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By Obe Hostetter
James Madison University
Department of Educational Technology
Dr.
Richard Clemens
December 2002
Abstract
The new generation of children has been named the game
generation. This game generation is used to a twitch speed, parallel processing, active, fantasy world. Games have changed
the learners cognitive skills so that the game generation can process a lot of information at the same time. Video games are
an excellent learning tool because the computer can adjust its difficulty according to the players preference or need. Video
games also teach deductive reasoning, memory strategies, and eye-hand coordination. The downside of using video games is that
they are very addicting but with monitoring can be used effectively in the classroom. Working together with software companies,
parents, and educators, video games can facilitate children learning the required content for their level as well as make
learning fun and applicable to the game generation children. As a result, educators must be willing to learn how to use educational
games as a part of constructivist learning in education.
What is a game? According to Websters New World College Dictionary, the definition of game is a
type of play that can involve an amusement, sport, contest, or computer simulation. Play is normal and good for children.
It enables children to learn about themselves and the world around them while using their imagination and creativity (Stutz,
1996). Jan Hogle (1996 p. 4) summed up the meaning of a game as a contest of physical or mental skills and strengths, requiring
the participant(s) to follow a specific set of rules in order to attain a goal. To be considered play, an activity must be
chosen by choice, fun, challenging, symbolic, and governed or restricted by rules that are easily differentiated from the
real world (Weiser, A., & McCall, R.B. 1976).
Games have been around for thousands of years and played by adults and children alike. Evidence
points to the fact that the early Chinese probably played games around 3000 B.C. (Dempsey, Lucassen, Haynes, & Casey,
1996). It was in the 1960s when video games began to be marketed. They were usually adventure games with no graphics and required
the user to move the character by typing in text. When computers became smaller in size and hit the home market in the 1980s,
hundreds of games were created with simple graphics and sounds. Today, game companies are multi-billion dollar companies (Gunter,
1998).
One of the first major games released was a ping-pong game called Pong. Ten thousand copies of
the game sold for only $1000 each! By 1976, Atari produced the first game system to be able to handle different game cartridges.
Billions of dollars was spent on creating games and game systems. In the 1980s, the Japanese company Nintendo subjugated the
market because of its superior multimedia. As a result, video games dominated the game industry. 16 out of every 20 games
sold in 1989 were video games (Gunter, 1998). In 2002, 1 in 3 households play video games (Lawrence, 2002). Interestingly
enough, women constitute 43% of the game playing population and the average age of game players is 28 (Who Plays Computer
and Video Games?, 2001) On average, American teens spend 1.5 hours per day playing video games. By the time they enter the
workforce, they will have played 10,000 hours of computer or video games. Think about what all these teens have accomplished.
They would have solved mysteries, built cities, flown airplanes, conquered adventures, raced cars etc. (Prensky, 2001).
Considering the amount of time spent on gaming, it is logical to assume that this gaming has affected
the cognitive minds of teens today. William D. Winn, director of the Learning Center at the University of Washingtons Human
Interface Technology Laboratory believes that this generation of children thinks differently from the rest of us. They develop
hypertext minds. They leap around. Its as though their cognitive structures were parallel, not sequential (Prensky, 2001 p.44).
Another interesting cognitive skill is that game generation children examine graphics first to
learn about material and then read the text to add on to their understanding. This is a direct result of playing games in
which the player is trained to get clues and learn from graphics. Previous generations were trained to read text first and
then use the graphics as an add-on feature to enhance the text. Oyen and Bebko found in a study that, Young children, aged
four to seven years, have been found to show better memory for pictures displayed during a video game than when presented
in a lesson format (Oyen & Bebko 1996).
Patricia Greenfield made several discoveries of how this game generations cognitive skills differ
from previous generations. First, the game generation is more comfortable with visual-spatial skills, mental maps, and seeing
the computer as a tool. For instance, game generation children can picture folding a shape in their mind without actually
doing it. They are very accustomed to a 3D world. In a separate study, McClung and Chaille discovered that video games help
children with spatial visualization. Children in grades 5, 7, and 9 were tested and it was found that those who played video
games were significantly better at mentally rotating and visualizing 3D shapes (Gunter 1998).
Video games require the player
to learn the rules through trial and error, observation, and hypothesis testing. These cognitive skills are essential skills
in science called inductive discovery. In addition, Video games instruct children in decoding what symbols and graphics represent
similar to learning what math or science symbols mean. Lastly, game generation children are very apt in multi-tasking, because
games require the player to be aware of their surroundings and do many tasks at a quick pace. The more difficult levels require
quicker responses as well as more concentration on the game (Greenfield, 1984).
Marc Prensky developed ten cognitive traits of game generation children versus the cognitive traits
of previous generations. These help in understanding the differences between the game generation and previous generations,
and may give a clue as to how and why video games need to be a part of education.
