Effects of Video Games

Your Brain on Video Games

Argument:
In reasonable doses and at a reasonable age, action-packed games have positive effects on many aspects of behavior.

Claims:
1. vision - Gamers' vision ( 5-15 hours of gaming per week) are usually significantly better because they are better trained to see details in a cluttered view and more clearly see different shades of grey.

2. attention and distraction - Gamers have better attention spans and can more easily concentrate on a task. They can also more efficiently track multiple objects at one time, such as when driving.

3. multitasking - Gamers are better multi-taskers. Multimedia tasking shows poor multitasking ability.

Are Video Games Making Your Kid Smarter? 

Argument: Children involved in video games are actually smarter. The games encourage: seek novelty, challenge yourself, think creatively, do things the hard way, and network.

Claims:
1. Children that play games actually have to multi-task, usually with five or more items, which improves their ability to retain multiple bits of information.

2. Gaming promotes learning. Those that are involved in learning tasks, not just momentarily, are shown to have more grey matter in their brain linked to vision, senses, etc.

3. Games are wired to produce pleasure. Children are reinforced positively to keep learning and strive to finish the games' tasks.

Big Thinkers: Learning with Games 
According to Salen, video games support the following learning experiences and skills needed in the 21st century:

• collaboration

• team building

• problem solving in a complex space

• exploring identities

• forgiving environments to fail in or take risks       

Games and good teachers have similar characteristics of challenge and instruction. When designing games, students have often put the other side first, contemplating who will be on the other end playing their game and how he or she could make it most effective. Most children that play games have a sense of empowerment because they know that the games were created for them to succeed and beat. Many children feel as though classroom curriculum is to trick them and make them fail.