They say that computer games teach only bad things – to shoot, kill or steal cars, that computer games cause aggression, deviant behavior and personality degradation. But is it really that bad? Maybe games have a bright side and can teach us good things? The news is often full of negative news about games: the teenager who staged the massacre at school played Doom and Painkiller; shooter on the Dark Knight movie premiere – in the brutal World of Warcraft.
Video games are often blamed for these incidents.
It is clear that the player can develop addiction , which leads to such dire consequences. But you can’t blame video games for everything. The cause may be family problems , a mental disorder, or, sadly, the real world itself. Turn on the TV: the news is one more terrible than the other.
The problem is smaller – the child is too addicted to games and forgets about studying . Here the games are already scolded by parents and teachers. A young gamer’s gadget is confiscated, access to a computer is restricted, and ultimatums are given. In general, too little pleasant.
What Games Can Really Teach
In fact, games can also be educational, not just entertaining . For example, Minecraft Education Edition. Designed specifically for school use, the project is applied in teaching a variety of subjects. And even if all this happens in a cubic world, the platform’s scale of application is impressive. On the project website, you can download ready-made worlds and find a lesson plan.
Of course, to use the game in learning, you need an equipped classroom and training of teachers. But such learning will bring new experiences to both students and teachers. After all, this is not only computer science, but also many other school subjects. The solution, in fact, is ingenious in its simplicity – to take what children love and convey knowledge through it.
Lab Research
New research suggests that real-time strategy games can dramatically improve the ability to make decisions and actions quickly, and learn from past mistakes. This once again confirms the possibility of developing cognitive abilities in humans with the help of video games.
Video games have many features, they have a positive effect on the plasticity of the brain, its learning ability, attention, vision and much more. It is necessary to study these influences more deeply in order to create games that will contribute to education in the future.
Different video games have different effects on the human brain, and to find out for sure exactly how a particular game changes the perception of reality, it is necessary to conduct a separate scientific laboratory study on each of them. One thing is for sure : video games are a powerful tool, and you need to learn how to use it correctly. And if you have squirrels being a bother, hiring squirrel removal can deal with that.