1. Twitch speed vs. conventional speed
2. Parallel processing vs. linear processing
3. Graphics
first vs. text first
4. Random access vs. step-by-step
5. Connected vs. standalone
6. Active vs. passive
7. Play
vs. work
8. Payoff vs. patience
9. Fantasy vs. reality
10. Technology-as-friend vs. technology-as-foe (Prensky 2001
p. 52).
A closer examination of these traits might aid in comprehending the differences. Game generation
children can e-mail, chat, type a paper, listen to music, and be surfing the Internet all at the same time. Consequently,
game generation children can process information much faster than the previous generations. Older generations, however, are
used to doing one task at a time in an organized fashion. Since game generation children are used to twitch speed or performing
at a fast speed, they expect schools and the workplace to be the same. However, this is not the case. Teachers lecture in
a slow manner to make sure the students understand each step. Often the children who play games the most video games disrupt
the class because they are bored. Students have changed but have the teachers changed to accommodate the new learners needs?
(Prensky, 2001)
The next trait, parallel processing vs. linear processing is very similar to twitch speed vs. conventional
speed except it has to do with the order of performing tasks not the time. Game generation children love randomness. When
surfing the Internet or doing a task, they randomly read or jump around the page instead of reading the page step-by-step
and they process the information on it within seconds. Older generations read in an organized manner down the page or left
to right (Prensky, 2001).
These children are very adept in a game of jumping around and looking for patterns as they try
to conquer the game, and still reach their goal. The majority of teachers teach students to read step-by-step to find the
answer or look at a math problem step-by-step. Interestingly, the gamers in my classroom solve math problems using different
techniques that arent even in the math books or techniques that a teacher would instruct. Schools and the workplace need to
learn how to capture this great talent and use it as a resource for learning and getting jobs done (Prensky, 2001).
Because this generation is connected almost all the time, they solve problems in a unique way.
If they cant figure out how to do something, they post it to a bulletin board, search the Internet, or e-mail someone. Within
a couple of hours they have a solution. The danger of being connected for students is the temptation to cheat or copy instead
of using technology as a resource to help in researching a topic more thoroughly. This is one area that teachers need more
training in how to use the Internet as a resource for instructing students (Prensky, 2001).
Nikes slogan, Just do it perfectly describes this generation. Game generation people love to learn
through discovery or through trying out new software. They dont bother to read the manual or to learn the old fashioned way
through books. They prefer to learn through experimentation and using their connected resources (Prensky, 2001).
Non-game generations struggle with the game generation because they judge gamers as just playing
all the time. The game generation expects and prefers to work through playing. This has caused a misunderstanding from the
employers point of view as he sees games for kids. However, times are changing as employers realize the benefits of using
games to instruct their staff over lectures that fail to engage the staff (Prensky, 2001).
A key component of the game generation is that games give immediate feedback. Furthermore, the
game generation expects to receive feedback and a pay off shortly after accomplishing a task. This can prove counter productive
when the game generation quits going to college or doing a task because the pay off was not given to them soon enough. They
could create web pages and receive praise and pay a lot sooner. They exemplify little patience for learning unless it has
to do with a game (Prensky, 2001).
Fantasy is a part of the real world to the game generation. They love being a part of it. Many
gamers world is wrapped up in solving and playing the game while they are away from the computer. Game generations should
have plenty to write about since they love playing games in the fantasy world. Educators should work at incorporating fun
activities and play time into their schedule to help gamers cope with operating in the real world as well as making education
more enjoyable to learn (Prensky, 2001).
The last characteristic of game generations is that they see technology as a friend. They love
playing, learning, experimenting, and watching technology work to its potential. Many of the older generation struggle to
understand how computers work and tend to see them as an enemy. Since the learner has changed, so must the educators change
to befriend technology as well as the game generation (Prensky, 2001).
Why are games fun? First of all, games relieve stress as well as cause emotions to rise and fall.
Curiosity, fantasy, interaction, and challenge are probably the four top reasons people enjoy computer and video games. All
of these characteristics are good in themselves and can be aligned with content to teach understanding in a fun and interactive
medium (Malone, 1981). Games also provide the player with encouragement through frequent feedback by meeting a level or capturing
an item. As a result, gamers self-esteem rises and they are left with a feeling of satisfaction after conquering a level,
mission or solving a mission.
Preschool students especially like the ability they have to manipulate the computer to carry out
a task when they push certain buttons on the keyboard. This is a feeling of control and choice. Games provide players with
choices, and the ability to perform tasks in a fantasy or simulation without getting hurt (Williams and Williams, 1985).
Do video games have the ability to teach content? Everyone has or knows of kids that cant sit still
at school and yet can concentrate and remain focused while playing video games. I believe students can learn from video games.
