OLG Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 First, let me state that I am not trying to open up a discussion of the "values" of video gaming but it seems to me that there are some unique (or maybe not so unique) skills that a kid who is good at gaming can bring to the table. Since I don't play and just can't wrap my brain around games like World of Warcraft, I am hoping you wise folks can help me identify what some of these skills would be, besides keyboarding!! My son focused intently on WOW when he was first allowed to join and advanced to top levels quickly. What did this entail in the way of skills? See...I am a complete dunce left in the dark ages with this stuff. And since WOW did occupy a part of his free time, I thought there might be some redeeming qualities worth capturing for a resume. Many thanks for any help you can give! Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amy g. Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 My son says, "economics, trial and error, persistence, eye hand coordination, reflex time, communication skills, typing speed and logic" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shalom22 Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 My kids don't play WOW, but they do have others that they play. They both claim that they have learned their spelling and history from playing said games.:confused: So much for doing those subjects.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristineinKS Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 In addition to everything Amy G. wrote, I would say that games teach strategy and problem-solving skills. Here is an interesting article that has some other points as well, and another indicating that games train the brain to better process visual information. Here's yet another that is interesting too (World of Warcraft encourages scientific thinking, according to University of Wisconsin researchers?!)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmeliaJade Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 My son doesn't play WOW but he plays other games and is active on Lord of the Rings Online. I agree with what the others have stated. He has learned strategy, problem solving, team work. In the game he has had to earn and save money for items he wants and has had to learn to prioritize. He has also had to learn to deal with disappointment. My husband and I also play Lord of the Rings online so we know first hand what it is he is doing when he plays. I read an article--I think it was in TIME--that said WOW is a model for the future of the work place. It has something to do with the fact that future workers will need to be skilled at collaborative decision-making involving people that are all over the world. Apparently, WOW offers the perfect model for that. I don't remember all the details of the article. If I find it, I will post it. Very interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 (edited) Teaches thumb dexterity. Confers the ability to stare, glassy-eyed in one direction for hours at a time. I really am being serious when I opine that scant skills knowledge accrues to the diligent player of video games. The games are enjoyable, but it seems a real "stretch" to consider them educational. Why not just acknowledge them to be simple entertainment ? Edited September 5, 2009 by Orthodox6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenneinCA Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 Typing fluency. Reading (for some younger kids, this is a major motivator) Tenacity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmeliaJade Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 Teaches thumb dexterity. Confers the ability to stare, glassy-eyed in one direction for hours at a time. I really am being serious when I opine that scant skills knowledge accrues to the diligent player of video games. The games are enjoyable, but it seems a real "stretch" to consider them educational. Why not just acknowledge them to be simple entertainment ? Because entertainment and education are not mutually exclusive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 That I know. My observation, rather, was that people -- homeschoolers especially (generalizing) -- these days appear reluctant to admit that something is plain-vanilla "play." We (as a class) seem intent on defending everything we do as "educational" in order to protect ourselves from the absurd attacks of non-homeschoolers. From watching three boys grow up, I'm convinced that video games are "play" and nothing more. I'm totally comfortable saying this. It is not a "slam" of video games. Because entertainment and education are not mutually exclusive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacy in NJ Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 :) seriously Mine play online games that require coordination, cooperation, and communication with team mates. Many of their IRL friends play the same games and this leads to shared interests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmeliaJade Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 That I know. My observation, rather, was that people -- homeschoolers especially (generalizing) -- these days appear reluctant to admit that something is plain-vanilla "play." We (as a class) seem intent on defending everything we do as "educational" in order to protect ourselves from the absurd attacks of non-homeschoolers. From watching three boys grow up, I'm convinced that video games are "play" and nothing more. I'm totally comfortable saying this. It is not a "slam" of video games. I understand where you are coming from. However, my experience is very different. I also have three boys and I feel that video games can be very educational. I cannot think of a single game that is simply "play" and that they aren't benefiting from in some way. In fact, I can think of very little in life that is strictly play. All things come with some lesson or educational value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MistyJ Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 Teaches thumb