McGonical, J. (2010). Gaming is Good for You. Retrieved 01/09/2011, from http://www.sciencefriday.com/arts/2011/02/gaming-is-good-for-you/
BBC News: Ward, M. (2003). Gaming 'is good for you.' Retrieved 01/09/011, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2744449.stm
Hubert-Wallander, B. Green, S. Bavelier, D. (2010). Stretching the limits of visual attention: the case of action video games. (Master’s thesis, University of Rochester, New York, United States of America). Retrieved 01/09/2011 from http://www.bcs.rochester.edu/people/daphne/VisionPDF/hubertwallander.pdf
O'Brien, T. (2007). Boy Saves Sister from Moose Attack with Skills Learned in Warcraft Video Game. Retrieved 01/09/2011 from http://www.switched.com/2007/12/10/boy-saves-sister-from-moose-attack-with-skills-learned-in-warcra
Flatow, I. (2011). NPR, Could Gaming Be Good For You? Retrieved 01/09/2011 from http://www.npr.org/2011/02/18/133870801/could-gaming-be-good-for-you
Yahoo! Games Staff. (2011). 5 ways video games are good for you. Retrieved 01/09/2011 from http://games.yahoo.com/blogs/brain-games/5-ways-video-games-good-003217578.html
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Bringing out the best in us :)
I think it could be a part of human nature to want to enjoy life. And one of the great things we can enjoy in this day and age is video games. “Video games inspire us to be the best version of ourselves.”
Video games are extremely satisfying. Through the entirety of a game, the challenges given to us are for our current skill level. And they are epic, world saving adventures challengers that are hard, but achievable. Where in real life do we currently have that?
As players constantly achieve great things, it creates an uplifted, satisfied feeling.
Jane McGonigal has an interesting presentation where she talks about why she thinks people should be spending more time video gaming. If you have the time, I encourage you to have a watch.
Jane talks about how players collaborate, work hard and they stick to a problem as long as it takes to solve it. It’s Jane’s vision to take these feelings, determination and team spirit and be able to apply them to real life, and maybe solve the world’s most pressing issues.
She also goes on to speak about the leadership skills players can develop. So does David Laux who is the global executive in charge of games and interactive entertainment at IBM.
Depending on the type of game people are playing, the average gamer will develop certain desirable skills. "That's from the casual games which improve memorisation and the ability to discern details, to console games and shooter games that develop rapid decision making and to role playing games like the World of Warcraft that are very unique in producing leadership skills," says Mr Laux.
And these skills all follow over and benefit us in life.
As a gamer , I can testify that at least for myself this is true. Thanks to games like World of Warcraft, I went from being shy, and unable to talk to new people, to leading missions on this game. And then in the real world, able to stand up and make speeches, introduce myself to new people and have the self confidence to know that I have something to offer.
According to researchers, Jane McGonigal included, many people experience the same leadership and social skill development during gaming. Millions even.
Video games are extremely satisfying. Through the entirety of a game, the challenges given to us are for our current skill level. And they are epic, world saving adventures challengers that are hard, but achievable. Where in real life do we currently have that?
As players constantly achieve great things, it creates an uplifted, satisfied feeling.
Jane McGonigal has an interesting presentation where she talks about why she thinks people should be spending more time video gaming. If you have the time, I encourage you to have a watch.
Jane talks about how players collaborate, work hard and they stick to a problem as long as it takes to solve it. It’s Jane’s vision to take these feelings, determination and team spirit and be able to apply them to real life, and maybe solve the world’s most pressing issues.
She also goes on to speak about the leadership skills players can develop. So does David Laux who is the global executive in charge of games and interactive entertainment at IBM.
Depending on the type of game people are playing, the average gamer will develop certain desirable skills. "That's from the casual games which improve memorisation and the ability to discern details, to console games and shooter games that develop rapid decision making and to role playing games like the World of Warcraft that are very unique in producing leadership skills," says Mr Laux.
And these skills all follow over and benefit us in life.
As a gamer , I can testify that at least for myself this is true. Thanks to games like World of Warcraft, I went from being shy, and unable to talk to new people, to leading missions on this game. And then in the real world, able to stand up and make speeches, introduce myself to new people and have the self confidence to know that I have something to offer.
According to researchers, Jane McGonigal included, many people experience the same leadership and social skill development during gaming. Millions even.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Saving Lives
Every good parent wants to know that their kids are going to a good school with a good learning environment so that they will learn and grow up into fantastic, clever adults earning lots of money, enabling the parents to live in luxurious retirement homes. Most good parents think that video games are something their kids should stay away from. “Video games are too violent and too distracting.” Parents want their kids to spend more time reading and learning, and less time gaming.
Every week, more and more studies and articles come out counteracting the stigma associated with video games. Researchers from the Institute of Education at the University of London have approached psychologists, critical theorists and educationalists to explore the idea of games in the classroom. Their research lead them to interesting and positive results. The key thing is that video games entertain while also promoting a positive learning experience. Not only will all our kiddies be entertained in class, but they will develop strong puzzle solving and literacy abilities, as well as other great life skills. BC published an article examining research with a group of street kids in Buenos Aires, Argentina whose game playing has instilled skills for conflict resolution, social inclusion and personal empowerment.
All these scientists and reserachers encourage parents to see that "Games are a cultural form that is just beginning to evolve and the evidence is they can be every bit as rich and complex and nuanced as a book or a film."
THE MOOSE STORY
Seriously, best story ever:
Parents want to know that their children are safe. Video games can help! Recently, a twelve-year-old Norwegian boy, Hans Jørgen Olsen reaped the benefits of video gaming when he saved his sister from a moose.
