Monday, November 22, 2010
The Right Decision
Playing games could improve your decision-making
There is a lot of evidence that games are good for us.
In fact, it’s getting to the point where a small dose of online games (a few hours a week), is probably good for you.
Research from the University of Rochester seems to say so, and they have come to some interesting conclusions.
After dividing their test subjects into two groups, one was made to play action games while the other was made to play strategy games.
Both groups were then asked to make decisions on a number of tasks. In these tasks, participants had to look at a screen, analyze a situation, and answer a question as fast as possible.
The results: Action gamers made decisions up to 25% faster, while answering as many correct questions as the second group!
This means that playing online games isn’t a waste of time like many have claimed over the years.
In fact, this research points in the opposite direction, and it says playing a fast-paced game like Plants vs. Zombies can help boost your decision-making!
Of course, this doesn’t mean that one should suddenly be playing 80 hours of games a week. Just like everything else in life, playing games should be done in moderation.
Here is another artical on gamings.
Playing games could improve your decision-making
There is a lot of evidence that games are good for us.
In fact, it’s getting to the point where a small dose of online games (a few hours a week), is probably good for you.
Research from the University of Rochester seems to say so, and they have come to some interesting conclusions.
After dividing their test subjects into two groups, one was made to play action games while the other was made to play strategy games.
Both groups were then asked to make decisions on a number of tasks. In these tasks, participants had to look at a screen, analyze a situation, and answer a question as fast as possible.
The results: Action gamers made decisions up to 25% faster, while answering as many correct questions as the second group!
This means that playing online games isn’t a waste of time like many have claimed over the years.
In fact, this research points in the opposite direction, and it says playing a fast-paced game like Plants vs. Zombies can help boost your decision-making!
Of course, this doesn’t mean that one should suddenly be playing 80 hours of games a week. Just like everything else in life, playing games should be done in moderation.
Here is another artical on gamings.
what we could have been, 10:44 PM.
The Future is Now
October 27, 2010
Gaming in schools is now a reality
A recent article on MatchMove spoke about the need to bring gaming back into schools, and about why this would be a positive change. This was backed with some research by respected researchers like Diana G. Oblinger, and Richard van Eck.
Well, it seems like games having a regular presence in the classroom isn’t as far away as we first thought.
In fact, there are already schools that use gaming as part of their regular course load.
One such school is the Quest to Learn (Q2L) institution. Based in New York, it is a school that believes in creating a learning experience for “digital kids”, or those who are growing up in the computer generation
Books aren’t engaging enough for this generation’s students
Make no mistake; students at Q2L do not spend all day playing “commercial” games. Instead, specific games are specially chosen to be used as tools. They allow students to step into the shoes of explorers, historians, or mathematicians. The program is about creating a rich learning experience, one that students love to take part in.
The Argyle Secondary School in Vancouver also sports a similar program. According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the founder of Argyle’s Digital Media Academy (DMA) says students felt more engaged by classes involving game design.
Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Education is simply evolving to be relevant with today’s fast paced world. What worked twenty years ago isn’t guaranteed to be effective now. It’s not that teachers need to completely change the way they work, it’s more like they need to change with the times.
The next generation is going to need even more engagement
It is good to see that educators are beginning to see the value of gaming. Hopefully, this trend will continue into the future.
SO gaming will be for the next generation? This is one of an article!
October 27, 2010
Gaming in schools is now a reality
A recent article on MatchMove spoke about the need to bring gaming back into schools, and about why this would be a positive change. This was backed with some research by respected researchers like Diana G. Oblinger, and Richard van Eck.
Well, it seems like games having a regular presence in the classroom isn’t as far away as we first thought.
In fact, there are already schools that use gaming as part of their regular course load.
One such school is the Quest to Learn (Q2L) institution. Based in New York, it is a school that believes in creating a learning experience for “digital kids”, or those who are growing up in the computer generation
Books aren’t engaging enough for this generation’s students
Make no mistake; students at Q2L do not spend all day playing “commercial” games. Instead, specific games are specially chosen to be used as tools. They allow students to step into the shoes of explorers, historians, or mathematicians. The program is about creating a rich learning experience, one that students love to take part in.
The Argyle Secondary School in Vancouver also sports a similar program. According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the founder of Argyle’s Digital Media Academy (DMA) says students felt more engaged by classes involving game design.
Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Education is simply evolving to be relevant with today’s fast paced world. What worked twenty years ago isn’t guaranteed to be effective now. It’s not that teachers need to completely change the way they work, it’s more like they need to change with the times.
The next generation is going to need even more engagement
It is good to see that educators are beginning to see the value of gaming. Hopefully, this trend will continue into the future.
SO gaming will be for the next generation? This is one of an article!
what we could have been, 10:35 PM.