Video Games could provide a medium for constructivist learning. Albert Einstein said, I never try to teach my students anything.
I only try to create an environment in which they can learn (Prensky, 2001 p. 71). In other words, maybe the educators need
to adapt to the new learning styles of their students.
For the past 300 years, teachers have been giving tell-tests. These are tests that are primarily
from lectures or reading and respond to the reading through facts and not creative, challenging thinking. Students used to
view themselves as vessels reading to be filled up with knowledge. Today, students see themselves as actively engaging with
knowledge, and at times creating new knowledge similar to what video games require (Prensky, 2001).
Since learners have changed, how do video and video games help in learning? Learning is defined
as acquiring knowledge or a skill according to Websters New World College Dictionary. Learning involves two basic activities,
exploring and imitating, or what Piaget (1967, 1969) calls assimilation and accommodation (Corbeil, 1999 p. 164). If students
easily assimilate and accommodate knowledge and skills from a video game, wouldnt it make logical sense to use that process
to help to educate them in the classroom?
Game players learn cognitive skills through problem-solving strategies such as observation, hypothesis,
and trial and error by trying to figure out the rules of the game. This is similar to math in trying to figure out what the
symbols represent. Consequently, the game player learns deductive reasoning, an important science skill (Greenfield, 1984).
Some other cognitive skills acquired through video games include: organizational strategies (paying attention, self-evaluating,
and self-monitoring), affective strategies (anxiety reduction and self-encouragement), memory strategies (grouping, imagery,
and structured review), and compensatory strategies (guessing meaning intelligently) (Hogle, 1996 p. 11).
Video games are also an excellent learning tool because the computer can adjust the level of difficulty
of the game according to the users preference or need to be challenged. The video game can also make it possible to obtain
a higher score every time the player plays the game because the computer has no limit to its score that depends on the time
and tasks accomplished in the game. The computer can be an aid in learning because of the ways it can create infinite opportunities
to learn and be challenged (Turtle, 1984).
Video games can also help students socially. For shy students, they are given a place to express
their opinions and develop confidence without having to be embarrassed. Video games can also create friendships as students
share solutions, and codes with each other in a combined effort to beat the game/computer (Shotton, 1989).
Video games aid students in learning technology skills as well as eye-hand coordination. They learn
how to load the game, save, quit, use the mouse, and type responses using the keyboard. Coordination and a quick response
are essential when playing most video games. Dr. Margaret Shotton said in The Face magazine (December 1992 p. 46) that, Apart
from increasing your manual dexterity and hand to eye coordination, video games speed up your neural pathways. Therefore,
the brain speeds up decisions and may help a person achieve a higher IQ. Video games prepare our students for working in a
technologically world (Gunter, 1998).
One of the major ways video games can be used in learning is through simulations. Simulations are
a type of game that provides students with the resources to experience real life digitally. Students can enjoy a simulation
by changing the variables like the speed of a car and discover the consequences of a car wreck without getting hurt. The military
is well known for using video games to train its soldiers.
A benefit of using video games is that special education students usually respond well to the video
games. The graphics, sounds, and game format can help keep their attention as well as provide a medium for learning in different
multiple intelligences. Shyama Perera said in the newspaper, The Guardian on April 3, 2001, My eldest son is dyslexic and
the skills he has built up through games have helped enormously with other areas of use. For example, he has trouble with
books but was able to do his GCSE revision using a CD-ROM. Another incident is when a teenager girl had a bad accident causing
brain damage. Through the help of playing Hangman, she gained a lot of ground in overcoming a spelling disorder (Loftus and
Loftus, 1983).
There are several downfalls of using video games in education. Video games are very addicting and
can lead to lack of interest in other areas of the childs life (Gunter, 1998). Addiction can also lead to compulsive behavior,
withdrawal, and irritability when not permitted to play the video games (Rutkowska and Carlton, 1994).
Giffiths constructed four reasons people get addicted to video games. The first is that addicted
gamers have poor imaginations and thus need the games to provide them with an imagination or fantasy. Video games also affect
their emotions as they become involved in the game and take on the character of the game. Inner personality factors and gratification
are two more reasons why gamers become addicted (Giffiths, 1996).
However, we also need to realize that addiction to food or other pleasures are just as bad. In
addition, if educators use video games as a part of their curriculum, and not as the curriculum, students would be less likely
to become addicted. It is interesting to note a study which concluded that addicted gamers tended to be Type A personality
and were very motivated, successful, and intelligent people, most of whom went to college and got a good job (Shotton, 1989).
