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Dan Fesko

English Composition I

Dr. Katy J. Vopal

December 11, 2010

A Need for Educational Gaming in the Classroom

For the past twenty years or so, most people have thought that playing video games was

purely for amusement. Any parent today knows that when their child is playing a game it’s very

hard to draw their attention away from it. With today’s youth being considered as “Generation

N” or the Net generation, students in the K-12 arena are becoming less interested in today’s

learning environments. The reason for this is because of a lack of technology in the pre-college

educational realm (Annetta et al. 16). I have been gaming since my early teens and know

firsthand about the skills you can obtain, and how you can use them in the real world. Video

games with educational value should be brought into the classroom to add a technological

environment for today’s youth. This is an important tool because it will make our students

more responsive to the material being taught, and in turn, produce better educated workers for

years to come.

Technology as a learning tool goes all the way back to the 1920’s. This was when radio

was first introduced into the classroom. As a matter of fact, one of the first states to use a radio

in the classroom was my home state of Wisconsin. Since this form of learning was so widely

accepted in schools across the country, it was not a surprise that the invention of film and

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eventually television was implemented as well (Bettina 46). If we so regularly use Television and

other media in the classroom today, why should the use of video games be any different? I

understand that most of the media topics on gaming over that past few years have been

negative, and the type of games they are referring to are not the same types of games I’m

talking about.

I want to make it very clear on what genre of games I’m referring to. I’m not talking

about the, “pick up your gun and destroy everything in your path” type game. What I am

referring to are games with problem solving and critical thinking aspects to them. One game

that comes to mind that I played almost twenty years ago is Myst. In this game you play the

role of a stranger who uses a mysterious book to travel to the island of Myst. This game

required you to solve hundreds of different puzzles to find your way to this remote place within

a 3D generated atmosphere. It was the best selling PC game of all time for ten years, and it’s

not a surprise why. The problem solving aspect of this game grabbed your attention and didn’t

let go. This game and many others like it are the types of games we need in your educational

systems across the country.

With advances in powerful game creation software over the last twenty years or so, the

ability to create games with educational value is not as difficult as it used to be. I am currently

enrolled in a game programming 101 class and created a Galaga type 2D space shooter in

about three weeks by myself. Ten years ago this would have taken a whole team of

programmers and artists months to accomplish. My point is that we as a society have the

means to educate kids with a tool that they already enjoy, so why not do it. Classes could be

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added to college curriculum’s that teach programming and graphic art majors the creation

aspects of educational games. Before this we first need professors that are knowledgeable

enough in the subject to teach it.

For starters we will have to introduce some college courses or certificate programs for

people that are seeking their teaching degrees. These courses will educate our future teachers

about how to implement video games and technology into their classrooms to keep their kids

both stimulated, and interested in the content. According to a recent study done over the

internet and by phone ninety-seven percent of our youth play video games. This leads me to

conclude that a large majority of our kids are playing games because they enjoy it. Why not

take something the students already enjoy and make it educational at the same time. With the

internet being so main stream now, two students could be sitting in a class room thousands of

miles away from each other and be working towards a common goal in an online problem

solving game. At the same time they are honing their social skills as well.

It has also been shown that adults obtained benefits from gaming when they were

growing up. I don’t think people realize that gaming can actually help you in your professional

life as well, weather u realize it not. A recent study done by Beth Israel and the National

Institute of Media showed that doctors who spent at least three hours a week playing video

games made about 37 percent fewer mistakes in laparoscopic surgery. These same doctors

performed the task 27 percent faster than those doctors that had no past history of playing

video games (Rosser). Imagine if educational video games were used in every grad school

across the nation. A large percent of our doctors would be making nearly forty percent fewer

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mistakes in surgery’s and doing it almost thirty percent faster. Being a gamer myself for many

years I can understand how the hand/eye coordination would help with these operations. I

attribute all my typing skills and a majority of my computer knowledge to my history of gaming.

If you do the research on this topic you will find that virtually every time a school has

implemented a video game learning environment to their curriculum it has produced a positive

effect on the students. My favorite example of this is from a teacher named Kurt Squire. Dr.

Squire did a case study in using the popular PC strategy game Civilizations III. His goal was to

help his students learn about geopolitical struggles, global economic clout, geographic details

contributing to regional power, and a bunch of other socio-historical concepts (Rice 1). Dr.

Squire was astonished by the outcome of his study. At first the students were focused on the

“what if” questions they were able to draw from the war simulation game. Later Squire noticed

that the students were actually referencing traditional materials for help with the game, like

history books. Rather than the games replacing textbooks and the use of the school library like

many thought would happen, it actually encouraged the students to use those resources (Rice

2). I can also relate to this subject. I found myself researching strategies and actively

participating in community forums online to help build my skill in computer knowledge, just so I

could have the upper hand on my competition in game. This research turned into a passion for

me and ultimately was the deciding factor on what I was going to do with the rest of my life.

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Studies, such as the one done by Dr. Squire have become a hot topic in the world of

education. Professors across the country have spent countless hours researching the use of

video games for educational purposes. The National Science Foundation is even giving grant

funds to researchers who want to see how much a video game can help in an educational

setting (Rice 3). Instructors from some of the most prestigious colleges around the country like

Harvard and Princeton have also donated time to look into this growing phenomenon. I myself

am proof of how video games can educate and inspire an individual.

About twenty some odd years ago when I first picked up that Nintendo controller, I was

hooked. Over the years I have played a variety of video games. Some of these games could be

considered educational, and a handful of others not. If I had to pick a single game that really

started me on my area of expertise, it would probably be Everquest. The fact that this was my

first true online game is what made all the difference. Online games give players the ability to

interact with other people in a simulated game world. Prior to this point in time I had never had

to type a whole sentence for anything. After a few months of playing and chatting within the

game I realized something. I didn’t have to look at the keyboard anymore to know what letter

key I was pressing. This game revolved around teaming up with other players in order to

complete common goals. This instilled in me another valuable quality, self confidence. When

you’re leading a team of people on a mission that has personal value to everyone in the party

and you succeed, it gives you a sense of accomplishment. Weather this is a game or not this is

still a very real feeling, and has a real world effect on you personally.

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Video games in a classroom setting can be highly successful if implemented correctly. If

you don’t believe me, just take a look at the dozens of studies done on the topic. The vast array

of skills you can improve like typing, hand/eye coordination, social interaction, self confidence,

and technical knowledge are just a few examples. The days of video games being thought of as

only mind numbing entertainment are over. It’s time to take the next step in educational

technology and implement video games into the classroom as a learning tool.

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Works Cited

Hart, Andrew, and Bettina, Fabos. Media in the Classroom: English Teachers Teaching Media.

Southampton, U.K.: Southampton Media Education Group, 1993. Print.

Rice, John. Video Games in the Classroom? What the Research Is Telling Us. The Quarterly

Journal of the Texas Computer Education Association. TechEdge, Winter 2005.

Rosser, James. Are Video Game Players Better at Laparoscopic Surgical Tasks? National institute

of Media and the Family. Iowa State University, Fall 2006

Sharp, Richard. Video Games Improve Social Skills. Gadgets and Gizmos.com, Gadget News, September

17, 2008.