Response: Week 11

Earlier in the week I posted some questions regarding the relationship between education and interactive entertainment. Sure enough, there is a significant sector of the industry that is dedicated to the education of users (I read a blog that referred to this as “edutainment.”) Despite the monumental amounts of money driving the gaming industry, there are still games being produced that go beyond the mindless, violent themes with which they are often associated. In addition to educational benefits such as teaching math and science lessons to children in the form of gaming systems, there are studies that show interactive entertainment has the potential to impact the general motivation for learning. Upon reflection over the Wikipedia entry game studies, I find the social science approach fascinating.

The social science approach to game studies inevitably leads to the question: “What do video games do to people.” I can’t help but think of the people who were interviewed in the Frontline documentary that we watched in class. There was a woman who admitted to quitting her job, just so she was able to play her favorite video game full-time. There was also a couple who told the reporter they actually met online through the video game and were eventually married. We were even introduced to overseas rehab (rehab?!) centers for young children who were trying to break free of actual video game addiction.

Clearly, video games do a lot to people.

I think video games have the capacity to have different effects on different people- perhaps due to personality, environmental factors, etc. Still, it’s fascinating to consider the wide range of impact that interactive entertainment has on users. There is the extreme, where people are clearly so addicted that it results in the disruption of their every day lives. I have a difficult time relating to this, probably because my parents never allowed video games in our house when I was growing up. Instead, they encouraged my brother and I to stay active in sports and have “real”, for lack of a better word, interactions with our friends. I think the only way for me to relate to the need to constantly interact with a game is to compare my Internet usage. In this sense, I can understand how certain behaviors can be developed, including a subconscious dependence on the medium.

Still, I think it’s more important to focus on the benefits that the interactive entertainment industry has to offer. The Wikipedia entry on the social science approach to game studies also detailed some of the specific instances of games that are leveraged to encourage learning in a variety of interface forms, including challenge, fantasy, curiosity and control. I find it hopeful that these studies support the belief that video games can provide an appealing, alternative form of learning for younger generations. At the same time, when considering some of the addictive behaviors that result from video game use, perhaps the use of interactive entertainment for education still has the potential for negative side effects.

Tags: education, interactive entertainment, response, video games