Games are un-educational? really?

Borealis7

Platinum Member
Oct 19, 2006
2,914
205
106
When I have kids, I will FORCE them to play computer games!
growing up through my teen years I have learned so much from playing computer games. from foreign languages (which english is to me) to History, Physics, Literature, Math and strategic thinking.

I started playing games around age 9. I knew very little english but enough to discern some key words. One day my father brought me a weird game, like nothing i've ever played before, I wasn't old enough to understand it but spending lots of time on it I eventually got the point. that game was Civilization 1.

the more I got into the game, the more I had to read english instructions and paragraphs about history and everything that has to do with the game.
so basically, Sid Meier (sp?) was my english teacher.

later on, after I knew ho to speak english well and I matured a bit, I started playing fantasy RPGs which exposed me to the more literary side of english. I expanded my vocabulary in ways I couldn't have gotten from mainstream media such as TV or films. (books don't count...I dont enjoy reading that much)

To anyone who says computer games "corrupt our youths" I say pick better games for your children to play. So Thank You oh "wonderful computer games industry" for enriching our lives.

 

Lonyo

Lifer
Aug 10, 2002
21,939
6
81
There are a lot of ways in which games can be educational (even non-educational games) in terms of approaching problems etc as well.
But the other value which can be gained (outside the game itself) is if it then causes someone to get an interest in something that they then develop outside the game, like reading more about WW2 if they've been playing a WW2 game, or reading more about ancient history due to Age of Empires/Total War etc.

There are lots of ways in which games can be good outside just giving people a direct lesson.
 

Smilin

Diamond Member
Mar 4, 2002
7,357
0
0
My dad bought this for my original IBM PCjr when I was a kid...

http://www.warrenrobinett.com/rockysboots/index.html

The game was basically the same thing as some 2nd year EE class I took in college. College!


My daugher (2 years old) can name basically any animal you can show her because of sitting on my lap while I play this 'take pictures on an African safari' game.

Even games that are not expressly designed for education can educate. I learned a great deal of history spanning the stone age to the fall of rome to the rennisance from playing AoE and Empire Earth.


My kids will definately play games if they choose. There will be some "get your ass outside and play" of course as well as close supervision to be sure I don't have a 5 year old playing GTA IV. Common parental sense.


 

Smilin

Diamond Member
Mar 4, 2002
7,357
0
0
BTW I stole your sig to use as my MSN messenger quote for a few days. 2d10 fire damage.
 

Maximilian

Lifer
Feb 8, 2004
12,603
9
81
Yeah i learned a lot, hitler was a jerk, tiberium is bad, and teleportation experiments never ever end well.
 

nakedfrog

No Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
58,055
12,245
136
Originally posted by: Smilin
My dad bought this for my original IBM PCjr when I was a kid...

http://www.warrenrobinett.com/rockysboots/index.html

The game was basically the same thing as some 2nd year EE class I took in college. College!

Yeah, I played the heck out of that when I was 6 or so. Then I took the ASVAB to join the military and scored a 92 electronics without really knowing what I was doing, I just figured "Well, that one looks right... dunno why, but it does" :p
 

AstroManLuca

Lifer
Jun 24, 2004
15,628
5
81
I learned a lot about WWII from the Close Combat series. I also learned a lot about economics from Escape Velocity (a space trading game like Freelancer).
 

Borealis7

Platinum Member
Oct 19, 2006
2,914
205
106
Originally posted by: Smilin
BTW I stole your sig to use as my MSN messenger quote for a few days. 2d10 fire damage.
You're welcome. but i didnt come up with it. i think its from Futurama or something.
still a great joke for D&D geeks :D
 

digiram

Diamond Member
Apr 17, 2004
3,991
172
106
I think something is wrong with my son. He just turned 3, and his favorite game on the PC is MS Word. Well, he thinks it's a game. The kid just loves letters and numbers.
 

Xavier434

Lifer
Oct 14, 2002
10,377
1
0
My kid is 5 and has been playing video games since he was about 2. He has learned a great deal from them and much to my surprise. I never believed video games were bad for kids in general and I knew they were capable of teaching some useful material, but I underestimated how good of a job that they can do. For example, it has given him a big jump start to his reading and spelling skills and he isn't even playing those educational games that are out there.
 

acheron

Diamond Member
May 27, 2008
3,171
2
81
Originally posted by: digiram
I think something is wrong with my son. He just turned 3, and his favorite game on the PC is MS Word. Well, he thinks it's a game. The kid just loves letters and numbers.

When I was 2 or 3 my favorite game was Lotus 1-2-3, which I called "the letters and numbers game".
 

CP5670

Diamond Member
Jun 24, 2004
5,508
586
126
At that age, I used to play a "game" in some spreadsheet program where I would randomly scatter some letters among the cells and then move around with the arrow keys and try to delete them all as fast as possible. :D
 

invidia

Platinum Member
Oct 8, 2006
2,151
1
0
All gaming has done for me is to react and think faster in fast-paced situations than someone who doesn't play video games.
 

Smilin

Diamond Member
Mar 4, 2002
7,357
0
0
I do have some wicked reaction times that I assume is from years of video games.

If I drop something or bump something over on a table or in say a kitchen cabinet I always end up catching it before I even realized I had meant to. It's kinda spooky in an almost premenition way. The wife sees and comments on it a lot.

