The literacy of Video Games

By March 16, 2016 BlogPost No Comments
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Hey everyone,

I was thinking a little bit more about one of the presentations that we had this past Monday. I’m talking specifically about the one that had to do with video games, literacy, and how video games actually contribute more to the intellectual and motor growth of kids and young adults than we give them credit for.

I’m sure that I’m not the only one here who this is true for, but I spent a large part of my childhood as a devoted gamer (both pc and console). Growing up in the town where companies such as Microsoft and Nintendo of America are housed, you can’t really escape the inevitability that is a childhood centered around rigorous videogaming.

As of the past few years or so I’ve been really hooked on minecraft, the open world game that started on PC but of which I currently play on XBOX. Now, a lot of the gamer community gives minecraft players a lot of crap, but it really is a great game.

Case in point. A year or so ago, I was bored at home and one of my friends called me up and asked if I wanted to play online with him. I said sure, and we ended up jumping on xbox live and playing for a few hours.

We spent our time trying to recreate famous things and structures, such as monuments and landmarks. I tried to build the great pyramids of Giza, which was actually a lot more time consuming than you’d think. Anyways, I was fascinated by this intersection of history and gaming, and I wonder how many other children get to experience history this way as well.

My question for everyone is this: have there been any moments in your life where you’ve been able to use video games or any other sort of entertainment outlet for a better understanding of a historical or academic subject?

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