7) Complexity Matters: What Most Adults Don't Understand About Games
8) What Kids Learn That's POSITIVE From Playing Computer Games
9) The Motivation of Gameplay
10) Adaptivity in Games- Really Leaving No Child Behind
11) It's Not Just the Games- It's the System
Section three is all about how games have changed, how they work, and most importantly, how they are teaching kids. This adds more background into the world of video games, which is very helpful for people reading this book who don't have a strong idea of what video games consist of today. This really propels his argument forward by dispelling the idea that video games are mindless and unproductive. Prensky talks about game designers and the different components that go into making a game. The idea of "leveling-up" in a game gives appeal to the user who feels a sense of accomplishment. Also games have to worry about staying in the narrow zone between being too had and too easy.
He talks about the importance of complexity and the difference between today's and yesterday's games. With the increase in complexity of today's games adaptivity adds another necessary quality to the attraction. This is where leaving no child behind comes into play. With the adaptivity of today's games, students can be challenged and learn from the same game even if they are at different levels of education.
This reminded my of a reading written by Stephen Kline, called "Origins of an Industry: Cold Warriors, Hackers, and Suits". This article talks about the origins of video games and why they were originally created. Interestingly enough, Kline talks about how a lot of experimenting with digital technology started with the military funded group, ARPANET. They worked with and supported academic inquiry in institutions with cutting-edge "artificial intelligence" departments. At the beginning of video game research, designers focused on navigation and display as the foundation of digital interactive entertainment. A lot of games were directed towards emulating scientific processes. For instance, MIT bioscience researchers created the Game of Life to simulate the evolutionary process. The part that is most relatable to this part of Prensky's book is an exempt talking about how designers had to figure out what would attract game players to their games. Kline talks about allowing the audience to explore the nooks and crannies and to let them generate causes and observe effects. This is important because it shows the thought process behind video games and why they can teach today's children.
No comments:
Post a Comment