Task #10 LAST ONE!!!!!!

Part 1:
Advantages for using video games and Virtual Worlds as learning uides is that they can create social interaction between students with similar interests. They also encourage higher level thinking and enhance kids reaction time. A constraint to using video games for learning is that some students may continue to think of the game as just a game for their entertainment.

Part 2:

I learned that whenever I am playing a video game they are more then just some source of entertainment. There are issues behind each game, moreso online computer games because of the use of the internet. More people can access the games online and they are more simple for people to play. I have also learned how video games have been criticized about the amount of violence and that no one really noticed until recently that there can be a lot of good which comes from video games.


Another thing that caught my attention while learning about video games, especially the online multiplayer games is that they can become an addiction just like gambling, smoking and drinking.


Serious games are not as concerned with how they look than with what they are trying to explain. Serious games are more concerned with the message behind the actual gameplay. Small messages pop up through the gameplay that make the player aware of what the game is representing. For example, Darfur is Dying, Ayiti: The Cost of Life, and Hurricane Katrina: Tempest in Crescent City are all concerned with the issue of poverty.

Task 9

I have learned that video games can be used as another means of expressing issues that exist in the real world. My understanding of virtual worlds has not changed at all through this course. I still find virtual world games like second life completely different then what real life is like. However, I can now see why people would use games like second life to escape from their actual life. It is a fantasy and they can be whoever they want to be without anyone judging them by what they actually look like in real life. I still don't understand why people get so involved in games like these. from my own experience playing second life, I can play it and leave it on the computer without a care in the world about what happens to my character in the game. I had people judge me based on my character in the game. It feels wierd because that is not me. Second Life and games like it are all on a 2 dimensional surface that can break down at anytime. Real life is completely 3 dimensional and playing second life maybe like living a fantasy life but it is also living a lie to. It is an addiction just like gambling and smoking.

I have learned that even playing a game there is always a message behind it. No matter what platform the video game is on, whether it is Playstation or the computer there are issues surrounding the game such as gender, identity and race.

Part 2:

Some concluding thoughts for my paper are that video games being online can make everyone aware in any country about cultural and social issues in other countries. By playing these games people can become educated and understand life in specific countries in certain situations. Players can also learn how hard it is to live in poverty. For example when I played Ayiti I kept going in debt after each year and 4 of the family members died because the strategy I was using did not provide the family with enough money for treatment.