Because of all of this, a non-profit organization called Star Inc., has created a program called PlaySmart that “uses video games to teach children skills like problem solving, objective thinking, literacy, and jumping on turtles” as Kotaku’s Mike Fahey writes. PlaySmart will be coming to schools all over the Los Angeles county starting on October 1, 2007. (An image of students enrolled in this program can be seen to the left.)Star Inc., has developed this program to use video games to teach students all sorts of skills ranging from literacy to time management. They use games such as Mario Kart (pictured below), Dance Dance Revolution and Pokemon Trading Card Game to teach students these skills. They have even created classes that parents can take with their kids as well as to learn about the medium, and how their kids can learn and stay active while playing video games. This program seems like it could be a good way to bring video games to an older generation as well as clear up some misconceptions that people have about games. On the other hand, as I have not seen the curriculum or the program in action, it could also be a colossal waste of time and even start turning even more people off to games if it does not stay organized and relevant. As it is just starting out, this first year of the program should be monitored very closely to see how successful it is.
On a broader note, it is very exciting to see this
new wave of games and philosophy of games. From the Wii to Brain Age, this idea of helping people to stay active through “games” is very interesting and has been widening the user base quite a lot. People who never played games or ever had an interest in them at all have started to play and become very active. Even my parents have a fun time playing the Wii because it is so intuitive and easy to learn. I hope that if this trend keeps up and game designers take into account the success they have had with these ideas, more and more games will be produced that appeal to a wider audience in this way. Also, this program may also lead more people who are not in the gaming community to look at games in a different way, that they will see other merit in them than just entertainment. This program and philosophy could be the beginning of the gaming community growing outside of its current demographic and reaching a much different kind of demographic. If this keeps going on, I think it will lead to a de-villainization of games and an acceptance by a wider audience not only in age, but hopefully in gender as well. Eventually, I think it will lead to a wider acceptance of game outside of the gaming community as well. Even though some people may never be interested in playing games for themselves, they would be accepting of games and see their merit as an artistic and educational medium that can contribute positively to society.
1 comment:
I enjoyed reading your post about how education can be facilitated through video games. Many games these days are structured around entertainment value, often using violence and sex to sell their products. However, I’m glad you talked about the PlaySmart program and how it’s being used for educational purposes. With the new advancements in video games, especially through motion activated controllers of next generation consoles, games like Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero, Brain, and the like are all good exercise for gamers and non-gamers. I would follow up on the PlaySmart program and find out which specific schools and institutions it will be implemented in. It’s amazing how simple games can be both exciting and provide a daily workout for those who need it. I have to say that I like the fact that you have a lot of links throughout the post. Aside from the short length of the post, I think it’s up to date and relevant to your topic. Choosing the “random musings” subheading gives you a lot of room to breath because you can talk about anything video game related. I would ask that you talk about some of the misperceptions people generally have about games, and especially about the games you mentioned in the article. Besides that, I think your post is rather informative.
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