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It is becoming a cliche to hear comments classifying videogames as a material of corruption. Videogames have often been linked to juvenile crime and deviance. They are viewed in the same light as films, which can be said to corrupt the mind of youth.
The source of such comments are easy to ascertain - games such as grand theft auto, state of emergency, and hooligans portray a message of deviance to the player. However, each of these games comes complete with a hefty 18 certificate, making it only legal for persons of eighteen or over. Assuming the law holds true, such games should not get into the hands of minors, in the same light as cigarettes and alcohol. However, like all adult material, the law is often broken, and material such as this is readily available to minors. OK, so children have limited access to these games, but is playing them correlative with juvenile crime? This arguable point is likely to be wholly false, if a child wants to break the law, it is within the childs own psychi, and no game or film could sway this decision.
In a contrary view, videogames can be seen as an educational tool. The modern videogame market is astonishingly huge, giving gamers a huge variety in what they want to play. This huge diversity in games must also open up a diverse world of knowledge for the player. These days games covering virtually any genre are available.
Microsoft Flight Simulator on the PC is a fantastic game, and is extremely good fun. It is also used by flight training schools as a teaching aid. The level of aviation detail covered by flight simulator is massive, and to play it properly, involves learning the skills involved. It also involves learning navigational skills and avionics which provide immense learning potential, especially for the budding engineer. Microsoft Flight Simulator is a fantastic example of how a game can be educational.
Simulations such as Flight Simulator often have huge educational potential. Simulations can scope as far as open heart surgery simulation games, such as virtual surgeon, and management sims. The young gamer can learn a heck of a lot of skills by playing them that could prove invaluable in the future. I know from experience that playing virtual surgeon has genuinely taught me the basics of coronary bypass surgery! Many of the principles I learnt from the game have proved extremely useful in cardiovascular modules of my university degree.
However, many gamers are not huge fans of simulation games, and prefer the fast paced world of action games such as Halo and Half Life. It is a die hard cynic who can claim these games have no educational value. The young player engrossed in Halo, for example, can learn a lot of scientific principles from working through this XBox hit. Principles in cryogenics, aeronautical engineering, and telecommunications are present beneath the surface, though not self evident from the game. The player can walk away feeling silently enlightened by the game's rewarding experience.
Driving games such as Gran Turismo are also of immense educational value. The budding mechanic or engineer can virtually learn all of the principles involved with the automobile. The player must understand concepts such as gear ratios, suspension, tyre wear, and spring dynamics in order to progress. These skills may appear superficial but could prove to be invaluable when the player grows older and learns to drive.
In fact every game has an educational potential for the younger player and older player alike. There is always something new to be learnt from every game that we play. This is perhaps why I feel the 'useless' tag that videogames are getting is often undeserved and irrational. In the same light as TV, videogames can be very good, and rarely bad. However it must be stressed that I am not saying that videogames should replace schoolwork, this is certainly not the case. Suffice to say that videogames can provide the youth with a satisfying and enlightening experience while also offering fun and relaxation for the player. Videogames are an aspect of this period of time that the world should grasp with open arms, and not strike down as pointless. Modern children are lucky to have the ability to learn from a world of culture, and not just a set of text books.
The source of such comments are easy to ascertain - games such as grand theft auto, state of emergency, and hooligans portray a message of deviance to the player. However, each of these games comes complete with a hefty 18 certificate, making it only legal for persons of eighteen or over. Assuming the law holds true, such games should not get into the hands of minors, in the same light as cigarettes and alcohol. However, like all adult material, the law is often broken, and material such as this is readily available to minors. OK, so children have limited access to these games, but is playing them correlative with juvenile crime? This arguable point is likely to be wholly false, if a child wants to break the law, it is within the childs own psychi, and no game or film could sway this decision.
In a contrary view, videogames can be seen as an educational tool. The modern videogame market is astonishingly huge, giving gamers a huge variety in what they want to play. This huge diversity in games must also open up a diverse world of knowledge for the player. These days games covering virtually any genre are available.
Microsoft Flight Simulator on the PC is a fantastic game, and is extremely good fun. It is also used by flight training schools as a teaching aid. The level of aviation detail covered by flight simulator is massive, and to play it properly, involves learning the skills involved. It also involves learning navigational skills and avionics which provide immense learning potential, especially for the budding engineer. Microsoft Flight Simulator is a fantastic example of how a game can be educational.
