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effects of computer game in academic performance
academic benefits from video games
Computer games and academic performance
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The aim of this essay is to evaluate whether or not the game "SimCity" can be used as a successful learning tool and if students learn from this game. I am going to illustrate the potential for learning available within this game and what the game can teach students. I will study and analyse experiments that assess the idea of computer games as a learning tool and how “SimCity 2000” and "SimCity Creator" specifically has been used as a method of teaching. I will show how these two versions have been used differently as a learning tool. I will find out whether or not the method of learning promoted through the use of “Sim City” as a series could be considered for use in the classroom for the future. Through analysing these sources I will also recommend improvements that could be made to the method by which computer games as used as a learning tool for the classroom.
2. Literature review
2.1. Educational games
Computer Games can be seen as a new way of teaching children in an engaging way because games are seen as a motivational tool, but why is this? It is potentially because of the interactive and responsive nature of games that also makes the user part of the outcome rather than being a passive spectator. Computer Games successfully aid the learning process of the players as people learn by enjoying themselves; this promotes the idea that educational games can still be fun to play. The most successful games are complex and difficult, because the gamer can expand their learning potential through adapting to the new rules of the game they are playing. On the other hand some gamers, specifically beginners, are put off games that are difficult to play. However game designers need to design their games in such a way that the gam...
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...evisch, O., 2008: 'Should planners start playing computer games? Arguments from SimCity and Second Life', Planning Theory & Practice, 9:209-226
Egenfeldt-Nielsen, S., Smith, J. H. and Tosca, S. P. 2013. Understanding Video Games. New York, N.Y.: Routledge.
Gaber, J., 2007: 'Simulating Planning SimCity as a Pedagogical Tool', Journal of Planning Education and Research, 27:113-121.
Gee, J. P., 2007: Good video games. New York, NY: Peter Lang.
Lacasa, P. Garcia-Pernia, M. Nunez, P., 2013: 'Adolescents Media Experiences in the Classroom: SimCity as a Cultural Model', Journal of Education and Training Studies 2:103-116.
Olson, C. K., 2010: 'Children's motivations for video game play in the context of normal development,' Review of General Psychology, 14:180-187.
Shaffer, D. W., 2006: How computer games help children learn. (New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Despite criticisms of video games in the media and among much of the general population, video games have many positive aspects. Walton points out that much of mainstream press tries to put forth the opinion that video games are a plague upon young people (and sometimes even adults) today—blaming such diseases as diabetes and mental issues like sociopathic behavior on video games. Rarely are the positive aspects of games shown—increased hand-eye coordination, development of social problem solving skills, increased attention levels, better collaboration with other students and better grades. (2012)
There are several negative stereotypes associated with video games and those who play them; some of these may often hold true. However, there are plenty of learning opportunities in video games. While the direct purpose of some games is to educate or train, other games that do not directly have this purpose can still become a learning experience for the player. As Ntiedo Etuk, president of the educational video game company Tabula Digital said, “The traditional view of video games has been that they are distractions from the task of learning” (Electronic Education Report 1). Video games are an effective tool for learning and retaining skills both inside and outside the classroom environment. The basic cycle of game play--the introduction to the game, game play, collaboration, improvement of these between each round, and evaluation at the end of the game (Klievink and Janssen 159)--are nearly parallel to the traditional classroom learning cycle of reading a textbook or listening to a lecture, taking a quiz, studying, focusing on items missed on the quiz, and taking a test or exam. Within this cycle, there are many opportunities to develop and perfect both educational, life, and occupational skills.
In today’s world one thing you don’t hear everyday is learning is fun. For some it can be, but many children aren’t that excited to learn. What if there was a way to make learning fun for kids? Well there is, its called gamification. Gamifiction is the process of using game thinking and game mechanics to engage audiences according to Gabe Zichermann an educational gaming expert. Though its been said that video games cause laziness and violence in kids, we now know that video games can be a significant learning tool in early child development. Research has shown that video games help children with multitasking skills and can also increase fluid intelligence, which is the intelligence we use to solve problems (Zichermann). Video games may be more beneficial than we thought.
The video gaming industry is a huge successful business and very popular around the world. Parks stated that “In 2006 worldwide spending on video games was more than 31 billion. In the United States more than 7.4 billion was spent on video games almost triple the sales of 1996.” Many different gaming consoles have been created as technology has advanced. Today's games can be very realistic and appeal to a variety of people. Video games allure to almost anyone and are available to play for most people around the world. People who regularly engage in video games are called gamers. Children as young as two years old can play some sorts of games such as Leapfrog gaming systems. These kinds of systems encourage hand eye coordination, memory and other activities aimed to increase brain activity. School age children to adults have many different games they can play such as educational games, strategy g...
