What Can Video Games Teach Us?

Games in themselves have been vociferously criticized for a long time as they have been considered to make the players couch potatoes by not involving any rigorous physical activity. This criticism is even true for video games and more so as they do not even require a "physical" opponent which at the least could have helped to develop some social relations. Add to this, the fact that these video games can be played any time of the day making it responsible for erratic sleep behavior and its subsequent consequences. However, there is a lot that players (not necessarily children) can and should learn from video games.

Learning's from Video Games

In an article in Harvard' Nieman reports, the author has given several examples as to how the video games can help the player in developing some of the skill sets. For example, combat games such as Full Spectrum Warrior and Metal Gear show how to wage war in contemporary global conflicts or sneak past enemy lines. Games like Simcity and Civilization require the players to manage a city or a whole civilization. Then there are games like Chibi-Robo which can imbibe basic family values in the player as they require keeping a house clean and also maintain a family happy. Games such as these are likely to have a last effecting on the child as the content is packaged in a format with which the child can easily relate to. Games like Tactical Iraqi have been set in realistic scenarios and require the player to learn the Iraqi language without offending the Iraqi culture thereby sensitizing people about the need to appreciate ones language, culture and preferences.

Performance before competence

Another distinctive feature of games over schools is that the gaming framework is based on the philosophy of putting performance before competence. In a game, the player learns things by doing it rather than relying only on reading. On the contrary, in a school environment, a child is more likely to learn by reading and may or may not have an opportunity to have hands on experience. Also, in a schooling environment, the child is under the constant pressure of performance and is most likely to follow the traditional norm whereas in a gaming environment the child is not under such pressure and is likely to explore newer techniques which contribute to the intellectual growth of the child. Every step of human life is filled with choices and it is necessary to make right choices or at least take immediate corrective action when the manifestations of a wrong choice are realized. Any video game would require the player to make choices at various stages and reap the after effects of his/her choices. This uncanny similarity of games with real life makes the video games an ideal simulator to train the mind and get used to making choices.  Academicians should also comprehend as to how children are self motivated to learn games independently and dedicate long hours without losing interest. If the academicians are able to translate the gaming framework to the school, it will not be a surprise to see the child staying long hours in school.

Matt Anton is an avid player and journalist of video games. He enjoys blogging about all things in the tech industry, specifically related to game news. He is best known, however, for his contributions at http://GameFriends.com - The Video Game Social Community for Gamers.