Double Entry Journal #1

Game Design & Learning - Double Entry Journal #1

Quote:

Even when players are not modifying games, they play them with goals in mind, the achievement of which counts as their “win state”. Players must carefully consider the design of the world and consider how it will or will not facilitate specific actions they want to take to accomplish their goals. One technical way that psychologists have talked about this sort of situation is through the notion of “affordances” (Gibson 1979). An “affordance” is a feature of the world (real or virtual) that will allow for a certain action to be taken, but only if it is matched by an ability in an actor who has the wherewithal to carry out such an action.

(Gee, 2005)

Response:
This article really stretched the limits of how I thought about popular games. I've always bought into the general notion that popular video game-playing was learning how to "problem-solve," although, I've always felt that explanation lacking. This article did a really good job of fleshing out that idea and presenting it in a concrete (and semi-scientifically backed) way. I'm glad for that. I choose this quote because I am still struggling to find examples of how exactly to use the principles of video gaming that the author so clearly laid out in a way that makes students' understand that learning is the goal. Which brought me back to goal setting. I think a lot of young people (and adults) struggle with setting goals for themselves. These games are (in my mind) teaching problem solving, but the goals - the "win-state" - is usually pre-programmed into the video game. In the real world, the individual sets their own goals.... and usually gets lost in a plethora of choices (and opinions).

I was surprised to find this article changing my understanding of the connection between popular video games and learning. I was very happy that this article didn't shy away from discussing popular (and sometimes controversial) games such as Grand Theft Auto, World of Warcraft and Thief: Deadly Shadows. I think what most suprised me about this article is that it didn't just talk about traditional "education" games but discussed ways that entertaining games are used for learning.

Additional Resource:

http://hechingerreport.org/content/qa-with-lee-sheldon-turning-the-classroom-into-a-multiplayer-game_6066/

I was looking for a concrete way to use the model of video games as a learning system in the classroom - This article is a Q&A with a guy who did it! Fascinating!

Citations:

Gee, J. P. (2005). Retrieved from website: http://www.academiccolab.org/resources/documents/MacArthur.pdf

Game Design and Learning Introduction

Hello! My name is Vanessa and I live in Pocahontas County, WV.  I am an Adult Basic Education Instructor, I teach a job readiness class called SPOKES and GED classes. I really enjoy working with adults, but I also enjoy working with young people. I have led youth media workshops, focusing on video documentaries, and plan to continue doing so as I continue my education.

  

I have been interested in games as a learning tool for a long time now, and see it as especially relevant in my GED classes. Although there is a lot of resources out there for this purpose, I am a very creative person and really want to be able to give game design a shot....  I hope to get out of this class the framework for good game design and the opportunity to create one.

 

I would be a Gamer if I had the time. l love board games, and tend to play those more than anything because they are party games that I do socially. I like puzzles and trivia games. I also like to play Words With Friends and other word games on my ipod. I play games that activate my mind in challenging ways. I'm also a friendly, but uber-competitive person, so games allow me to tickle that side of my personality too. I'm interested in video games because they seem to be "immersive experiences" that I suspect would appeal to me the same way movies do. I haven't, however, had a chance to really experience these types of video games because I am turned off by the over-emphasis on violence, and as a result haven't been exposed to games that might appeal to me. I can also be pretty obsessive when it comes to these kind of things, so I am hesitant to invest the time (and money) into something that may take over my (already limited) free-time.... so it might be for the better :)

    

 I am conflicted about kids and video games. I am a believer in embracing technology and helping to mold how it effects our society, but I am also cautious. My son is 8 years old and he loves computer games. I try to steer him to educational games, but inevitably he wants to play the games that are more fun and pretty redundant. He can get pretty obsessed by them and if we don't keep a close check on the time he spends on the computer, he would turn pale from the lack of sunshine. I keep a very close eye on his exposure to violence, for one, he is a pretty sensitive kid and just doesn't handle that well, but I also don't want him to be so inudated with those images that he becomes insensitive to it. I am worried about the day when he wants to get a Playstation or some game system because I fear the only video games available have some violent element to them. Where are all the dramas!?

This article about how video games effect kids from the LA times cites research that calls into question the link between aggression in young people and violent video games.

 

Three world events that happened the year I was born? Strange question - Why do you ask? 

 I was born in 1979 the same year that:

 

1.) The Iran Hostage Crisis began.

2.) The Three Mile Island nuclear accident happened.

3.) Pac-Man was released.

 

Looking forward to the class!