Good Video Games Good Learning, by: James Paul Gee

I read the article Good Video Games Good Learning, by James Paul Gee. I agree with the article of how it explained that video games are learning machines. I feel like video games are beneficial because they keep individuals cognitively thinking by trying to figure out new strategies and techniques. The author expressed when we are playing a video game, we can accomplish our learning goals. I think that is absolutely true. An entire paragraph in the article seemed so accurate that I definitely agreed with what was being said. It said, “Good video games incorporate good learning principles, principles supported by current research in cognitive science (Gee 2003, 2004). Why? If no one could learn these games, no one would buy them, and yet players will not accept easy, dumbed-down, or short games. At a deeper level, however, challenge and learning are a large part of what makes good video games motivating and entertaining. Humans actually enjoy learning, though sometimes in school you would not know it” (Gee, 2005). People need to be challenged to get their brains thinking outside of the box. 

 I do think video games can be a problem in the classroom if they are not educational and are violent. Certain video games need to be blocked so students can be engaged in the classroom instead of playing them. I think if teachers provide educational video games where students can play them one-on-one with other peers, then that would be a great learning experience. Students can have fun and learn new things through a video game in class. As I stated before, video games can be valuable to our learning development.

Gee, James Paul. “Learning by Design: Good Video Games as Learning Machines.” E-Learning 2.1 (2005): 5. Print.