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January 20, 2011
The use of video games as academic booster and disabilities renovator
From the time when computer was invented and became the most successful discovery in human history, more and more powerful and helpful inventions came about entirely for the sake of our life convenience and handiness. That is saying one of these great inventions is video game. Since these few decades, software and game engineers have been developing and introducing their up to date and entertaining devices to our society, that are to say video games have been being developed gradually along with time went by.
Despite the growing popularity of video games and computers; there are still hundreds and thousands of negative thoughts heard everywhere from our society. Undoubtedly, many people claim video games as no more than only as entertaining devices, time wasters, and worse, they claim these games are rotting the brain. A study claimed the stereotypes of gamers are mostly fat and depressed is revealing absolutely nothing. (Choney, S. (2008)).This study exposed nothing due to the inappropriateness of claiming gamers as mostly overweight, lazy, and unsociable cave dwellers. In fact, there are so many successful, healthy and happy gamers around the world according to a recent survey that investigated gamers’ thoughts and their living conditions that wholly against the overrated study above. (Choney, S. (2009)).
Regardless of these prejudices, many psychologists and scientists believed that video games in reality contribute numerous benefits. Primarily, video games can be used to enhance academic performances- making people smart. And also, video games recently are used to renovate and to repair mental and physical disabilities in many therapists.
Foremost, the benefit of video games to improve academic performances is true and can’t be underestimated. Video game has become another alternative tool to conduct teaching and learning activities like in the classroom, but, studying from video games is far greater more fun than studying in the class room. Topics that are taught in the classroom can be learnt from video games more easily. For example, many games allow players to accumulate points or money to manage their virtual businesses; e.g. developing city. They can purchase things according to their interests and affect market circumstances. If the players are facing bankruptcy, they can borrow money from the virtual banks. However, it’s not as easy as they thought; video game is a replica of the real world. The consequences that come about in the video games are caused by the actions taken before. Thus, when they are facing bankruptcy, for example, they have to be aware of their surroundings; e.g. current point of interest rate in the country. If the interest rate is too high, players should not borrow money from the bank, because the money that has to be returned afterward is greater than the money that they have borrowed. If they still borrow money from the bank, they could destroy their businesses and slow the economy down. This game is based on the fundamentals of business and economy studies which are lectured in colleges and happen in actual life. And there are so many more subjects beside economy and business that are presented in the other kind of games. Students will be more willing to study their related subjects on this way; because it’s more interesting to them. They also could directly understand the consequences that would happen from different actions. If they lose to run their businesses, most likely they would play the game over and over again; because it’s fun. In consequence, they would master the skills, apply them in real life, and score well in their test papers.
The illustration above is an example of video games that formerly based on educational purpose; however, we may wonder about video games that are not related to the topics taught in the colleges. Games like racing cars, shooting games, sports games are not discussed in the classroom at all; but still, these games give numerous benefits in our academic performances. They give our brain a good work out. In the game context, we are given a set of rules to follow and we must solve the best strategy to achieve the goals of the game. It teaches us to digest and process visual information more quickly; and also it strengthens our memory which is a part of academic performance and development.
In RPG game, for instance, we must remember a lot of places in order to complete the quests and win the game. The game trains our memory to retain the information faster and recall it when needed on response. In shooting games, the character may be running and shooting at the same time. We must then coordinate our brain’s interpretation and reaction with the movement in our hands and fingertips. This process requires a great deal of eye-hand coordination to collect information, process that information, and make decisions, all in a shorter time span. These games have become a reason given by experts as to why fighter pilots of today are more skillful. This is because the generation’s pilots in the USA have been being weaned on video games. (Learning From the Past: A Fighter Pilot’s Obligation. (1984)). Furthermore, according to a study done by the University of Rochester, people who played action video games are able to process visual information faster than non-video game players. (Game on: Professors say video games have academic advantages. (2007)).
During my last Ied’l fitr break, I’ve noticed how video games can increase our academic performances. This is a case within my family; my 10 years old sister, who doesn’t play any video games, has a little difficulty to communicate with her friends and elder people. She is a shy and a quiet person; but in spite of this, she performs quite well in her study. In the other side, my 9 years old cousin who plays video games 5-7 hours in a week has no difficulty at all to communicate with his friends or elder people. He is a talk-active, funny and smart kid. Everyone knows him because he won a science competition in his hometown. I believe that video games have important role in his abilities. Video games make him to think more critically and allow him to socialize more with anyone in this world. Unlike my sister who spares her time to only watch her favorite TV channels every day which makes her less sociable with the outside world. The academic performance difference between my sister and my cousin is believed because of the ability of video games to increase their reading and math skills (The Good and Bad Effects of Video Games. (2005)).
Not only able to increase academic performances, video games also able to fix many mental and physical disabilities. This is the most difficult and the most rewarding part of game development processes. Creating something that accessible to a large of group of people who had varying disabilities is dignified yet it is very hard to do.