The two were taking a walk through the forest near their home with a moose decided to charge them. Realising it was a dangerous situation, Hans didn’t panic, in fact he knew exactly what to do thanks to Blizzards MMORPG, World of Warcraft. In this game, characters can taunt monsters off other players, drawing then attention to themselves and away from their lower armored team members. Apparently this works on real animals too.
Hans taunted the moose away from his sister, allowing her to escape, and then did another thing he learned off the game. He played dead. The moose then sniffed him disinterestedly and wandered away leaving Hans and his sister thankfully trampled free.
So not only do video games help your kids WANT to learn, and find enjoyment in it, it could quite possibly save their lives too.
Every week, more and more studies and articles come out counteracting the stigma associated with video games. Researchers from the Institute of Education at the University of London have approached psychologists, critical theorists and educationalists to explore the idea of games in the classroom. Their research lead them to interesting and positive results. The key thing is that video games entertain while also promoting a positive learning experience. Not only will all our kiddies be entertained in class, but they will develop strong puzzle solving and literacy abilities, as well as other great life skills. BC published an article examining research with a group of street kids in Buenos Aires, Argentina whose game playing has instilled skills for conflict resolution, social inclusion and personal empowerment.
All these scientists and reserachers encourage parents to see that "Games are a cultural form that is just beginning to evolve and the evidence is they can be every bit as rich and complex and nuanced as a book or a film."
THE MOOSE STORY
Seriously, best story ever:
Parents want to know that their children are safe. Video games can help! Recently, a twelve-year-old Norwegian boy, Hans Jørgen Olsen reaped the benefits of video gaming when he saved his sister from a moose.
The two were taking a walk through the forest near their home with a moose decided to charge them. Realising it was a dangerous situation, Hans didn’t panic, in fact he knew exactly what to do thanks to Blizzards MMORPG, World of Warcraft. In this game, characters can taunt monsters off other players, drawing then attention to themselves and away from their lower armored team members. Apparently this works on real animals too.
Hans taunted the moose away from his sister, allowing her to escape, and then did another thing he learned off the game. He played dead. The moose then sniffed him disinterestedly and wandered away leaving Hans and his sister thankfully trampled free.
So not only do video games help your kids WANT to learn, and find enjoyment in it, it could quite possibly save their lives too.
Power to the Gamer
In order to discuss if video gaming is beneficial in our lives, we need to first establish what the world ‘beneficial' covers. The English Word Dictionary defines it as ‘causing a good result.’ So that pretty much covers anything good for our health and wellbeing.
Typically over the years media and various other people have had a continued negative reaction to video games in general. “Video games or virtual reality are inherently bad and extremely detrimental to society.” Good or bad, people still played games to a huge extent, and more and more studies are turning up showing the long list of benefits that video gaming can have.
And people want to know!
In 2010, the University of Rochester conducted a study exploring action games and eyesight. Once thought bad for your eyes, these scientists show that gaming, especially fast paced action games, improve eyesight. "People that play these fast-paced games have better vision, better attention and better cognition," said Daphne Bavelier, an assistant professor in the department of brain and cognitive science.
Carrying that forward, video games can make you a better driver. Studies showed that those trained with action video-games were 25% faster at coming to a conclusion. The Rochester Scientists conclude that video gamers evolve a heightened sensitivity to things around them, which may benefit things such as driving, reading small print, keeping track of people in large groups of people and navigation. They talk about how the brain collects information until it can make an accurate decision. So when driving this can help with when to pull/not pull out of an intersection, when to brake, when not to drive off a cliff etc. Fast paced action games such as Call of Duty 2 help a person reach the needed decisions faster and more accurately. They train the brain.
The train the brain! Video games boost your brain power. Earlier this year scientists at the University of Toronto conducted a study which concluded that video games increase your focus. “A surprising aspect of our research shows that action games seem to be the most beneficial type of game when it comes to how well you see, pay attention, make decisions and switch tasks,” explains Daphne Bavelier.
I personally think that all 3 of these things are "good results," and as a gamer myself am glad that it has helped my superior driving skills ^_^
And the benefits of gaming keep on coming!
Typically over the years media and various other people have had a continued negative reaction to video games in general. “Video games or virtual reality are inherently bad and extremely detrimental to society.” Good or bad, people still played games to a huge extent, and more and more studies are turning up showing the long list of benefits that video gaming can have.
And people want to know!
In 2010, the University of Rochester conducted a study exploring action games and eyesight. Once thought bad for your eyes, these scientists show that gaming, especially fast paced action games, improve eyesight. "People that play these fast-paced games have better vision, better attention and better cognition," said Daphne Bavelier, an assistant professor in the department of brain and cognitive science.
Carrying that forward, video games can make you a better driver. Studies showed that those trained with action video-games were 25% faster at coming to a conclusion. The Rochester Scientists conclude that video gamers evolve a heightened sensitivity to things around them, which may benefit things such as driving, reading small print, keeping track of people in large groups of people and navigation. They talk about how the brain collects information until it can make an accurate decision. So when driving this can help with when to pull/not pull out of an intersection, when to brake, when not to drive off a cliff etc. Fast paced action games such as Call of Duty 2 help a person reach the needed decisions faster and more accurately. They train the brain.
The train the brain! Video games boost your brain power. Earlier this year scientists at the University of Toronto conducted a study which concluded that video games increase your focus. “A surprising aspect of our research shows that action games seem to be the most beneficial type of game when it comes to how well you see, pay attention, make decisions and switch tasks,” explains Daphne Bavelier.
I personally think that all 3 of these things are "good results," and as a gamer myself am glad that it has helped my superior driving skills ^_^
And the benefits of gaming keep on coming!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Gaming is good for you
Throughout the years video gaming as gotten quite a bad reputation for the apparently destructive things it can lead to. I intend to use this blog to explore why I think gaming is actually beneficial in our lives.
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