Video Games: Learning in Disguise?

Ever since its birth, technology has grown exponentially. Today, it is all around us. It has seeped into almost every aspect of human behavior, be it education, entertainment, work, personal or social life. It is an unstoppable tide and will continue to have its growing impact on us. Video games came into the scene around 35 years back. Though it was invented with the intension of imparting entertainment value, over the years, the objective of video gaming has changed. In the recent years, the video game industry has enhanced surprisingly. It has captivated the market with new inventions in regular intervals of time. Its targeted audience, the teenagers have been increasingly attracted to it. As a consequence, there is a worry hovering around the minds of teachers and parents. A very important topic of concern for the adults today is the video games. We often hear mothers complain about the number of hours their children spend on video games. ‘Is video gaming an addiction?’, ‘Does it have detrimental effects on the thinking skills of a regular gamer?’, ‘Are the concentration skills of a teenager being drained due to this?’ Various studies and surveys are being conducted to answer questions like these. Though one might consider video games to have only entertainment value, in my opinion there is more to video gaming.

Video gaming demands from the players a high level of visual and audio attention, rigorous interactive involvement, accelerated responsive skills and multitasking abilities. Players are required to divide their concentration among more than one thing. We might not be able to see any instant or visible learning as it is not in the form of grades, but players enrich many elements of their learning curve while engaged in a video game. Players will usually struggle until they complete a level and then move on to the next one to face greater difficulty. Thus, video gaming is a gradual process of learning.

I must not overlook the fact that just as every coin has two sides to it, video gaming too comes with certain counterproductive traits. Just like any other beneficial object, excess of video gaming can prove to be damaging. Though I support the play of video games, I do not encourage gamers who ignore other aspects of learning. Playing does add certain important values to ones’ learning curve, but it cannot act as a perfect source.

Games like World of Warcraft give players the means to save worlds, and incentive to learn the habits of heroes. What if we could harness this gamer power to solve real-world problems? Jane McGonigal in her TED Talk says we can, and explains how.

Jane McGonigal, TED Talk

Another TED Talk by Ali Carr-Chellman on how video games can particularly re-engage boys in learning.

Ali Carr-Chellman, TED Talk

I would like to restate in assurance that video game is a learning in disguise. Teens' develop certain vital abilities which are needed to form a dynamic learning curve. These skills cannot be learnt in school. I would also like to state that excessive video gaming can cause addiction which will prove to be deleterious. Thus, taking into consideration the fickleness of a teenagers'mind, I would like to belabor that the teenagers' video gaming habits should be monitored by adults. If played under supervision, video games can definitely be an entertaining way of gaining education, a point where learning would meet fun.

Resources: TED Talks: ideas worth spreading