So in class we have discussed how firing a gun and pushing buttons do not equate. I agree with this "fact" however I am under the impression that there is a lot more learning in games than we want to admit. You may not have 100% accuracy in the field after playing Doom or America's Army; but does that mean playing the game didn't help at all? Some games are meant for entertainment but others are purely to facilitate learning such as children's games. What about adults and teenagers? I want to know who is thinking about us? Apparently Nintendo and few other companies are thinking about us, and they are sick of us rotting our brains.
My question is "if firing a gun and pushing buttons are so completely separate, then are these "crazy" games Nintendo keeps cookin' up worthless?"
14 comments:
The games are not worthless because the player is learning. It is still not the same as a first person shooter game. The player does not learn in the same way. These brain games exercise the brain and are developed for that purpose. It isn't teaching you to kill either. The fps are not in any way trying to enrich and exercise your brain. They are simply just for fun. Pushing the shoot button still doesn't teach you to kill. A normal/sane person can't just kill without real world proper training.
I believe that firing a gun and pushing a button on a video game controller should not be related, but this is a different concept than Nintendo's new learning games. Nintendo is using basic concepts such as math, memory enhancement, and other "brain training" games. These concepts which are beneficial and can be easily adapted to over a virtual medium. I would compare these games to using a pencil and working out math or logic problems. Now, its not too hard to scribble down a few number...and last time i checked no one got killed from guessing a math problem correctly. This is alot different than correlating the use of a gun with video game violence.
As much as we don't like to admit it there are other skills people develop in FPSs that relate to killing or war scenarios besides "marksmanship" or reflexes. Thinking strategically, for example. Learning how to take cover in your surroundings. Anticipating your "enemy's" movements. Alot of these skills are a little less controversial because they aren't directly related to guns or violence, but effectually they are perhaps more effective and dangerous than developing "marksman" skills via some keys and a mouse. Anectdotally, I can say that the strategy and teamwork skills translate more directly to "productive" behavior in a real world combat simulation like paintball vs. the watered down "marksmanship" skill video games provide.
I think that the games like BrainAge, etc, do have some degree of learning involved. The teach and are just in a different media. An interactive device is still teaching and allowing one to learn even if it isn't a book or learned in a classroom. Today in schools, teachers use computer games for spelling and math to aid in learning. Children are more interested in an interactive "teacher" than one that tells them what is. They want to learn it on their own and experience it.
I don't think video games are as worthless as you seem to portray them. Personally I've learned millions of cool military tactics, weaponry, strategies, and some historical trivia along the way.
Not to mention I can pwn like it's my job.
However, I also happened to be flying to California over break and watched a very professional, monkey suit and all man whip out his leather case only to then pull out a Nintendo DS along with a brain training game and then start playing. I've played them, they're alright but I mean if it makes gamer haters sleep better at night knowing theres some popular educational games out there then sure pump um out.
I think that these games are made for entertainment and to display our culture. People develop games to make money and for some reason violence sells. I don't think these give people a sense on how to shoot and kill someone just like how I think guitar hero doesn't teach someone to play the guitar. It just puts images into your head and can sometimes confuse people into thinking they are in a certain reality.
I dont think the games are worthless. I believe that the person participating or playing the game is getting some sort or learning out of it. I think the brain exercise games are developed for that purpose, just to exercise the brain. I don't think people learn the same way as they do from the games developed for brain exercises, as from first person shooter games. I think your supposed to learn from the brain games, and the shooting games are just for fun. I don't think a person who has been playing shooting games could actually pick up a gun and know what to do.
The games are different, but at the same time they are similar was well. I definitely don't believe that using a gun controller is going to teach you how to shoot a real gun. But you will be able to learn how to use accuracy and other things like that. You might also be able to pick up other skill here and there. But really, after playing a game you can't expect to be able to pick up a gun and fire it correctly or even have the same feeling while firing it. This is because it is not the same. You don't have the same feeling when you are playing a game than when you are killing people in real like (at least normally). Playing a game doesn't teach you to kill people, it teaches you objectives and goals. Killing people in real life is simply just killing people.
I think that what you're saying is very true. If you are "learning" how to fire a gun then why wouldn't these "true educational" games sell. I think that these games that Nintendo are putting out really do help expand people's minds. I do also believe that by playing a war game you would have some insight into how to fire a gun and how to reload it. Would that make you ready to go into battle...absolutely not however it does give you some insight into how these things work and I do believe that these are negatives of video games.
no and yes. there are certain things you cannot learn from a video game, but at the same time there are many things you can learn. of course, the best way to learn how to fire a gun is to go fire a gun, but there are other tactical aspects that can be acquired from playing a video game. games arent entirely useless, but they are not sufficient training for someone who wants to go join the armed services.
Those games are not worthless, people are definitely learning from them. But whether that is a good or bad thing is really a matter of what game you're playing. Nintendo knows very well how influential their games are, and they know they can make a profit from it. Games like America's Army are subconsciously training the player to be a soldier. Games like that help to develop certain skills that can transfer into real life. Now you may not be an expert marksman, like you are in the game, but you can definitely see that signs of better aim. Video games really are not worthless, because something is being learned from them.
Intelligent video games exercise our brains by making us remember and connect things together. Thats how your brain exercises by making connections to other things and remembering it. I guess you could say shooting video games teach us how to shoot because we point the gun at them and thats how it is in real life. Although you have to factor in recoil, safety trigger, loading the cartridge but why would you learn that in a video game when you can learn it from a hunting guide ect?.
I can see how one would believe that because these learning types of video games have been proven effective, that other types of games would rub off on our brain too. The only problem is, when it comes to first-person shooters, a normal/sane person can differentiate between what is real and what is not. It is obvious that pushing a button on their controller to fire a gun and kill someone is not realistic or humane. It is simply a game. These types of distinctions are not needed when it comes to learning video games because these games present no moral or ethical issue.
I don't think the games are worthless. Although no game is going to prepare anyone for a real life experience, I do think that every little bit of information or experience that can relate to something helps. For example if you seen a movie or read a book about flying but never have been on a plane, you still know things about a plane because of that experience. The same is true with video games, although I don't think that video games should be the only form of training or learning, they do help to bring some knowledge and skill to the table.
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