rating Board, n.d., Web. 10 August 2013. 8 Reasons Video Game Can Improve Your Child, http://www.parents.com/kids/development/benefits-of-video-games/#page=1. Meredith Corporation, n.d., Web. 10 August 2013.