Simulations such as Flight Simulator often have huge educational potential. Simulations can scope as far as open heart surgery simulation games, such as virtual surgeon, and management sims. The young gamer can learn a heck of a lot of skills by playing them that could prove invaluable in the future. I know from experience that playing virtual surgeon has genuinely taught me the basics of coronary bypass surgery! Many of the principles I learnt from the game have proved extremely useful in cardiovascular modules of my university degree.
However, many gamers are not huge fans of simulation games, and prefer the fast paced world of action games such as Halo and Half Life. It is a die hard cynic who can claim these games have no educational value. The young player engrossed in Halo, for example, can learn a lot of scientific principles from working through this XBox hit. Principles in cryogenics, aeronautical engineering, and telecommunications are present beneath the surface, though not self evident from the game. The player can walk away feeling silently enlightened by the game's rewarding experience.
Driving games such as Gran Turismo are also of immense educational value. The budding mechanic or engineer can virtually learn all of the principles involved with the automobile. The player must understand concepts such as gear ratios, suspension, tyre wear, and spring dynamics in order to progress. These skills may appear superficial but could prove to be invaluable when the player grows older and learns to drive.
In fact every game has an educational potential for the younger player and older player alike. There is always something new to be learnt from every game that we play. This is perhaps why I feel the 'useless' tag that videogames are getting is often undeserved and irrational. In the same light as TV, videogames can be very good, and rarely bad. However it must be stressed that I am not saying that videogames should replace schoolwork, this is certainly not the case. Suffice to say that videogames can provide the youth with a satisfying and enlightening experience while also offering fun and relaxation for the player. Videogames are an aspect of this period of time that the world should grasp with open arms, and not strike down as pointless. Modern children are lucky to have the ability to learn from a world of culture, and not just a set of text books.
I have absolutely no idea whether you're being serious or not.
'the basics of coronary bypass'?
Halo teaching telecommunications??
Yeah, and Mario teaches you that eating mushrooms makes you bigger.
'the basics of coronary bypass'?
Halo teaching telecommunications??
Yeah, and Mario teaches you that eating mushrooms makes you bigger.
Flight Sim is not realistic? Flight sim is down to the very last detail realistic. Thus it is used by commercial flight schools to train pilots! The controls may look different in the cockpit, but once you tease them out, the controls are the same. Plus, for example the concorde in Flight Sim 2000, has a cockpit layout identical to the actual concorde!
It's not educational though, not tat i've ever flown a real plane but i've seen them the controls are pretty different (loads more in a real cockpit) and it is a game, education 'games' are things like "Tellytubies learn to type" ...etc
I'm pretty sure if you've got a chance of realistically achieving to fly a Boeing 747 then you've got a chance of driving a Rally car or shooting a gun at some special agents ;)
I'm pretty sure if you've got a chance of realistically achieving to fly a Boeing 747 then you've got a chance of driving a Rally car or shooting a gun at some special agents ;)
I see what you mean, and Flight Simulator may be interesting and educational, but is it fun? One of the reasons I play computergames is that it puts you in a position you can never realistically achieve, such as scroning the winning goal in the World Cup or being James Bond.
Good post though, you seem to have posted this at an even madder time!
Good post though, you seem to have posted this at an even madder time!
It is becoming a cliche to hear comments classifying videogames as a material of corruption. Videogames have often been linked to juvenile crime and deviance. They are viewed in the same light as films, which can be said to corrupt the mind of youth.
The source of such comments are easy to ascertain - games such as grand theft auto, state of emergency, and hooligans portray a message of deviance to the player. However, each of these games comes complete with a hefty 18 certificate, making it only legal for persons of eighteen or over. Assuming the law holds true, such games should not get into the hands of minors, in the same light as cigarettes and alcohol. However, like all adult material, the law is often broken, and material such as this is readily available to minors. OK, so children have limited access to these games, but is playing them correlative with juvenile crime? This arguable point is likely to be wholly false, if a child wants to break the law, it is within the childs own psychi, and no game or film could sway this decision.
In a contrary view, videogames can be seen as an educational tool. The modern videogame market is astonishingly huge, giving gamers a huge variety in what they want to play. This huge diversity in games must also open up a diverse world of knowledge for the player. These days games covering virtually any genre are available.
Microsoft Flight Simulator on the PC is a fantastic game, and is extremely good fun. It is also used by flight training schools as a teaching aid. The level of aviation detail covered by flight simulator is massive, and to play it properly, involves learning the skills involved. It also involves learning navigational skills and avionics which provide immense learning potential, especially for the budding engineer. Microsoft Flight Simulator is a fantastic example of how a game can be educational.