There is no doubt that video games have become a major entertainment as important as cinema, literary and theatre for modern people. Nowadays, people tend towards spending more time on playing games than ever before. According to Nielsen’s report, gamers age 13 and older spent 6.3 hours a week on any gaming platform in 2013 around the United States, and the time people spent in 2012 was just 5.6 hours per week (The Nielsen Company, 2014). 12 percent, rising is a clear message to remind people that video games should be taken seriously. Because, as an emerging mode of entertainment, it is being a part of our culture and has a tremendous influence in our daily life. An increasing number of people are beginning to realize that games should and
Olson, Cheryl. "8 Reasons Video Games Can Improve Your Child." (2013): n. page. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. .
Amongst the shelves that are packed with the latest computer software, sits a genre of games, that does not get the recognition that it deserves. Simulation games. These games do not give the player level after level of mind-boggling graphics, blood and gore, or even the feeling of accomplishment. Their one purpose is to give the control to the player, that they would normally not get in their everyday lives. By definition a simulation game is a game where the player must take on a role that is different than his or her everyday life.
3. “Video Games” by Chris Jozefowics. Published by Gareth Stevens Publishing 2010. Pleasantville, NY 10570-70000 USA. Produced by Editorials Directions Inc.
...the motivation and attentiveness of the students and specifically, games can become a facilitator for self-directed study and research; when students enjoy a specific area in a game, they become more inclined to search it online, read a book about it, or watch a documentary on it (Rapini, Sarina 2012).
Video games have been around about 50 years and they contribute a big part of the U.S. economy. People interact with video games every day throughout different ways, such as cell phone devices, computers, consoles or whatever which has a screen on it. In fact, it has always affected people’s lives. However, not so many people understand the benefits of video games. With video games, people can not only relieve themselves from stress and suffering, but it also improves people’s social experiences while they are exchanging and absorbing knowledge with other people; more than that, people can learn many other things from video games which can help them to achieve great things in lives.
Since the Early 70’s video games have been giving a bad name. Parents state that video games rot the minds of children and are influencing them do be violent. These accusations are far from the truth. In my research I found that there are many positive effects of gaming. Some of these effects are increased skills, creativity, general knowledge, and also help those in need. Parents can also take proper precautions and look into a game before buying it to see if it meets the criteria discussed in this paper.
Nowadays, video games are frequently accused of having detrimental effects on children and adolescents. The main arguments against video games are that they lead to addiction, that they provoke violence, and that they impair social development. Whether or not such claims are true has not been determined with certainty as scientific studies have produced contradictory results. Nevertheless, video games also have beneficial effects, which tend to be underrated, as they do not receive the same level of media coverage that adverse ones do, and are thus unknown to the general public. Some of the positive effects of playing video games on mental development include: stimulating analytical thinking, improving concentration, and encouraging planning and anticipation (“Video game controversies”).
Presently, video games aren’t merely toys that negatively influence the youth. They have become an alternative means for people to learn and train for work. Games teach values and essential information, and motivate its players to achieve goals. Soldiers and doctors benefit from video games as well. The collaboration of game developers and educators helps improve the quality of educational games. At present, as technology progresses, one can truly see that video games have become an important factor in learning.
Video Games have been accused of making youth violent and aggressive, making people isolate themselves from society, and for lowering the attention span and the ability to concentrate in youth. These claims have yet to be supported by several well organized studies and have never been more than a correlation to any of these claims, and in fact have been disproven on several occasions. Adam Eichenbaum (2014), author contributing to the American Journal of Play, concluded a discussion on the research on video games say that “Today’s video games are much more than entertainment. They are also weapons in the fight against declining mental capacities in old age. They promote job-related skills. And they are a model of how to teach children complex and difficult tasks and abilities. As with any technology, video games are neither intrinsically good nor intrinsically bad.” (pg. 67) Video games are not the waste of time that they are accused of being, nor are they damping the development of today’s youth. If anything is to be said about video games is that in them lays a great potential for good; that video games serve as tools for people who want to make a change in society, whether the changes are positive or negative lie in the hands of those that choose to use video games as tools. These are not unrealistic or histrionic claims; video games, after all, are more than just
The experience of game play can be described as an activity in which the player is virtually embodied in the game world. Anyone who has experienced the world of gaming knows how the engaging experience can manifest itself with “sweaty palms and chills down the spine” (http://www.eludamos.org/index.php/eludamos/article/viewArticle/80/147) when coming face-to-face with alien creatures; or with the adrenaline rush we get when racing a high speed automobile head-to-head with a friend. Gaming is an excellent source of entertainment. It provides an opportunity for social growth, provides a meaningful form of exploring expression, and provides heightened sensitivity.