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Gaming in Education

For the past few decades, this seems to have been a hot topic. There are debates over whether or not gaming has any educational value for kids at all. Well I'm here to tell you that it does. Much research has been done on the subject and clearly kids are learning from the games they play. A 2010 study from the University of Rochester proved that players of videogames “make faster decisions that are no less accurate.” (1) The University of Wisconsin-Madison has called //World of Warcraft// a great war to “foster abstract thinking.” (2) And the list could go on and on.

I remember learning how to count money while playing //Monopoly //. I remember learning to read while going on adventures with the //Cluefinders //. I learned a lot from the //Magic School Bus // and the many places we traveled together. I learned problem solving skills and time management from the videogames that I played.

Without introducing games into classroom settings, how are kids supposed to learn? By playing games, the fun ones, not the ones where it's obvious the teachers are trying to get you to learn, kids absorb the material better and have a better retention rate. It's simple, when they have fun, they will learn better and remember longer. So why shy away from them?

Ruth R. Middleman, in her article “Let There Be Games!” (3),  cites Berne and his five characteristics of games. “1. Games do not necessarily imply fun or even enjoyment.” Last time I checked, they did. However, Berne may have been referring to the ancient Mayan use of games. They were used as entertainment for the king; the losers were sacrificed. “2. Every game is basically dishonest.” I’m fairly certain that games don’t really try to hide anything from you while you’re playing them. “3. Games progress to a well-defined predictable outcome.” Well yes, someone wins someone loses. I want to be the winner. “4.Games posses a concealed motivation.” Professional players enter into game play for the winnings at the end of the tournament; however, amateur players enter for the joy of the game and nothing more. “People should be helped to give up their games, because game-free intimacy is the most perfect form of human living.” Try the most boring.

Berne and his supporters are the advocates of no gaming. For as long as there have been people like Berne arguing against videogames, there have been people arguing for them. James Paul Gee is one such advocate. In his article “Why are Video Games Good For Learning?,” Gee defends the use of video games, particularly simulation games which allow the user to feel like they are in the virtual environment. This type of technique has been used by the military and NASA to give their employees a real life experience before the actual mission itself. Clearly, as the games improve their impact on learning improves as well.  According to Daniel Floyd, entertainment should be the heart of every game and enjoyment should be its number one goal .(4) Implementing means to allow for tangential learning is relatively cheap and highly effective. It allows for the player to self-educate themselves on topics they are truly interested in, not just the topics that are being shoved down their throats by their teachers. There are many ways to incorporate games into school learning, but not all of them are being used. With more gaming in schools, there will be better test scores and better retention rates.

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