dexterity. Confers the ability to stare, glassy-eyed in one direction for hours at a time. I really am being serious when I opine that scant skills knowledge accrues to the diligent player of video games. The games are enjoyable, but it seems a real "stretch" to consider them educational. Why not just acknowledge them to be simple entertainment ? :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secular_mom Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 In our experience, our kids have learned: strategy, learned to read some words they wouldn't have been exposed to at that age otherwise, they've learned math skills, cooperative behavior/teamwork (playing networking games with 'teams' who need to work together to accomplish the goal of the game), leadership, they have been able to make 'friends' from all over the world. My youngest 'gamer' is also the child who loves science and math- he loves to learn how things work, etc.- he is 8yo and has probably benefited the most from gaming. My 14yo has been online since she was about 8, has been a member of age- appropriate message boards (she has outgrown a few as she has gotten older). She knows how to network with people, has learned SO MUCH about when it's worth it to argue a point and when it's best to walk away, has learned a great deal by learning about other peoples cultures/lifestyles/perspectives. She has made friends from many different countries (Singapore, Thailand, Ireland, Australia, Wales, U.K., Japan)- they Skype sometimes. She has learned much more from people online than she would have 'IRL'. She has been aware of internet safety from the age of 8, she is very diligent about protecting her identity and is very guarded about what information she shares with her friends. She monitors her own downloads, and pretty much runs her computer by herself- occasionally she'll ask DH for help/input with something. I am very happy with my children's gaming/internet experience- I really wouldn't change anything. Different people learn in different ways, and it frustrates me when people poo-poo something that works for others and insist it has absolutely no educational value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in the Country Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 Teaches thumb dexterity. Confers the ability to stare, glassy-eyed in one direction for hours at a time. I really am being serious when I opine that scant skills knowledge accrues to the diligent player of video games. The games are enjoyable, but it seems a real "stretch" to consider them educational. Why not just acknowledge them to be simple entertainment ? This may be true of some video games, but honestly WoW requires a bit of strategy. It would teach a child tactics, cooperatively working in a group, and politics if they end up in a guild. There is a bit of math as well. Sites like Elitist Jerks make my head spin with the amount of thought that can go into some of this. Games like WoW are a far cry from a sidescrolling platformer like Super Mario, or a puzzle game like Bejeweled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLG Posted September 5, 2009 Author Share Posted September 5, 2009 Thank you, thank you, one and all!! Terrific responses and many things I never considered. Appreciate the supporting links too!! You have all given me lots to chew on. Much appreciated! Speaking to "learning" for a moment, I agree that we are in "learn mode" all the time, at least around here. Learning is fun! IT need not be grueling although sometimes it is like working through an algebra 2 expansion or a physics problem but those parts are usually only a part of the whole overall process which is still entertaining and educational. One is not mutually exclusive of the other, imho. And, I was NOT looking for ways to "beef up"a resume for my student, We already have accomplished twice the amount of any public high school through the use of accredited outside sources and colleges. I was just curious as to how WOW might have actually contributed to his success in his courses. Thanks to you ladies, I see lots of reasons!! Enjoy your weekend! Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn in OH Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 Reading Cooperation and Team Work: a lot of games have activities that require a group to do them. Math; Money Management and Budgeting: In many games you need to buy items such as food, weapons, armor, and healing potions. Hand-eye coordination Strategy and Tactics Typing Social Skills Business Skills: I played a game where you could own your own store. You had to obtain the items to sell, understand how to price them competitively yet still yield a profit and you had to pay the rental space for your vendor. Independent Thinking Multi-tasking Time Management Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 ReadingCooperation and Team Work: a lot of games have activities that require a group to do them. Math; Money Management and Budgeting: In many games you need to buy items such as food, weapons, armor, and healing potions. Hand-eye coordination Strategy and Tactics Typing Social Skills Business Skills: I played a game where you could own your own store. You had to obtain the items to sell, understand how to price them competitively yet still yield a profit and you had to pay the rental space for your vendor. Independent Thinking Multi-tasking Time Management It will be interesting to see if those learned skills translate into real life as the next generation filters into the workplace. My 24 year old son is a video game 'addict' and NONE of those skills have translated to his real life success. He is terrible with money, awful at thinking and planning ahead, has terrible business skills, and is terrible at time management. His time would be much better spent in real life activities that offered real life feedback. If I had it to do over again, I'd severely limit access to videos games during his growing up years. Nothing good seems to come of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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