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.