Violent Video Games Hailed as Learning Tool

[The Straight Story]

Violent Video Games Hailed as Learning Tool
"Games for Learning" Symposium Touts Cognitive and Physical Benefits of Fast-Paced Games.

You're at the front lines shooting Nazis before they shoot you. Or you're a futuristic gladiator in a death match with robots.

Either way, you're playing a video game - and you may be improving your vision and other brain functions, according to research presented Thursday at a New York University conference on games as a learning tool.

"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 at the University of Rochester.

Bavelier was a presenter at Games for Learning, a daylong symposium on the educational uses of video games and computer games.

The event, the first of its kind, was an indication that electronic games are gaining legitimacy in the classroom.

President Barack Obama recently identified the creation of good educational software as one of the "grand challenges for American innovation," and the federal Department of Education's assistant deputy secretary for the Office of Innovation and Improvement, Jim Shelton, attended Thursday's conference.

http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/95103384.html

[gratuitous]

1. And everybody wants to learn what's being taught

Yes, the High Church of Redemptive Violence inculcates its doctrine early and often. Never too young, never too much at leisure to get a quick lesson in the power of violence to redeem any situation. All hail!

[Occulus]

6. Yes, yes. Next time we'll use harsh language.

[Poll_Blind]

2. Sure thing, just ask Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. HINT: You can have games which...

....are just as fast-paced but that don't require a simulated killing.

Participating in simulated killings desensitizes young children to the concept of violence as abhorrent or as a problem-solving tool. Specifically, I am speaking of realistic first-person shooters which do everything possible to blur the line between witnessing in and participating in killing. I have played many FPS games but thankfully they hadn't come out until I was in my late 20's. It's just sad what parents will put their very young children in front of as a babysitter.

I know, the first time I heard a child, like a 6-8 year old talking over mic-driven in game intercom system I just logged out and felt like puking.

I'm sure someone will excoriate me for this. Oh well.

PB

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. Thank you

for saying what needed to be said.

[Occulus]

8. Bullshit needed to be said? n/t

[cornermouse]

9. Have you looked at Sandra Day O'Connor's online game

www.icivics.org ?

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. Awesome

Doesn't look like there's any violent games?

I have no problem with using video games for learning. I don't think the violent games are good for kids though.

[cornermouse]

18. Yep. I thought so too.

I'm going to start the grandchild on it during summer vacation.

I didn't buy violent games for the kids. Mario was my speed. Once the kids were old enough to have jobs they bought the warcraft, etc. games for themselves with their own money.

[Posteritatis]

13. Only in the sense that every one of these threads needs that panicky bullshit to be complete. (nt)

[Renegades of Funk]

4. Exception not the rule

There are thousands of kids who play violent video games and suffer no effects.

[LeftyMom]

11. Oh, I do love a good moral panic.

:popcorn:

[chrisa]

15. That was entirely a load of crap.

There is no evidence that playing video games makes one more likely to commit a crime (like murder). The concept is completely laughable.

Harris and Klebold did not commit the Columbine shootings because of a video game. That's a debunked, ridiculous talking point that was parroted by the anti-video game crusaders of the past.

The "desensitizing" talking point is also a load of garbage, and most people can see the line between real life and fiction. Once again, the concept of video games "desensitizing" was never proven. It is, however, flung around as if it is fact by the anti-video game crowd.

A video game is nothing like real life. Anybody who is mentally healthy knows this.

[Odin2005]

24. I was perfectly capable of seperating reality from video game fantasy when i was a kid.

I played Mortal Kombat and Doom a lot, I didn't turn into a violent monster.

I'm sick of hysterical Nanny State BS.

[carlyhippy]

26. Harris and Klebold had other issues that were not caused by video games

I have seen some kids, though that do play video games, and they change completely, playing violent games and just plain Mario type games. These kids get mouthy, loud and argumentive. It's underlying in their personality. These kids get the same way when they play football, chess etc etc.

Video games didn't cause columbine, 2 kids snapped and caused columbine.

[canetoad]

5. And in other threads

I'm reading about young peoples' lack of empathy and a kid losing a testicle through 'sack tapping'.

There are a couple of great young guys at my work. Except that they feel the need to do everything at 100 mph. While this is not necessarily bad and they have a terrific work ethic, they often need to be told to slow down and THINK before acting or committing work to paper. They have both played FPS games for years, as all kids of their age do. I believe it has instilled a false sense of urgency in everything they do.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

7. No surprise there.

Rather obvious, really.

I mean, think about it: the people who speak out against violent video games are some of the dumbest people on the planet.

[gratuitous]

12. Actually, it's just the opposite

Thank you for demonstrating that so effectively.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

16. Haven't you got some pearls to clutch?

A couch to faint on?

[lynne]

10. My brain should be in fine form as I love my WOW & Guild Wars -

- my son plays Modern Warfare. Surprisingly, neither of us have gone on any shooting binges in public. :eyes:

The last paragraph in the article about women not liking this type action is wrong. While I don't like the war play of Modern Warfare, I do like the hunt aspect of WOW and Guild Wars. No magic wands and butterfly's for me!

[Motown_Johnny]

21. ?

no wands in WOW but still there is magic.



I was in the open Beta but didn't like the PvP.


But I will agree that playing that type of game can have positive benefits. Of course I was a gamer for years so my opinion is bias.

[chrisa]

17. The 'Parents Television Council' is embarassingly ignorant, to border-line Fascist.

Both comments of theirs in the article are laughable. First of all, females can play whatever they want. The fact that all girls should play a game involving waving a magic wand with princesses is a laughable, gender stereotype fail. Secondly, there has never been any evidence that 'killing' 3D model characters on a video game causes people to flip out and kill other people.

0 for , what is it now, Parent's Television Council? I lost count. I was too busy laughing at your hillarious descriptions of every Family Guy episode that you piss and moan about.

[carlyhippy]

19. My honor roll student has been playing video games since he was 3 years old

his first games were the Legend of Zelda and Super Mario paint (which taught him music and how to use a mouse). He plays WOW and has all the call of duty games. He KNOWS the difference between reality and make believe. His hand/eye coordination as well as his attention span is unbelieveable.

I will admit that he had certain friends, while these certain kids played any video game (violent as well as non), that these kids tended to get cocky, loud and mouthy while they were playing the games. They obviously are not for everybody, some kids it affects differently than others.

[johnaries]

20. Actually, I recently read that the kids who grew up going hunting

were the best at Military "front-line" work.

Video-game kids only paid attention to what was directly in front of them - what would be "on the screen".

"Hunting" kids paid attention to everything around them.

Makes perfect sense. I'm not supporting "hunting", but I am supporting an awareness of nature and the clues that are all around us.

[Motown_Johnny]

22. so,

the kids that were hunters will be in the front lines while the video game kids will be flying the drones.



If it were me I would prefer to fly the drones.

[Odin2005]

23. When I was 4 (1990) my doctor told my mom to get an NES for my hand-eye coordination.

If that doctor had said that 5 years later he would have been crucified by the anti-game idiots.

[Ned Bro]

25. To learn what?

I imagine if you want to be a Terminator or something...