EDTECH 532: Games Can Make the World Better

After watching that video I want to call up my kids and tell them to put gaming and the hours they have put into it on their resume.  I've never thought about gaming as a skill before.  While she list 4 things that make gamers experts: urgent optimism, social fabric, blissful productivity, and epic meaning, it basically boils down to perseverance, drive, and collaboration.  These would be the more traditional characteristics you might include in a resume.  These characteristic do not need to wait for a job, but they can be an important part of the education process.  Not only do games develop good skills, but presenting learning material through a gaming format can provide education and promote these skills.

Everything she talks about relates directly to education.  Students often perform better when motivated by the task and feel that they can accomplish it with success.  Her idea of social fabric and working with others ties in with the learning theory of constructivism.  Using the skills of gamers and working together with others and then immersing yourself in a purposeful task is what education and learning should be.