Video Games as a Tool to Close the Achievement Gap
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Darren Batteast
Dec 13, 2012
Prof Walker
Video Games as a Tool to Close the Achievement Gap
Video games have grown from a public amusement in arcades and bars taking their place alongside jukeboxes and pinball machines, to becoming the second largest industry in the world (76.1 Billion) second only to the music industry. Being one of the youngest and fastest growing industries in the world, video games have accomplished some amazing things, but their most amazing achievement comes from the effects researchers have observed from twenty plus years of exposure to them.
This project will examine the way in which video games are traditionally viewed and used in our culture. It will show how with a bit of innovation and a change in perception, games can be more than a pastime, but an educational tool. It will include an analysis of video games from sociological, neurological, psychological, science, art & design, and business and economic perspective. It will not include video game mechanics or video game coding and design. The topic will focus on how games have grown in use, from a leisure pastime, and transcended to a dynamic tool for learning. I believe that through video games, important academic issues under the mantle “Achievement Gap” can be addressed and corrected.
Video games found there genesis during the digital revolution, which originated with computer and software advocates in the 1960’s. These rudimentary prototypes found there preliminary home alongside jukeboxes and pinball machines. Once the owners of the establishments these games were tested in had difficulty accommodating the overwhelming demand, creators took note and the arcade era began. “The growth of shopping malls, which often used game arcades to attract younger customers, furthered the spread of popular early games”(Black., B. 2010)
By the early 1970’s more and more teens were spending excessive hours in arcades around the nation. With backlash from parents increasing,...
Dec 13, 2012
Prof Walker
Video Games as a Tool to Close the Achievement Gap
Video games have grown from a public amusement in arcades and bars taking their place alongside jukeboxes and pinball machines, to becoming the second largest industry in the world (76.1 Billion) second only to the music industry. Being one of the youngest and fastest growing industries in the world, video games have accomplished some amazing things, but their most amazing achievement comes from the effects researchers have observed from twenty plus years of exposure to them.
This project will examine the way in which video games are traditionally viewed and used in our culture. It will show how with a bit of innovation and a change in perception, games can be more than a pastime, but an educational tool. It will include an analysis of video games from sociological, neurological, psychological, science, art & design, and business and economic perspective. It will not include video game mechanics or video game coding and design. The topic will focus on how games have grown in use, from a leisure pastime, and transcended to a dynamic tool for learning. I believe that through video games, important academic issues under the mantle “Achievement Gap” can be addressed and corrected.
Video games found there genesis during the digital revolution, which originated with computer and software advocates in the 1960’s. These rudimentary prototypes found there preliminary home alongside jukeboxes and pinball machines. Once the owners of the establishments these games were tested in had difficulty accommodating the overwhelming demand, creators took note and the arcade era began. “The growth of shopping malls, which often used game arcades to attract younger customers, furthered the spread of popular early games”(Black., B. 2010)
By the early 1970’s more and more teens were spending excessive hours in arcades around the nation. With backlash from parents increasing,...