Alok, this is exactly the point I made to one of my teachers and she kinda had to agree cause I guess I was convincing enough in my explanation. Viewing games as a distraction is something people should stop and view them more as a learning tool for everyone, not just kids. I have been countered with statements like, kids should play educational games and not these kinda stuff where they are either killing each other or wasting time scoring a goal. I simply had one question to them. What did they mean by educational games? They came up with varied answers n none convincing enough. I told them what each of the games taught the ones who played it. Games like Age of Empires and alike teach us so many things. We ought to know how to balance our reserves, how to spend our money, how to earn by trading with different colonies, how to make allies and how to fight and overcome an enemy among many other things. It teaches you how to become a manager, and you learn from your mistakes and better your own civilization over the other. Games like Call of Duty and other action games teach you other things at strategical level. Games like Counter-Strike teach us how to build a team and how team-work helps you win over the enemy/opponent. While it teaches us Team-work, it also helps us think and execute fast in time-bound scenarios. It is simply brilliant and mind-boggling when you sit to think of what all these games can offer you. Everyone of these games educate us in some way or the other.
My Observations on why children (and Adults) love games. And why we should teach and test in game-ing way.
Its pictorial not textual – Its well known a picture can teach more than 1000 words.
Choice : – More than One to play – If I don’t like one way of throwing bird, I do it another way. Another version. Another game. What if Kirchoff’s law can be taught in multiple ways ?
Randomness – It gives excitement. My second try is different but not drastically.
Competition – Winning. Look back at history, Human always wanted to win. From Mahatma to Mussolini (Now that’s awkward example..! ) though in different way. Games gives chance to win; to everyone. Think Angry Bird says “Person X won, you lost..bye..bye…
Retries : Successive multiple tries, it gives hope you will win. (Just think if angry bird says, you lost…now try after 15 days..! ).
Visible progress and reward – Immediate feedback what you earned. ( Angry bird again – What if it tells score at last…After 30 mins of playing.. I shd have quit once my 2 life were over 🙂 )
Predictability (and Unpredictability) – Its not a monotonous answer you mug up. There is excitement whats next. At the same time I know its tougher than previous but not as hard as final. (Unlike my question papers…always unpredictable)
Stability : Its tested, no funny alert. (I remember a game in windows sometimes back, Gives nice alert every time i start…though it was interesting…i lost interest with WTF moment…used to drag below and continue…Just like making story for unknown question in paper…! )
Excellent view point Alok in fact I remember a wonderful TED talk about this given by Jane McGonigal about the broken reality and how games can lead the way to a bright future Please refer the talk here
Vishal
Alok, this is exactly the point I made to one of my teachers and she kinda had to agree cause I guess I was convincing enough in my explanation. Viewing games as a distraction is something people should stop and view them more as a learning tool for everyone, not just kids. I have been countered with statements like, kids should play educational games and not these kinda stuff where they are either killing each other or wasting time scoring a goal. I simply had one question to them. What did they mean by educational games? They came up with varied answers n none convincing enough. I told them what each of the games taught the ones who played it. Games like Age of Empires and alike teach us so many things. We ought to know how to balance our reserves, how to spend our money, how to earn by trading with different colonies, how to make allies and how to fight and overcome an enemy among many other things. It teaches you how to become a manager, and you learn from your mistakes and better your own civilization over the other. Games like Call of Duty and other action games teach you other things at strategical level. Games like Counter-Strike teach us how to build a team and how team-work helps you win over the enemy/opponent. While it teaches us Team-work, it also helps us think and execute fast in time-bound scenarios. It is simply brilliant and mind-boggling when you sit to think of what all these games can offer you. Everyone of these games educate us in some way or the other.
Himanshu Agarwal
Gamification of K12 Syllabus is the future. Organizations that are able to position themselves early in this will reap the benefits.
Jigar Shah
Why Games win and Exams loose :
My Observations on why children (and Adults) love games. And why we should teach and test in game-ing way.
Its pictorial not textual – Its well known a picture can teach more than 1000 words.
Choice : – More than One to play – If I don’t like one way of throwing bird, I do it another way. Another version. Another game. What if Kirchoff’s law can be taught in multiple ways ?
Randomness – It gives excitement. My second try is different but not drastically.
Competition – Winning. Look back at history, Human always wanted to win. From Mahatma to Mussolini (Now that’s awkward example..! ) though in different way. Games gives chance to win; to everyone. Think Angry Bird says “Person X won, you lost..bye..bye…
Retries : Successive multiple tries, it gives hope you will win. (Just think if angry bird says, you lost…now try after 15 days..! ).
Visible progress and reward – Immediate feedback what you earned. ( Angry bird again – What if it tells score at last…After 30 mins of playing.. I shd have quit once my 2 life were over 🙂 )
Predictability (and Unpredictability) – Its not a monotonous answer you mug up. There is excitement whats next. At the same time I know its tougher than previous but not as hard as final. (Unlike my question papers…always unpredictable)
Stability : Its tested, no funny alert. (I remember a game in windows sometimes back, Gives nice alert every time i start…though it was interesting…i lost interest with WTF moment…used to drag below and continue…Just like making story for unknown question in paper…! )
Mandar Joshi
Excellent view point Alok in fact I remember a wonderful TED talk about this given by Jane McGonigal about the broken reality and how games can lead the way to a bright future Please refer the talk here
Milan Bavishi
eye opener!