Games are bad

We hear lots about computer games being bad. They make our kids fat, lazy and violent. There can however be some very positive results from playing computer games. Think about the following four questions

1. What happens when our children get a new computer game? Do they read the manual or do they plug it in and start pressing buttons? A process of trial and error is used to discover how the game works. We could call that science.

2. As children we played games and spent lots of times in our imaginary worlds. As we became older, our games became more complex. These games helped us to learn about our world. Is it possible that computer games could be helping this generation of young people learn about their world in the same way that we did.

3. Could the process that they use to find and use cheats be called research?

4. What would we call it when they work as a team playing World of Warcraft, each playing their special role? What if they are a guild master where they have a role in planning strategies, communicating with the team, identifying and utilising the special skills that each team member has and recruiting members who have a skill set that the team needs?

If you are interested in following this up further I would recommend that you read the following two online articles

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.04/learn.html

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.04/wright.html

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