Negative Effects Of Video Games On Education

Playing With Education:
Effects of Video Games on Education
The United States once sat at the top of the worlds ranking system for education. Over the years that top spot has slowly fallen out of grasp. There are many reasons and explanations as to why the United States has declined in the world ranking system. By looking at the effects of video games on education, the negative impacts of video games on education, and positive ways to use video games to assist education.
The video game buzz began in the early 2000s, with the video-game companies Nintendo, Sony PlayStation, and Microsoft’s XBOX being the major video game Platforms of the new Millennium. While increasing the “life like” graphics and lowering the cost of the game systems,

Video games have the ability to teach others how to perform certain tasks and different behaviors. Buckley and Anderson propose that, “video games teach whatever concepts are repeatedly rehearsed within them—algebra, diabetes care, or aggression. Video games teach through both long-and short-term memory” (366). Video games have the ability to teach and are used for educational purposes. Video games have become integrated into the training of young surgeons. According to several doctors Rosser, Lynch, Cuddihy, Gentile, Klonsky, and Merrell, “Anecdotal observations of young surgeons suggest that video game play contributes to performance excellence in laparoscopic surgery” (Rosser et al. 181). Schools are also using the power of video games to educate their students; The Pennsylvania Department of Migrant Education has been using the computer games effectively to teach migrant children math, reading, and critical thinking skills (Winograd 16). One of the biggest supporters of video games being used for educational purposes is the United States Army. The United States Army uses video games to train soldiers for combat, flying and driving tanks. The military believes that these games are teaching teamwork, communication and concepts of command and control (Buckley, Anderson 364). Video games have positive results on all different types of educational levels. Educators have come to realize the positive ways to use video games for educational purposes. Educators have managed to remove the dull and uninteresting books and brought the material to life. The person learning the material applies what they have learned and begins to use it in real life. That information learned becomes stored in the long-term memory, and can be used without the thought of being right or