Is There a Way to Healthy Game?
How can we foster safe and responsible use of online games or “connected play” or for fun and for learning?
We can use online games to teach a growth mindset which is an important skill for all students to have to succeed in life and in further schooling. In the article “How gamifying education helps to build grit and a growth mindset for students,” Walker explains that games teach an important skill: “Learning from mistakes. Games are a safe place for students to make mistakes, learn, and ultimately succeed over time” (Walker, 2019). Students need to learn how to deal with failure and not to give up after making mistakes. Learning from failure is the greatest teacher. You never learn from being perfect! Growth mindsets foster learning in the classroom because students will be more engaged in their learning. Students will translate their skills from games to the classroom by learning from their mistakes in math and learning from their failures on tests. Students will learn not to give up and push themselves to understand the math problems they are struggling with because they know they can do it. Also, the same article talked about how video games teach “grit” and determination to achieve long-term goals. Students need this to accomplish their goals in life like going to college, getting a job, and getting good grades.
Share one example of an online game you know of or like to play: What elements make it fun, what (if any) social aspects does it have, and can it be used for learning in any way?
I love Mario Kart! It has always been my favorite game since I was 8 years old. One social aspect is that you can invite friends or family to play online without having them be in your home while you play together. You can play with each other online which makes it more fun because playing against computers is boring and not real competition. I am super competitive and if I do not finish in the top 3 places. I get mad especially when playing my cousins. I like the game because we can race the cars in so many different places and racetracks the game has. It is hard to get bored because all the race tracks are creative like water places or winter places. There are many different cars and bikes to use. They can fly too! There are so many characters to pick from like Mario or my personal favorite Princess Peach. I do not see how Mario Kart could be used for learning but the idea of Mario Kart could help teach math. Math problems can include word problems including the Mario Kart characters and how many laps can be done in a specific amount of time. Teachers can put math problems about speed or laps on worksheets.
What are 3 key tips you would offer for parents or teachers when it comes to establishing and supporting kids’ safe and healthy online gaming habits?
- Parents make sure students have a life outside of gaming. In the article, “Is ‘Gaming Disorder’ An Illness? WHO Says Yes, Adding It To Its List Of Diseases” Kamenetz states that “Rather than go “cold turkey” on technology, she focuses on helping families with “harm reduction” such as keeping devices out of the bedroom and making sure that young people go to school, spend time with friends and play outdoors” (Kamenetz, 2019). We do not want kids to be addicted. We want them to use gaming as a stress reliever but not their whole life! Kids need to play with friends! They need to have a social life with their friends and family. Parents should not let kids take their games and devices to their rooms because they will stay on them the whole day without moving throughout the day.
- Teachers make sure to only use gaming as a way of enhancing learning. I have seen some teachers put kids to play games on their iPads and devices to keep them busy without actually learning from the games they are playing. In the article “Growth, Grit, and Gaming: Video Games in Education” Walker writes that “Children tend to be more engaged in learning when we incorporate gaming into lessons” (Walker, 2019). Children need to learn that games can be educational and make learning fun but should not be used at all times every day. We do not want kids addicted to playing all day in school then at home! Teachers need to pick fun educational games that will further learning and not detract from it or be used to make kids busy so they do not do other things that bug the teacher.
- Parents and teachers should teach students what to do if they see cyberbullying, hate speech, or other things that are upsetting to the child in the gaming. Children need to be educated on how to report and talk to an adult they trust if it happens because the cyber world is ugly. We want kids to be open to someone they trust to talk about how it made them feel and how to process it safely. We can also teach them how to maintain a level of privacy in their gaming accounts because people can still be ugly while online gaming like they do on social media.
