Video Games and Learning

Your Brain of Video Games

In this video, Your Brain of Video Games, the major argument presented is that video games, in reasonable doses, have many powerful and positive effects on our behavior.

Claims

1.  Action video games, rather than harming your eyesight actually helps to improve your vision.
2. Playing action games does not lead to attention problems or greater distractibility. All attention contolling parts of the brain are much more efficient in people that play video games.
3. People that play action video games are better multi-taskers and can switch their attention from one thing to another more quickly.

Are Video Games Making Your Kids Smarter?

In this video, Are Video Games Making Your Kids Smarter?, the major argument presented is that our world is too slow for our children to appreciate rather than them being too distracted by the world.

Claims

1. Kids are expected in video games to require many skills and high amounts of multitasking.
2. Games are wired to produce pleasure, and you keep seeking that activity.
3. Gamification, the process of using game thinking and game mechanics to engage audiences and solve problems, is being used by "generation G." 

Big Thinkers: Katie Salen on Learning with Games

In this video, Big Thinkers: Katie Salen on Learning with Games, the major argument is that games today are very important and influential in the learning process.

Claims

1. Games get at the kinds of learning experiences and social practices that we see important in the 21st century.
2. Games work in a way that good teachers work. Designers have to ask what does my player need in this moment in order to be successful.
3. Teachers should realize that the game does not need to be the entire curriculum, but just one aspect to better help kids in the learning process.