A new study conducted by scholars at the Universite de Quebec in Quebec, revealing computer games (which are also video games) indeed can be used to treat people with phobias. The belief behind this treatment method is that exposing people to the source of their fear within a controlled environment may actually lead to a cure. (Extra Rx for phobias: Video games. (2003). When compared to other forms of treatment, the benefits of using computer games to cure phobias are:
1. Affordable. Other forms of treatment can easily cost thousands of dollars while a computer game can be purchased for usually under a hundred bucks,
2. Easy to adapt games to suit an individual’s specific fears in order to create a customized treatment plan by the therapists.
Two of the most common phobias that have been treated with computer games are a fear of confined spaces and heights.
Furthermore, when Nintendo Wii was released in 2006; psychoanalysts and therapists are really helped so much by this new invention to fix mental and physical disabilities that endured by their patients. Nintendo Wii is a new marvelous game console released from Nintendo that has been being used in several different medical specialties including therapeutic exercises, stroke recovery, spinal cord / brain injury rehab, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and Autism. (Learn about using your Wii to improve strength, balance, and coordination. (2009)). It’s a new development of video games that is used in medical application to augment therapies of physical, cognitive, behavioral by using Nintendo’s new motion-sensitive gaming platform under the guidance of trained and licensed healthcare professional. Many patients are satisfied with this new rehabilitation method, which they called Wii-Hab instead of rehab. However, not only Wii, another different game console from Sony, PlayStation 2 also can be used in different medical specialties. Moreover, Playstation 2 which is embedded with a S.M.A.R.T brain games system that consist of a special controller, a helmet with built-in sensors for monitoring brain activity and a Smartbox that receives the brain signals could give another tremendous alternative to conduct more specific therapies.
In addition, video games can be used as a tool in therapy to cure wounded troops after the wars. It has been used and d recommended by the U.S and Germany military departments to treat their soldiers after the recent wars with Afghanistan and Iraq ( Schnauzer , S. (2007).). According to a survey, wounded troops tend to recover faster when they used video games during the rehabilitation process (Snider, M. (2005).). Many soldiers are satisfied with this new method, and most of them couldn’t believe what video games have done to help them during their rehabilitation treatments.
In the conclusion, due to the abilities of video games that can improve our reading and math skills, our ability to collect visual information, and can give our brain a real good work out, video games are said to be beneficial to improve our academic performances. Furthermore, due to the fact of the increasing numbers of interactive educational video games made based on the topics lectured in the universities in the public, video games no longer can be blamed as the root of laziness that occur in the children, instead of that, video games have convert a ‘classic’ boring teaching learning method to more fun, acceptable and understandable teaching and learning style. In consequences, many more children will be willing to study and thus increase their academic performances. Besides that, video games also have been proven to be able to renovate many mental, physical and behavioral disabilities that endured by many people these days in our society. Thus, generally speaking, playing video games is really beneficial in our lives.
References:
Sitzmann, T., PhD. (2010). Video Games Can Be Highly Effective Training Tools, Study Shows: Employees Learn More, Forget Less, Master More Skills. Retrieved October 21, 2010 from Science News: http://www.sciencedaily.com/ releases/ 2010/ 10/ 101019171854.htm .
Jackson, L. (2010). Video games, cell phones and academic performance: Some good news. Retrieved October 19, 2010 from news: http://news.msu.edu/story/6096/.
Choney, S. (2008). Study: Average gamer is 35, fat and bummed. Retrieved October 13, 2010 from msnbc, games on msnbc: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32463904/ns/ technology_and_science-games/.
Choney, S. (2009). Gamer study reinforces stereotypes; players say they’re happy and healthy, not fat like the study suggests. Retrieved October 13, 2010 from msnbc, Technology and science on msnbc: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32555719.
Learning From the Past: A Fighter Pilot’s Obligation. (1984). Retrieved October 13, 2010 from Global Security: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/1984/hew.htm.
The Good and Bad Effects of Video Games. (2005). Retrieved October 12, 2010 from raise smart kids: http://www.raisesmartkid.com/raise-smart-preschool-kid-articles/the-good-and-bad-effects-of-video.html.
Mankiw, G. N. (2007). Principles of Economics. 5191 Natorp Boulevard Mason, OH 45040 USA: Steve Momper.
Game on: Professors say video games have academic advantages. (2007). Retrieved October 09, 2010 from dailynorthwestern: http://www.dailynorthwestern.com/ 2.13894/ game-on-professors-say-video-games-have-academic-advantages-1.1923075.
Extra Rx for phobias: Video games. (2003). Retrieved October 12, 2010 from msn: http://moneycentral.msn.com/ c ontent/ invest/ extra/ p63794.asp .
Snider, M. (2005). Video games actually can be good for you . Retrieved October 12, 2010 from USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/ tech/ products/ games/ 2005-09-26-video-game-therapy_x.htm.
Schonauer , S. (2007). Wii being used as therapy tool for wounded troops. Retrieved October 11, 2010 from Stars and Stripes: http://www.stripes.com/ news/ wii-being-used-as-therapy-tool-for-wounded-troops-1.65316.
