Identity and Technology
blog for UN1001
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- Assignment 2: Favorite Technology
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- Assignment 4: Perspective and Learning Analysis
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- Today’s Class (Friday, Dec. 12th)
- Questions for Wright reading: How does user created content influence learning from games?
- Questions for Wright reading: What are some of the drawbacks from learning from video games or certain types of video games?
- Questions for Wright reading: Do games offer problem solving? Provide an example of how a specific game offers or does not offer problem solving.
- Questions for Wright reading: Do games offer self-esteem? Provide an example of how a specific game offers or does not offer self-esteem.
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Games facilitate learning simply because the facilitate experimentation, and exploration. They give the player an relatively risk free area of space to try new things, and even if those things don’t end up right, all the player has to do is go back to a save point, or restart the level. Games often reward us with secret treasures, or Easter eggs, for deep exploration and experimentation within levels, and they punish us for running through the levels as quickly as possible, by setting us further back, or by putting intricate traps in the level that we can only see if we go through the level slowly and methodically.
When a new concept is being learned, it is important to understand what can go wrong under certain circumstances and why that is wrong. Trial and error is a huge factor when it comes to learning a concept to the fullest extent.
Another thing that is very important when learning is the rewards. If a young child is not rewarded in some way for his or her acheivements, then they have no desire to continue to learn and strive to be the best because they don’t see the point in spending time on something that doesn’t reap any benefits for them.
On the downside, there must be consequences too. This is how we learn right from wrong. Just like in a video game when you might make a bad decision or make a wrong turn, there is a resulting consequence, and then the good part about that is for the next time you play the game, you will know not to make that same mistake.
I think video games are nothing but following directions. When you start a new game, there is usually a tutorial mode. This is a prime example of what I’m talking about. In the tutorial, the game gives you some directions, and expects you to do them. If you don’t do them, you don’t get to progress and play the game. Usually there is some character “training” you and that character will stand there, looking at you until you do the task. Everyone has been there, when you run around the room and the character blankly stares back at you until you follow orders. I guess the punishment is not being able to move ahead. Another example of this is when you go out of bounds. In almost ever game, at some point, you are ordered to go from point A to point B. If you go out of bounds, you are warped back. A lot of times, there will be *something* at point B, and until you follow along, the flow of the game stops.