Children Should Be Playing Video Games For Learning

In the world video games are mostly thought of by parents as having a negative impact on our brains, but actually, there could be life lessons involved in playing video games. There could be certain situations involved. There is a game called “Diner Dash”, which presents a certain situation within a restaurant in which a player has to manage many things at once. If a person ever wanted to go in the restaurant industry they could learn from this game with the pressures of taking orders, helping the diner’s needs and waiting tables. I feel this could be good for kids, and taking from Carr’s idea, they could adapt to the situation with their brains.

"Researchers at the University of Rochester found that young adults who regularly played action-based video games showed better visual skills than those who didn't" (USA Today). Researchers have also found that the subjects who played video games "were better able to keep track of objects appearing simultaneously and processed fast-changing visual information more efficiently" (USA Today). Video games have made it a long way from when they first started. Some games actually teach children how to read, write, and even count. Teenagers also state that a little gaming after school actually helps take some stress off from classes and the overload of homework.

Now days video games can help someone to connect with other people, when you connect online you find out that you are not the only one having a problem passing a level. By connecting with other this creates a bond with another person, this helps you meet new friends and helps a person to work as a team. Working as a team makes a difficult task easy, the other part that helps when working as team expands on communication. Also, half of the video games are multiplayer this way you can play with more than one person at a time, by doing this helps it to be easy to share opinions on how to pass a level

Especially now that young kids are being exposed to technology at an early age they practically know how to enter into different apps or play games on it. By the time they enter school and are exposed to tablets or computers they will be ahead to those that hardly know what a computer is back in the day. Kids will be able to process the information they are given easier from the technology they are accustomed to. By giving people a task it can be hard to do but with technology we can experience different ways to finish the task and games can help us process it to. Getting young kids exposed to technology can help strengthen their minds.

Bowen, Lisa. Video game play may provide learning, health, social benefits, review finds. American Psychological Association. February 2014. Vol 45, No. 2. Print version: page 10.

Some of the first video games ever made like Pac Man, Mario Bros.,Sonic the Hedgehog and Street Fighter never helped someone learn their ABC’s and 123’s which caused video games to develop a bad name like it’s “rotting kids’ brains” or distract them from more important studies but over time things change and become better and based off this website it says that “A number of recent studies have indicated that video games, even violent ones, can help kids develop essential emotional and intellectual skills that support academic achievement. These findings led many innovative teachers around the globe to recognize the benefits of gaming and include game-based learning in their curricula. However, it’s not just in-school gaming that reaps benefits. New research shows that all gaming can be positive.”

Everyone enjoys the sweet taste of victory and the feeling of accomplishing a goal, especially in a video game. However, video games are not just about winning. Video games are a good method to enhance our educational experience and create a career pathway for us to take. By creating a video game course within schools around the world, we are able to create a whole new generation and future that incorporates the advanced technology that is constantly improving.

Often through the course of history new inventions drastically change elements of society. The printing press allowed the mass production of books, leading to more education for many people. Today’s world is rapidly changing, and new technology is being invented frequently. Video games should be used in school to promote teamwork as well as teach new skills and material to the student. Additionally, video games could become an invaluable tool for teachers and educators to assess the learning style of a student, and therefore better prepare them to help that student learn. As Andy Serkis put it “Every age has its storytelling form, and video

According to the Child Development Institute, “75 percent of brain development occurs after birth”. Physical play helps a child to develop, fine and gross motor skills, socialization, personal awareness, language, creativity and problem solving are improved. Ideal physical play incorporates play with social interactions and problem solving (Wonderly 2013). These are games that children can play anywhere. They can go home and teach their parent to be active and participate in these activities to get some exercise themselves. Another great thing for the childhood room is to play board games such as Connect Four, Memory, or UNO. Social cognitive theorists emphasize playing board games to help the child in becoming a self-regulated learner. Games can exercise children’s decision making function and self-regulation skills, and allow them to practice these skills once they have a game down pat. Once the skills are down pat, switch it up on them and create a different way to practice decision making. Through strategizing, a child’s working memory, inhibitory control, and flexibility have to work together to support effective play. (Stregelin 2002) This will teach them to get along with others and authoritative figures. This is needed to respect others when they grow up. A

According to the text “Gamification of learning”, If teachers could make a classroom involving games. For learning it could help students understand learning more. Also, this idea would also make learning energetic and easier to pay attention in class. Next, this could encourage students to want to learn more. This also has a chance to bring fun and joy into the classroom.

This is a wonderful point, if of course the instructor chooses to incorporate actual video games into the class at all. I don’t believe the author of this article fully understood the concept of gamification. It seems to me that she believes everyone will be sitting around playing video games all day. When, in reality, it’s simply borrowing game mechanics of achievement, progress, collaboration, competition, chance, and success to bring into classroom scenarios. A gamified classroom may never see an actual video game used in class at all! I believe it would be up to the instructor to choose whether or not to incorporate games into their curriculum. From this article I see a problem that needs to be addressed. The problem is misinformation regarding what gamification actually entails. A clear line should be drawn between educational learning with games versus personal playing. To be frank, I wouldn’t support gamification at all if it constantly had me playing video games to finish homework assignments. I wouldn’t enjoy games to the fullest, or at least I wouldn’t find enjoyment playing them outside of school because it’ll feel like work. Yet, on the occasion a homework assignment to play a game would be

We live in a society where technology is constantly changing the rules to the “game” and Millennials have no problem implementing it into all aspects of life. Children can easily use technology, and expect to use it in most life situations. Gee uses Good Video Games + Good Learning to examine well-designed games and the ways in which they can become a context for learning, not necessarily using game technologies in school and at work. Are video games a form of digital literacy? If so, what does that mean regarding the future of educational instruction? Prior to reading the text, I was still questioning video games positive potential; whether educational or recreational, have the potential to advance one’s cognitive development. In this collection of essays, Gee examines the many platforms in which video games are good for learning. He claims that video games are good for learning because parent and teachers can use commercial games to stimulate discussions of important social, intellectual, and academic subjects. Also, that games can create virtual worlds where players solve simulations of real-world problems and in the process learn real-world skills, knowledge, and values. (p. 69)

Transition to Second Main Point: Video games can be used as a tool in schools, to help build teamwork, social skills, and critical thinking skills.

Current education systems are failing to give learning material to students in a way that they understand. Most students don’t care about their education because they think it’s boring and unnecessary. Students feel if the homework or lesson is too hard they won’t give it their best work. We should use video games as a new source of teaching. Students can benefit from video games because it’s a fun interactive way of learning, improves a student 's thinking ability, and increases participation.

Video games can be used as instructional tools as well. They have positive elements and add value; they create a micro world of their own. The players act based on natural tendencies towards learning. Therefore, learning occurs while playing (Rosas et al., 2003).