Video Games in Education...what's the point?

In the grand scheme of things, I think we can all agree on the fact that video games now contribute an integral part in to our everyday lives. Many use them as an activity of leisure, some use it to take out pent up aggression, and others have even found a way to incorporate it into sport. Whatever the platform that they are used, there is a notion to be discussed of whether or not video games deserve to be placed into a category of literature.

When we think video games, no one should be surprised that they share many of these same characteristics. Just as the reader moves systematically through a book or some other work of literature, the player of a video game is forced to systematically move through the game, starting from the beginning and moving through the middle to the end.

When talking about literature, what are some of the main components to point out? Throughout grade school, we are taught that literature and stories have a beginning, middle, and end. They have characters, they have a setting, and they have a plot line. These characteristics should have a familiar ring to them.

Often times, video game can also be based directly off of movies, which can be the result of a novel. This forces the video game to follow the exact plot and use the exact same characters in the exact same setting that the book did. The only difference is that instead of flipping through pages to navigate the plot, now the player controls the character as they move through the story and can manipulate them however they please. Essentially, they are still subjected to the same plot line and setting, but depending on the circumstances, they can now draw out their own route through the storyline.  Video games also have the ability to tell stories, such as the piece That Dragon, Cancer.  This tells a story through a video game, which is a huge area for opportunity for those students that are not good readers in the original format.  This may even offer more more to the viewer, who will be able to take away more than they would have originally.

I think we can learn that sometimes we view content so objectively we fail to examine the innards of what our activity really portrays. In the onset of video games, and even still today, they are thought of as something that is distracting and disruptive to society. People try to associate the growing violence rate of society to the growing violence rate in video games and often try to associate some types of games as a sort of taboo. Many people can benefit from learning about the engagement that it takes to operate a video game and the amount of brain power that some games may take to navigate through. For example, in Zork, the path way for the player to take to navigate the woods or the house is not necessarily written in black and white. It takes a considerable amount of trial and error to obtain items and work your way through the game, whether it be entering the house, or even the dungeon.

With regards to classrooms, video games should absolutely be studied, especially in a high school setting. Today’s youth is more and more inclined to be using these devices, which creates an interest for them. By discussing what they are interested in, they are more likely to listen, learn, and ultimately gain more from their educational experience.  Instead of thinking of literature as simply stories written decades ago on pen and paper, if the stories can be translated into something that the students can relate to, they can excel in their studies and ultimately have a completely different outlook on school altogether.