My mom tells me she thought I was basically f'n retarded when I was a kid because I'd inevitably try to feed spaghetti into my forehead and had this terrible hand coordination. Clearly I was not born with solid hand to eye coordination. Video games easily remedied that...just gotta get the retarded thing fixed now.

 

Xavier434

Lifer
Oct 14, 2002
10,377
1
0
I forgot to mention that my logical problem solving skills have also benefited a lot from various video games and I am also starting to see that with my son as he gets older and is getting interested in more complex games.
 

Piuc2020

Golden Member
Nov 4, 2005
1,716
0
0
Yeah video games are great, they are very educational (all games) and they are helpful for your sight, your perspective, your hand-eye coordination, your logic skills, reading and writing, for foreigners they are incredible english-learning tools and they require you to use your brain or at least have some cerebral activity when playing them unlike other forms of entertainment like TV or movies. Also games like Civilization IV can teach you a lot of history, after every game I usually spend 30 or 60 more minutes just reading the Civilopedia.

Besides, they are just plain fun :) I won't force my kids to play games but I'll definitely encourage it if they find it to their liking. Also, while gaming is good it can also become a dangerous thing, getting obsessed with gaming can usually result in diminished social skills so sometimes it's good to control kids, I remember my parents used to hide my controllers and stuff until I grew up to the point where gaming anytime time I wanted or for whatever time I wanted did not interfere with my studies or social skills/life. For example, I'll never let my children play a MMORPG, not only are they mediocre games but they can be dangerously addictive. Also, I wouldn't let a child play online, there's too much stupidity and frustration to be found online.

But other than that, I agree, games are definitely healthy :thumbsup:

 

Xavier434

Lifer
Oct 14, 2002
10,377
1
0
Originally posted by: Piuc2020
Yeah video games are great, they are very educational (all games) and they are helpful for your sight, your perspective, your hand-eye coordination, your logic skills, reading and writing, for foreigners they are incredible english-learning tools and they require you to use your brain or at least have some cerebral activity when playing them unlike other forms of entertainment like TV or movies. Also games like Civilization IV can teach you a lot of history, after every game I usually spend 30 or 60 more minutes just reading the Civilopedia.

Besides, they are just plain fun :) I won't force my kids to play games but I'll definitely encourage it if they find it to their liking. Also, while gaming is good it can also become a dangerous thing, getting obsessed with gaming can usually result in diminished social skills so sometimes it's good to control kids, I remember my parents used to hide my controllers and stuff until I grew up to the point where gaming anytime time I wanted or for whatever time I wanted did not interfere with my studies or social skills/life. For example, I'll never let my children play a MMORPG, not only are they mediocre games but they can be dangerously addictive. Also, I wouldn't let a child play online, there's too much stupidity and frustration to be found online.

But other than that, I agree, games are definitely healthy :thumbsup:

A lot of MMOs and online gaming have pretty decent parental controls these days which is nice. I have the same concerns that you mentioned for my child. His time with certain video games is limited to keep things in check. His mother and I keep a close eye on that sort of thing.
 

jonks

Lifer
Feb 7, 2005
13,918
20
81
Eye lurned alot frum gayming. Eht haz tawt mee soo manee thingz. Skul iz fawr dumees. LEEEEEEEEEEEEROOOOOYYYYYYYY!
 

CP5670

Diamond Member
Jun 24, 2004
5,508
586
126
Originally posted by: Smilin
I do have some wicked reaction times that I assume is from years of video games.

If I drop something or bump something over on a table or in say a kitchen cabinet I always end up catching it before I even realized I had meant to. It's kinda spooky in an almost premenition way. The wife sees and comments on it a lot.

Yeah, I'm just like that too. Maybe growing up with all those twitchy arcade games in the early 90s helped with it.
 

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
57,364
7,516
126
Games are good for learning how to manipulate electronic devices. Hooking up/configuring a console or PC for gaming helps with other devices you'll encounter in the future. My parents weren't stupid, but it sure seemed like it, watching them try to deal consumer electronics.

I had my first console(Telstar Arcade) when I was about 8, and I learned how to hook it up by myself. My last console was an Atari 2600, but I've had other computers and devices over the years. Learning how to deal with that old Telstar has helped me handle computers, and other electronics because I built on that first experience and developed a "feeling" for electronics so I know what to expect even from an unfamiliar system or software package. My mother still has a hard time working Thunderbird :^D
 

imported_Imp

Diamond Member
Dec 20, 2005
9,148
0
0
I learned a bunch of stuff. Age of Empires taught me ancient civs; I didn't notice how much more it taught until I took an anthropology course last year. Diablo II taught me that a trident was more than the dentist's recommended brand. Close Combat taught me WWII, weapons and equipment; all those shooting games did the same. Total War did what AoE did and more. There's probably a lot more stuff I never would have got interested in if I didn't waste my life infront of the cancer-inducing machine.
 

Smilin

Diamond Member
Mar 4, 2002
7,357
0
0
Lets not forget... there is no way I'd be working at Microsoft if it wasn't for video games. PC gaming often takes some technical kung-fu to get going.

I learned a lot about networking getting Quakeworld's IP and Duke Nukem's shitty IPX multiplayer working. :)