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Video Games and Children. James Dalton Fall 2009. Separate from traditional media. They are separate from television or movies because they allow players to become a part of the action rather that just passively viewing it Users can manipulate movements and environments
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Video Games and Children James Dalton Fall 2009
Separate from traditional media • They are separate from television or movies because they allow players to become a part of the action rather that just passively viewing it • Users can manipulate movements and environments • There seems to be a divide within the gaming industry, games tend to be purely educational or meant to be entertaining • Educational games are usually made for children • There are advantages and disadvantages to children that play video games • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsMFsdS3aqU&feature=related
Violence and aggression • There are many opinions and studies on this subject • May teach kids of different ways to be violent and ways to get away with it • Repetition of violent acts may cause violent behavior • Aggressive or violent kids may be attracted to violent games • Blurs the line between real and fiction • With out an adults explaining to kids that it is not ok to act like this in public they may not understand what is acceptable conduct • Catharsis Theory – Emotional release from viewing violent acts • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kH38gqvPUuA
Social Interaction MMOG and MMORPG have features that can let kids talk to others Within the game socially Club penguin – Offers a safe chat mode where kids can select their comments from a menu. Filtering within the game prevents swearing and personal information from being divulged - Criticized for teaching kids consumerism – earn coins within the game and spend them on virtual products
Interaction with technology • Interacting with games and computers at a young age will help kids with becoming familiar with technology early • Interactive pets • Webkinz – a new generation of toy that kids buy from a store then use a code to access the website where they are able to take care of the pet In various ways like improving its health
Motor Skills and Spatial Cognition • Studies show that there is a correlation between the development of motor skills and video game use • Nintendo Wii is a great tool for strengthening hand eye coordination • Spatial Cognition - concerned with the acquisition, organization, utilization, and revision of knowledge about spatial environments. These capabilities enable humans to manage basic and high-level cognitive tasks in everyday life. Numerous disciplines work together to understand spatial cognition in humans and in technical systems.
Addiction • A 2007 Harris Interactive survey suggest that gaming addiction is on the rise • Nationally, 8.5 percent of youth gamers (ages 8 to 18) can be classified as pathological or clinically "addicted" to playing video games. • Most youth play video games and many feel that they may be playing too much. • Nearly one-quarter (23%) of youth say they that have felt "addicted to video games", with about one-third of males (31%) and a little more than one in ten females (13%) feeling "addicted. • " Forty-four percent of youth also report that their friends are addicted to games. With nearly 8 in 10 American youth (81%) playing video games at least one time per month, including 94 percent of all boys playing, this certainly raises concerns about video game addiction. • Video game addiction is not part of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18joS1IP2oc
Addiction… My social experiment I asked my roommates a couple of simple questions while they were playing video games too see how they would answer me Both my roommates have played videogames since childhood The questions: • What classes they had next week • Was temple on a mon-fri or mon-wed schedule next week -Both of my roommates were immersed in the game and didn’t break eye contact when asked the questions. -The first time I asked each question they responded with one word -The second time they seemed to understand the questions but had a hard time coming up with a legitimate answer
Physical effects • obesity • video-induced seizures. • postural changes • muscular and skeletal disorders: such as tendonitis, nerve compression, and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Tangential Learning • Learning by being exposed to something that the user might already enjoy. • Example: • - WW2 games • - using dead space - loading screens • - databases within games • - referential objects in game that are more obvious may clue users that other things within the game are “real”
Questions • Do aggression and violence in games cause aggression and violence in children or are aggressive and violent children attracted to those types of games? • Do you think video game companies should be more responsible by create games that are educational and entertaining? • What gaming system or platform do you think is most beneficial to children. Computer, Wii, PS3, XBox360