Simulations such as Flight Simulator often have huge educational potential. Simulations can scope as far as open heart surgery simulation games, such as virtual surgeon, and management sims. The young gamer can learn a heck of a lot of skills by playing them that could prove invaluable in the future. I know from experience that playing virtual surgeon has genuinely taught me the basics of coronary bypass surgery! Many of the principles I learnt from the game have proved extremely useful in cardiovascular modules of my university degree.
However, many gamers are not huge fans of simulation games, and prefer the fast paced world of action games such as Halo and Half Life. It is a die hard cynic who can claim these games have no educational value. The young player engrossed in Halo, for example, can learn a lot of scientific principles from working through this XBox hit. Principles in cryogenics, aeronautical engineering, and telecommunications are present beneath the surface, though not self evident from the game. The player can walk away feeling silently enlightened by the game's rewarding experience.
Driving games such as Gran Turismo are also of immense educational value. The budding mechanic or engineer can virtually learn all of the principles involved with the automobile. The player must understand concepts such as gear ratios, suspension, tyre wear, and spring dynamics in order to progress. These skills may appear superficial but could prove to be invaluable when the player grows older and learns to drive.
In fact every game has an educational potential for the younger player and older player alike. There is always something new to be learnt from every game that we play. This is perhaps why I feel the 'useless' tag that videogames are getting is often undeserved and irrational. In the same light as TV, videogames can be very good, and rarely bad. However it must be stressed that I am not saying that videogames should replace schoolwork, this is certainly not the case. Suffice to say that videogames can provide the youth with a satisfying and enlightening experience while also offering fun and relaxation for the player. Videogames are an aspect of this period of time that the world should grasp with open arms, and not strike down as pointless. Modern children are lucky to have the ability to learn from a world of culture, and not just a set of text books.
The source of such comments are easy to ascertain - games such as grand theft auto, state of emergency, and hooligans portray a message of deviance to the player. However, each of these games comes complete with a hefty 18 certificate, making it only legal for persons of eighteen or over. Assuming the law holds true, such games should not get into the hands of minors, in the same light as cigarettes and alcohol. However, like all adult material, the law is often broken, and material such as this is readily available to minors. OK, so children have limited access to these games, but is playing them correlative with juvenile crime? This arguable point is likely to be wholly false, if a child wants to break the law, it is within the childs own psychi, and no game or film could sway this decision.
In a contrary view, videogames can be seen as an educational tool. The modern videogame market is astonishingly huge, giving gamers a huge variety in what they want to play. This huge diversity in games must also open up a diverse world of knowledge for the player. These days games covering virtually any genre are available.
Microsoft Flight Simulator on the PC is a fantastic game, and is extremely good fun. It is also used by flight training schools as a teaching aid. The level of aviation detail covered by flight simulator is massive, and to play it properly, involves learning the skills involved. It also involves learning navigational skills and avionics which provide immense learning potential, especially for the budding engineer. Microsoft Flight Simulator is a fantastic example of how a game can be educational.
Simulations such as Flight Simulator often have huge educational potential. Simulations can scope as far as open heart surgery simulation games, such as virtual surgeon, and management sims. The young gamer can learn a heck of a lot of skills by playing them that could prove invaluable in the future. I know from experience that playing virtual surgeon has genuinely taught me the basics of coronary bypass surgery! Many of the principles I learnt from the game have proved extremely useful in cardiovascular modules of my university degree.
However, many gamers are not huge fans of simulation games, and prefer the fast paced world of action games such as Halo and Half Life. It is a die hard cynic who can claim these games have no educational value. The young player engrossed in Halo, for example, can learn a lot of scientific principles from working through this XBox hit. Principles in cryogenics, aeronautical engineering, and telecommunications are present beneath the surface, though not self evident from the game. The player can walk away feeling silently enlightened by the game's rewarding experience.
Driving games such as Gran Turismo are also of immense educational value. The budding mechanic or engineer can virtually learn all of the principles involved with the automobile. The player must understand concepts such as gear ratios, suspension, tyre wear, and spring dynamics in order to progress. These skills may appear superficial but could prove to be invaluable when the player grows older and learns to drive.
In fact every game has an educational potential for the younger player and older player alike. There is always something new to be learnt from every game that we play. This is perhaps why I feel the 'useless' tag that videogames are getting is often undeserved and irrational. In the same light as TV, videogames can be very good, and rarely bad. However it must be stressed that I am not saying that videogames should replace schoolwork, this is certainly not the case. Suffice to say that videogames can provide the youth with a satisfying and enlightening experience while also offering fun and relaxation for the player. Videogames are an aspect of this period of time that the world should grasp with open arms, and not strike down as pointless. Modern children are lucky to have the ability to learn from a world of culture, and not just a set of text books.