Minecraft: Building Better Minds

In today’s society video games have a large influence on people. We also might be driven to the point of where we are dependent on them. In fact, being so engulfed in video games could help children become more focused.In fact, parents would probably disagree and say that video games wouldn’t be essential to learning because it would probably be considered a waste of time for children and time-consuming. Parents would also disagree with the content of what is in the game, but there is a great possibility that video games could actually make us smarter. Steven Johnson explains that the games we are used to playing can improve our visual intelligence and that it would be good to learn new strategies through gaming. Video games should be an

When vulnerable children are vastly exposed to games such as Minecraft, it is thought to result in addiction and other potential negative consequences. As Minecraft is currently being implemented into the country’s education system, it is vital to investigate such effects – particularly, increased levels of aggression in adulthood.

Those against the inclusion of games or technology in education will continue to refute with flawed evidence and research tactics hoping to mislead others in their crusade. Naturally bingeing on games and technology will not help in the educational fields however thanks to currently trends we are able to monitor and stay goal oriented when using entertainment for scholarly purposes. Those in support of these educational endeavors continue to find ways to improve upon the system. At one point in time the ESRB was founded to please those against video games however some organizations have gone the extra step to improve the ESRB one step further. Common Sense Media (CSM) was founded in order to expand upon the seven existing categories of the ESRB in order to offer a more beneficial view for parents and educational institutions (Common Sense Media [CSM], 2014). Computer entertainment is a multibillion-dollar industry generating 30.4 billion dollars in 2016 and shows excessive gains each year especially after the explosion of the mobile market (ESA, 2012). The sooner we recognize the positive capabilities of this technology and learn how to correctly apply it to our educational system the sooner our society and future will

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.

For several decades, video games have been cast aside as detractors of student learning in the classroom. According to the research done by Mifsud, Vella, and Camilleri (2013), there is yet still an abundance of research that needs to be conducted, in order to determine the usefulness of video game application in schools. This research synthesis collects data on several different viewpoints and uses of video games in regards to complementing student engagement and learning. The research of James Gee (2005), hypothesized that good video games use good learning principles, of which there are a several. These learning principles include identity, interaction, production, risk-taking, challenge and consolidation, and system thinking. The specific descriptions of each principle will be dissected throughout this synthesis.

During Jane McGonagall’s 2010 TED Talk video “Gaming can make a better world”, she states “the average young person today in a country with a strong gamer culture will have spent ten thousand hours gaming by age 21”. Such numbers alone should pique the interest of every educator in our country. Young people today spend the same amount of time learning at school as they spend gaming (TED Talk, 2010). Many people view video games as fun, exciting, and adventurous outlets where they can escape reality and be creative innovators. As educators, we want our classrooms to accomplish similar outcomes. We want learning to be fun, exciting, and adventurous. We want our learners to be creative, critical-thinking innovators who strive to change the world. This brief dissertation will evaluate the influences gamification can have on teaching and learning, the science behind learner motivation and its connection with gamification, analyze how gamifying supports differentiated ways to teach and learn, and discuss how technologies and gamification are being used to enhance teaching and learning.

Minecraft should be played in schools because it is a form of art and what I mean about that is that some creations I have seen and built myself have been amazing I saw this video on youtube of a person making the Mona Lisa it looked like an exact replica and that shows that creativity is related to Minecraft.

MinecraftEdu is a version of Minecraft used in some schools to help with complex coding skills and real-life scenarios. Tools are provided for the teacher’s account that helps promote the learning experience and students can join worlds set up by teachers. Many lessons are depicted as boring by students when taught with just a textbook or workbook. However if that same lesson were taught using MinecraftEdu many students would be interested exponentially. From the article, “MinecraftEdu Featured Educator Jason Wilmot – December 2015” by Jason Wilmot, “Maybe I’m old skool, new school, or something in the realm of other – but as an educator, what I hold onto more than anything else is this: learning must be meaningful, and it must be relevant. That means content must be presented in real world ways. It should make sense and whenever possible it should be simulated, not just presented in information-only forms. Minecraft was the vehicle for this.” The ability to interact with other students while learning makes students much more willing to participate. MinecraftEdu can be a gateway into coding as many modifications can be made to help enhance the experience. Modifications such as ComputerCraft, which is all about coding, can be used to help children experience the possibilities they can achieve. The best part of MinecraftEdu is all the coding is simple manipulations of a computer, Jason Wilmot states

When he set out to create a game, Markus Persson never dreamed of creating a worldwide phenomenon. His only motivation was coding, something that fueled him day-in and day-out. Persson loved to code, partly due to the influence of many other games he's played. Games such as Dwarf Fortress, Dungeon Keeper, and Infiniminer all created a positive influence on his passion, and this directly translated in his product: Minecraft. Many of us know Minecraft through the big YouTube community conceptualized by this game's byproduct.

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.

Since the Early 70’s video games have been giving a bad name. Parents state that video games rot the minds of children and are influencing them do be violent. These accusations are far from the truth. In my research I found that there are many positive effects of gaming. Some of these effects are increased skills, creativity, general knowledge, and also help those in need. Parents can also take proper precautions and look into a game before buying it to see if it meets the criteria discussed in this paper.

“High-school students who report spending more time playing video games or who report spending more money on video games had poorer grades in English classes” (Gentile, Lynch, Linder, Walsh 2). All young minds that play video games longer than the average time start to show a poor performance in school. These children start to think more about the video games they are watching and playing every day, rather than doing their homework and studying for tests.

The repetition of the statement claiming that video games do not help children in their educational enterprises is unfair. There have been numerous studies conducted providing evidence that children gain structural knowledge while engaging in video game play (Pillay 2002).

As advertised by the creators of the game, “The only limits are your imagination” (Jens, Minecraft). This game is a prime example on how video games can stimulate the mind with techniques such as problem solving, collaboration, memorization, and multi-tasking.

Children’s engagement in and motivation by video games is commonly observed by parents and teachers. The Joan Ganz Cooney Foundation conducted a survey of 505 in-service United States teachers that use digital games in their K-8 classrooms (Takeuchi & Vaala, 2014). Regarding low performing students seventy percent of the teachers agreed that digital gaming improved motivation and engagement (Takeuchi & Vaala, 2014). The motivation and engagement of games exhibited in both adults and children has been employed by marketing firms to encourage consumers to engage in sustained use of products such as social networking sites, fitness bands, and consumer data collection apps. This method has been coined gamification. The Oxford English Dictionary defines gamification as “the application of typical elements of game playing (e.g., point scoring, competition with others, rules of play) to other areas of activity,