One can see the attraction to video games. On the surface, it just seems like a waste of valuable time. In my lifetime, I remember playing centipede for hours and the only reward that I received came only if I beat the high score. Also I spent lots of time at the local arcade and lots of my hard earned quarters. Now there is an infinite number of games available to anyone that has a smart phone, tablet, Nintendo, PlayStation, and on and on. Puzzles are known to help keep the minds of the elder sharp. Experts even say that puzzles can help to keep the brain from becoming engulfed with dementia or Alzheimer. Game designers today have spent many hours delving into how the mind works and what people need to keep their attention.
One way that game designers keep the attention of their players is using a reward system. This system unlocks tools or tokens at certain steps. They put in rewards for small tasks to keep the person interested, then when they unlock a level, a bigger reward is given. Another attention grabber is problem solving techniques. In the game, there are many obstacles and the gamer has to figure out how the get past them. The reward in the end is to solve the problem to get to the next level. This gives the gamer a feeling of winning and accomplishment. Losing a life or almost losing a life is a big attention keeper. Then when you win a life, the gamer is ready for more playing. Game designers have been ingenious in creating games that draw people in to a new world and keep them there.
Problem solving, challenges, and unlocking new ideas resembles what is being taught in schools today. In the game world there is always some obstacles to overcome. In school, after an obstacle is overcome, the reward is an A. That has become a let down for some students. When they are playing their games, they receive awards that lead them onto the next quest. They don't see that an A or B will lead them to the next level of learning, or the next grade. So schools systems are spending a lot of time and effort in trying to keep the students' attention. It sounds like the schools need to talk to game designers in order to increase student motivation and achievement. That is a scary thought.
One of the biggest obstacles for educators and parents is age appropriateness. It is essential that parents and teachers know what the children are playing and watching. The television and the computer have both become a world that a child can spend too much time in and be exposed to many inappropriate ideas. The article did mention that a lot of game designers are becoming more interested in the educational possibilities that games can hold. There are too many games that can lead a child, teenager, or adult to the thinking that killing people, crashing cars, and stealing is alright. For some people it is hard to escape the virtual world and be able to know what is appropriate behavior in the real world. This argument is not new, reality television has brought spoiled rotten rich kids with terrible attitudes into homes everyday. Also is there a link to video games and ADHD? Many experts agree that the brain is being reprogrammed. Where do we draw lines? Where do we say that this game is not appropriate for anyone? There are so many questions to be answered. In the meantime, it would be nice to see the game designers and educators work together to grasp the attention of the students while teaching at the same time.
Your BrainHex Sub-Class is Mastermind-Seeker.
