Video Games and Education
You already know by now that I play video games, but to what extent? Well, video games are the hobby that takes up a big chunk of my time, the main video game I play and have played since 2012 is one of the most popular competitive games in the world; League of Legends. I've been through a lot with this game; I met some of the best friends I'll ever get to meet through this game, I dropped courses for this game (not my friends, but the competitiveness), I went through serious depression because I wanted to play this game at a professional level and thought I never might, depression led to more addiction as though it were a cycle, which led to more academic withdrawals and my parents' wasted money, and I came out of it still believing it is the best thing that ever happened to me. This is purely anecdotal, but I could not be the person I am today without it. However, not everyone reflects on past experiences as I, and I am incredibly lucky to have recovered from the downward spiral I fell in so deeply because I was addicted to a video game. I currently play it casually and can go weeks without playing it, but it was also an addiction and anything done to an addictive extent is definitely destructive. Right now, Fortnite has taken over the planet and a new addiction is born. There is very little to gain from these gains other than interaction with others, which is often crass (from personal experience) and does not reflect real life interaction, which is why video game recluses are often depicted as awkward and unpopular in movies.
I have to say, however, that not all video games are on that boat. I spoke of my current personal preference of video games, and I'll use the example of a game known as God of War. This is not a competitive multiplayer game which is played indefinitely. It is, instead, a linear game with a beginning and an end which has an incredible narrative, some of the best storytelling ever, and a script that is touching, witty and, well, perhaps not authentic since it was set in Nordic England but it did have interactions between characters that felt very relatable. It had modern language and structure that is easy to follow and sparsely used difficult vocabulary words, which are mostly of the Nordic mythos and lore. The thing is, though, is that it's also fun as heck! It's a video game, which means it'll appeal to a huge chunk of school goers while also offering an incredible story. I can talk for hours about this game which I never played but experienced through a streamer playing the game himself. This begs the question; why are video games looked down upon where books do nearly the same thing?
Well, it's mostly parenting. Many parents give kids free reign over the games they can and can not play and this leads to exposure to some toxic time-wasters and not enough artistic masterpieces that can eventually coerce them into reading an actual book. Truly I do believe that video games have benefits in exactly the same manner literature does provided the right games are consumed and other games are, at the very least, monitored in their usage.
I have to say, however, that not all video games are on that boat. I spoke of my current personal preference of video games, and I'll use the example of a game known as God of War. This is not a competitive multiplayer game which is played indefinitely. It is, instead, a linear game with a beginning and an end which has an incredible narrative, some of the best storytelling ever, and a script that is touching, witty and, well, perhaps not authentic since it was set in Nordic England but it did have interactions between characters that felt very relatable. It had modern language and structure that is easy to follow and sparsely used difficult vocabulary words, which are mostly of the Nordic mythos and lore. The thing is, though, is that it's also fun as heck! It's a video game, which means it'll appeal to a huge chunk of school goers while also offering an incredible story. I can talk for hours about this game which I never played but experienced through a streamer playing the game himself. This begs the question; why are video games looked down upon where books do nearly the same thing?
Well, it's mostly parenting. Many parents give kids free reign over the games they can and can not play and this leads to exposure to some toxic time-wasters and not enough artistic masterpieces that can eventually coerce them into reading an actual book. Truly I do believe that video games have benefits in exactly the same manner literature does provided the right games are consumed and other games are, at the very least, monitored in their usage.
Video games just like anything in life has it's advantages and disadvantages at the same time. but nowa days education is moving toward such activities instead of lecturing and learning is much attractive for children.
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