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Great article on the virtues of video games August 5, 2005
Pst, hey. If you've been hearing a lot about these new-fangled video games but aren't familiar enough with them to make a judgement about their value, go read this article in The Economist right now. It's well researched, level-headed, fair, sensible, and generally brilliant.
There are many little gems in there, but here's one of my favorites:
Pair that one with this one and you've got pretty much what I think about the whole "are games bad for you?" question:Even games with no educational intent require players to learn a great deal. Games are complex, adaptive and force players to make a huge number of decisions. Gamers must construct hypotheses about the in-game world, learn its rules through trial and error, solve problems and puzzles, develop strategies and get help from other players via the internet when they get stuck. The problem-solving mechanic that underlies most games is like the 90% of an iceberg below the waterline—invisible to non-gamers. But look beneath the violent veneer of “Grand Theft Auto”, and it is really no different from a swords-and-sorcery game. Instead of stealing a crystal and delivering it to a wizard so that he can cure the princess, say, you may have to intercept a consignment of drugs and deliver it to a gang boss so he can ransom a hostage. It is the pleasure of this problem-solving, not the superficial violence which sometimes accompanies it, that can make gaming such a satisfying experience.
The article also contains some interesting tidbits about the use of video games in educational and business settings. One teacher played through a video game while projecting it before a class of students, then improved their English skills by having them write descriptions of what he was doing. There are also companies that apparently use video games for training employees, saying that "Gamers are skilled at multi-tasking, good at making decisions and evaluating risks, flexible in the face of change and inclined to treat setbacks as chances to try again. Firms that understand and exploit this can gain a competitive advantage."So games are inherently good, not bad? Actually they are neither, like books, films, the internet, or any other medium. All can be used to depict sex and violence, or to educate and inform. Indeed, the inclusion of violent and sexual content in games is arguably a sign of the maturity of the medium, as games become more like films.
Of course, the obvious, gaping flaw in that argument is that people who already possess those skills might be attracted to gaming while those without them take up other hobbies. Like beating up kids who are gamers. But still, many biodata tests used to select prospective employees ask applicants to agree/disagree with items like "I was active in organizations while in school" or "I participated in organized sports." Why not ask "I rescued the elf princess, hurrr..." ?
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Posted by Ger on August 5, 2005 2:29 PM:
Another good side effect of gaming: a typing speed of 80 wpm becuase you played MUDD addicitvely in college (probably when you should have been studying, or at the very least, spending time with your girlfriend!) You were the temp agency's dream come true!
Posted by Jamie on August 5, 2005 2:31 PM:
Heh, yep. And if there were a typing test that consisted only of the words "get all corpse" I'd type at roughly 1.8 billion words per minute.