Health problems can result from gamers playing too many video games. Common diagnostics are numbness,
blisters on hands, wrist, neck or elbow pain, and hallucinations. Most of the players recovered from a couple of weeks of
not playing any games. One 28 year old man lost feeling in two of his fingers because he played 4-6 hours per day. It took
him three weeks of not playing at all to recover. However, these health problems can be avoided if students are only given
a part of classroom time on the video game (Gunter, 1998).
In spite of the downfalls, the pros outweigh the cons for using video games in education. The newest
concern in the schools is not so much getting computers as it is deciding what to do with them (Williams, 1985 p.6). Integrating
video games into a curriculum is not easy considering that guys view computers as a toy, not a tool and thus play around to
figure out how to make a game work. Girls, typically, view a computer as a tool and like to have guidance on how to use it
(Gunter, 1998).
The ideal way to use video games in the classroom stems from the article, Project Child (Changing
How Instruction for Learning is Delivered): The Perfect Fit for Multimedia Elementary Schools. Basically, the classroom is
set up with stations. At one station, the child learns the new material for the day, at another station; the child does hands-on
activities with a worksheet. One of the stations is a video game station where the child plays a video game that deals with
the new material for the day as well as a review. This model is a lot more work to prepare but a lot more fun for the learner
as well as provides a more adequate and well-rounded learning experience. This model is used in several schools in the USA
(Betz, 1995).
A prime example of using a video game as part of the curriculum is the game Diplomacy. The class
was divided up into teams and had to tackle scenarios that might arise depending on what era of history the class was studying.
The game made history come alive because students were in the situation and had to make decisions about their countries. Their
decisions could hinder or help them and thus provided a learning experience about how to deal with conflict while they learned
facts (dates, allies etc.) and understood the complexity of the situation (Corbeil, 1999).
Video games can help students understand that their decisions can affect others socially, politically,
and economically. When a student makes a choice in the game Diplomacy to bomb another country, it affects the world. In the
same way, students need to be aware of how their actions and words affect others at school and later in the workplace. This
is difficult to learn in the traditional setting where the teacher instructs the student on what to do and leaves little room
for the student to make choices and see the consequences.
In a traditional setting, the learning is broken down into subject areas-math, English, science,
history etc. How do students get prepared for the multi-tasked workplace if their education is broken down into parts? However,
video games tend to teach across the curriculum. This is similar to what students will see in the workplace. Work problems
are complex and may involve many people as well as many subject areas (Betz 1995).
Educational software is the primary stimulus behind multimedia computer purchases for the home,
with sales of $600 million for 1995 (Hogle 1996). Once schools become accustomed to using video games regularly in education,
software companies will have to work at creating games that integrate the content into the game. Typically software companies
create games that sell to broad markets. If the USA or states can agree on a set of standards, the software companies would
be more willing to comply to create games that meet those standards (Praeger 1985). Students displayed better recall when
they played endogenous games (those in which the content is creatively and subtly intertwined in the game) versus exogenous
games that have content practice and then a game (Gunter 1998).
How should educators know what video games to buy for their schools or parents to buy educational
software for home? Sadly, the worst software to buy tends to be the easiest to evaluate as well as the cheapest. It is easy
to evaluate drill and practice software because the teacher can easily see that the content has been taught. However, this
will bore the students and is no better than a worksheet.
Another way to determine what to buy is to ask other teachers, administrators, and parents because
the best recommendations often come from people who have tested games and know of their content. Another consideration would
be to ask for demos so you, the educator can get a feel for the game. Having your students input shouldnt be left out of the
equation since they are the ones who will learn from the game. A few guidelines for buying good educational software are:
1. Meet the multiple intelligences of your students
2. Have clear objectives
3. Be user-friendly
4.
Adjust to players level
5. Game format
6. Content that meets the standards of what students need to know
7. Multimedia
8.
Easy to quit and save game where left off
9. Frequent feedback
10. Be interactive. (Williams & Williams 1985).
Loftus and Loftus advocated three main criteria for choosing video games in education. First, the
games should be able to run on the schools computers. Second, the games should also be sold for home computers so parents
are able to buy the software and thus support education through practice at home. Lightspan produces game format CDs named
Achieve Now that focus on kids playing games while learning math and English on the Play Station or on the computer. Thirdly,
the games should include educational content that meets the standards of what is required for the students to learn (1983).
Conclusion
All educators are aware of the importance of understanding and teaching in
a manner that all our unique learners are capable and desire to learn. Since we are a part of the game generation, we need
to educate ourselves on how childrens cognitive skills have changed as well as adapt to using technology and resources that
the children can relate to in their learning. Video games should be an intricate part of education because they teach technological
skills, cognitive skills, science skills, and eye-hand coordination as well as provide the user with fun, interactive, and
multimedia games. In order to accomplish this goal in our classrooms, educators, parents, and software companies will have
to be willing to cooperate in creating better educational games that the students will enjoy as well as teach the content
that the schools are responsible for teaching.
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