DEJ #9: What Kids Learn that is Positive from Video Games

"At the second level players learn about what to do in any particular game (and, equally
important, what not to do).  In other words  they learn the rules.  The rules of any game
teach you what is possible and/or doable in that environment, and video and computer
games are no exception.  One finds out by playing, for example, whether the rules of a
shooting game allow you to attack a player on your own team, or whether a simulation
game allows you to do destructive (or self-destructive) acts."

-- I think this is a very important factor to why video games should be involved in the classroom. For this very reason! By exploring all the different options in a situation, students can identify which option is the best. In a video game or simulation, there are no real world consequences. It's a safe place to explore all the possible outcomes for certain decisions. Personally, I think that students want to be able to see what will happen if they make a mistake. As strong as the need to succeed is, the need to be curious and explore is just as strong. Therefore, video games are a wonderful way to allow them to tap into this curiosity and teach them at the same time!

Prensky, M. (n.d.). What Kids Learn That’s POSITIVE From Playing Video Game. In marcprensky.com. Retrieved March 27, 2012



A piece of an article on why making mistakes in video games can be helpful:

Learning from Mistakes

One reason that games (outside of gambling) are such a great escape from the real world is that bad consequences are rarely serious or lasting.

• "It's only a game."
• If you lose, start the game over and try again.
• Often, it's possible to recover within a game, and to use what you have learned to successfully complete a task.
• Characters and pieces may die, but this is rarely permanent.
• There are no consequences for the player personally.

Grades can tell students if they have failed to learn something, but for a variety of reasons, students may not make good use of that feedback.

• By the time students get their grades, it's often too late to do anything about them. So it's not possible to correct mistakes.
• The value of grades is for rewards that are not part of the learning process like parental approval, reduced car insurance, access to a good job or medical school.
• There is probably no way to escape from giving grades, but games that allow students to assess their knowledge for themselves give them a chance to see where they are having trouble before a test.
  
  
  
  Why Use Games to Teach? (n.d.). In http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/games/whygames.html. Retrieved March 27, 2012