What a Gee

James Paul Gee is my new hero.

His article said everything about the educational potential of videogames that I have been afraid to say. As an avid videogame player, and proponent of games in the classroom, I've long wondered how far I could take many of the arguments that Gee makes. The fact that he even mentions shooting type games in his argument, makes me all the more excited about my new ally. I would never have vocalized the argument that shooters can teach problem solving, teamwork, and procedural knowledge, even though I think it's true. I have a hard time believing shooters will ever justifiably be used in the classroom, but it really made me happy to see somebody taking the videogame argument all the way.

I'd like to share some of my own experiences to help illustrate some of Gee's points. I've never had much of an attention span, and I've been fortunate(?) enough to find school quite unchallenging for much of my academic career. As such, I've cruised through most of the assignments I've ever had, performing the bare minimum to get the grade I desire. In fact, until my later years of undergrad, the only sustained, active, mental engagement I experienced with any regularity, was in the form of videogames.

Now before you write me off as a total loser, you should consider some of my virtual accomplishments: I've built towns, cities, and empires; I've solved murders and averted nuclear disasters; I've won heavyweight titles, PGA tours, and world championships in every major sport. Hell, I've even won a Superbowl with the Detroit Lions! Who's a loser now?

You're probably questioning if the digital accolades I've accumulated are worth the countless hours I've "wasted" in pursuing them. My short answer? Hell yes. The sense of accomplishment I felt when I finally brought the Lombardi trophy to The D, was on par with those associated with many of my "real" achievements. Maybe the players were fake, but the hole I left in my living room wall when I chucked my controller in victorious excitement was very, very real. And I genuinely believe I learned something, too.

Sports videogames are about more than moving fake athletes around on a screen. You have to negotiate injuries, trades, and contracts. You have to balance player needs, personalities, and salaries. Many people don't realize it, but the bulk of the time a gamer needs to take a team from season to season on the road to a championship, is spent on the managerial aspect - piecing together the various components of a championship organization. The same can be said for conquering the world in Civilization IV or becoming successful in The Sims. The amount of time kids are willing to dedicate to those tasks, is of an educational importance that we would be remiss to ignore.