Digital Education

I’m Norwegian, and had to learn English when I was a kid. Interestingly, this didn’t happen in school, where cramming grammar rules bored me to oblivion. Video games on the other hand were largely the reason my English today is fluent. When I first played Pokemon Red at the age of 6, I felt compelled to teach myself in order to understand the game. It sure worked better than anything I did in the classrooms.

Which brings up an interesting point in regards to education. While video games are often brushed off as a danger to children’s willingness and ability to learn, this is an unreasonable and narrow argument. Like in the example above, video games provide an excellent way to learn English, expand vocabularies and understand the language in an entertaining fashion. Similarly, video games such as LA Noire and Braid force players to think logically in order to uncover the mysteries. The Nintendo DS-title Professor Layton is based around mini-games which often encourage mathematic solutions. Hints are available to the player, at the cost of points when the puzzle is complete.

Thinking about it, these games have a fantastic potential which typical blackboard teaching could never hope to reach. Video games are stimulating not only to the eye and ear, but also the brain. Youths have increasingly shortened attention spans, making video games a good alternative to wordy textbooks. It can virtually solve the problem with bored students in classrooms if used properly. Of course, this means that the right kind of games must be used; even I can admit that God of War 3 might not be the most intellectual game on Earth. Even so, I highly doubt it’s actively reducing anyone’s IQ. Or encouraging someone to grab two chains, attach blades and awkwardly attempt to swing them around like a massive twat.

In the Digital Age, it is widely accepted that teaching methods should be re-imagined to suit modern lifestyles. Video games have helped me more than school in grasping English, and I know I’m not the only one. Why then, I have to ask, is everybody so hesitant to seize this wonderful tool?

It annoys me to no end how constant moral panics regarding video games blind people from seeing its potential. Because there is. There is a lot, in fact.

Lars Hermans