"You have died of dysentery."
~The Oregon Trail
In our first educational technology class, we made a list of types of technology we remember from school. The most popular one? The Oregon Trail. Is it surprising that a game that we played in elementary school is our favorite and most memorable form of technology in schools? Not really.
I, too, remember the days we went to the computer lab in 5h grade and played different educational games, from The Oregon Trail to Logical Journey of the Zoombinis to Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego. At the time, we were just excited to sit in front of a screen and play a game, but looking back on it now, I can definitely see the value in playing educational games.
The Oregon Trail not only teaches students a little bit of history, it also forces children to make decisions (How much do you want to spend in a shop? How much weight do you think you can carry?) and take risks (Ford the river, caulk the wagon and float it, or wait for conditions to improve?). I, for one, have always dreaded taking risks, in games and real life. But at least with a game, I could always go back and start again.
But this is one criticism I have about games- you can always do it over. In real life, there is no "restart" button. Also, it is possible to become too focused on gaming, to the point that it becomes a major distraction and possibly an obsession or addiction.
I never played many video games growing up (in fact, getting a GameBoy Color for Christmas one year was the highlight of my childhood gaming experience). While I don't see how games like Grand Theft Auto or Call of Duty have much, if any, educational value, I can definitely see how students can learn a lot about decision-making and planning from other less violent games.
And there is, of course, something to be proud of when the game is finally completed and you have succeeded in your mission!
"Congratulations! You have made it to Oregon!"
~The Oregon Trail
Ha - I'm not sure I *ever* made it to Oregon ...
ReplyDeleteCaitlin--wow, you brought up two really important ideas, I think! One is that in video games you can always start over, the risks aren't really real (are they? I'm not speaking from experience so perhaps if you screw up there is "a lot" to lose in terms of things you've worked hard for in the game, positions you've acquired, I don't know...). So how might that speak to the optimism that Jane McGonigal so admires in gamers? Because in a way, yeah, of course they're optimistic--they've got nothing to lose and everything to gain!
ReplyDeleteI'm also glad you brought up the thing about violence. I know this is a frequent criticism of video games like Grand Theft Auto, but if McGonigal thinks that video games can make us better people, can they also make us WORSE people if the games we are playing are based on kind of the opposite qualities that she and Gee exalt?
Thanks for making me think!
Caitlin, you bring up great counter points to all the feel-good, change-the-world-for-nothing-but-the-better-through-video-games barrage that we got in our two media assignments for tomorrow. And for that I applaud you. Way not to be entirely bowled over by rhetoric flourish the way I, too often, can be. Your points are well said, and well taken. My favorite part of this blog however, has to be the Dysentery graph. So colorful, “Well you’re not exactly there yet kid, but hey, good news – you’ve got dysentery!”
ReplyDeletePS Oregon Trail? Other than being a place out west for hiking, never heard of it!
Hi Caitlin,
ReplyDelete"But this is one criticism I have about games- you can always do it over. In real life, there is no "restart" button." True... but is that really a bad thing? Video games may allow us to practice problem solving in a "safe" place, with no real consequences other than a bit of frustration!
"Also, it is possible to become too focused on gaming, to the point that it becomes a major distraction and possibly an obsession or addiction." Absolutely! While I believe that gaming is useful if exercised appropriately, it can be detrimental (violent content with no redeeming value), or addictive.
~Mindy
Logical Journey of the Zoombinis! What a great game! I had almost forgotten about that one. I really liked what you said about how games teach kids to take risks. I think that's a great observation, and although, like you said, there is not restart button in life, games are a great place for kids to practice taking risks so they're more experienced at it for real life. Although there is no restart button in real life, understanding that actions have consequences is a skill that is useful in gaming and in real life.
ReplyDeleteOne of the issues that I find intriguing in all of this is the question that you pick up on at the end of your interesting post, Caitlin. Is there any educative happening for students that are playing games that aren't expressly educational in content? Clearly this is issue #1 for Jane McGonigal, as it meshes with her hopes for putting the power of gamers behind pro-social movements. I don't pretend to have the answer to this question, but I am very curious about whether the issue could be explored in a meaningful, realistic way. How about a classroom discussion on that very topic...what's educational about World of Warcraft, etc.? It might be interesting to challenge kids to think about their gaming experiences in those terms, and even to try to articulate their answer.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I remember how my students loved Zoombinis back in the day, as did I...great game.