Why Video Games are

Good for You!

Tim Hart
University of Maine
Fall 2008
Who am I?

Tim Hart
Instructional Technologist for
UMaine
thart.edublogs.org
Gamer
Gamer?
Played Video Games all my life
Some systems I’ve owned:
Commodore 64, Atari 2600, NES, Gameboy, SNES,
Genesis, Virtual Boy, N64, Playstation, Gamecube,
Playstation 2, XBOX, Nintendo DS, Wii, XBox 360
Live account ID = Hartix
No, I don’t own a PS3.
Have a M.Ed after my title
What is this preso is about?

To convince your parents, teachers, and principals that

gaming is worthwhile.
Who is this?

Mario
Bonus Points - Full name
Mario Mario
Who is this?

Samus Aran
Bonus Points - Male or
Female
Female
Who is this?

Master Chief
Bonus Points - Full name
Master Chief Petty Officer
John-117
Who is this?

Niko Bellic
Bonus Points - Cousin’s
name?
Roman Bellic
 Top Ten Gamer Facts

US computer and video game software sales grew six percent in 2006 to $7.4 billion –
almost tripling industry software sales since 1996.

Sixty-seven percent of American heads of households play computer and video games.

The average game player is 33 years old and has been playing games for 12 years.

The average age of the most frequent game buyer is 38 years old. In 2007, 92 percent of
computer game buyers and 80 percent of console game buyers were over the age of 18.

Eighty-five percent of all games sold in 2006 were rated "E" for Everyone, "T" for Teen, or
"E10+" for Everyone 10+. For more information on ratings, please see www.esrb.org.
Top Ten Gamer Facts
Eighty-six percent of game players under the age of 18 report that they get their parents'
permission when renting or buying games, and 91 percent say their parents are present when
they buy games.

Thirty-six percent of American parents say they play computer and video games. Further, 80
percent of gamer parents say they play video games with their kids. Sixty-six percent feel that
playing games has brought their families closer together.

Thirty-eight percent of all game players are women. In fact, women over the age of 18 represent
a significantly greater portion of the game-playing population (31%) than boys age 17 or younger
(20%).

In 2007, 24 percent of Americans over the age of 50 played video games, an increase from nine
percent in 1999.

Forty-nine percent of game players say they play games online one or more hours per week. In
addition, 34 percent of heads of households play games on a wireless device, such as a cell
phone or PDA, up from 20 percent in 2002.
Why do we play games?

Fun
Immersion
Empowerment
Creating and strengthening social bonds
Exercise
Others?
What do all these people
have in common?

Image courteous of Scott Lewis

They are all in the “Zone”

Image courtesy of Scott Lewis

What is the Zone?
Challenges for Game
Designers

Creating an activity that allows for a “in the zone”

experience
Allowing a wide array of skill levels to initially enjoy and be
immersed in the game
Sustaining “in the zone” throughout the experience
Challenges for Teachers

Creating an activity that allows for a “in the zone”

experience
Allowing a wide array of skill levels to initially enjoy and be
immersed in the lesson
Sustaining “in the zone” throughout the experience
They are the same!

Game Designer =
Teacher
The Goals of Games

Articulated by Will Wright, designer of SimCity and The

Sims
Present players with multiple challenges at the same time
with varying time frames
The higher the number of layered challenges, the more fun
the game is
Layered goals of Ping Pong

Short Term
1 Second - Hit the ball
5 Seconds - Set up a point
10 Seconds - Win a point
Long Term
5 Minutes - Win a game
Layered goals of Reading

Short Term
Read Words
Read Paragraphs
Read Chapter
Long Term
Read Book
Layers of TV

vs
Layered goals of Donkey Kong

? ?
The Ratings

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) ratings

are designed to provide concise and impartial information
about the content in computer and video games
Kind of like movie ratings - G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17
Let’s take a look at movie ratings for comparison
MPAA Ratings
G = General Audiences
All ages admitted.
PG = Parental Guidance Suggested
Some material may be inappropriate for younger children.
PG-13 = Parents Strongly Cautioned
Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13 years old.
R = Restricted
People under 17 are not admitted without parental guidance.
NC-17 = No Children Under 17 Allowed
Nobody under 17 is admitted.
ERSB Ratings

Everyone
have content that may be suitable for ages 6 and older
may contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence
and/or infrequent use of mild language
makes up 49% of all games
like G
ERSB Ratings

Everyone+10
have content that may be suitable for ages 10 and older
may contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild
language and/or minimal suggestive themes
makes up 4% of all games
ERSB Ratings

Teen
have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older
may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor,
minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use
of strong language
makes up 32% of all games
like PG-13
ERSB Ratings
Mature
have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17
and older
may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual
content and/or strong language
makes up 15% of all games
like R
ERSB Ratings

Adult Only
have content that should only be played by persons 18
years and older
may include prolonged scenes of intense violence and/or
graphic sexual content and nudity
like NC-17
 197
Space Invaders 8
Headlines from the past:

Space Invaders will kill your children!

This dangerous "game" gives
players three "lives." This will clearly
make children think they can get
another life after they die, thereby
causing kids to start killing
themselves in droves thinking that
they can instantly come back to life!
Video games will promote teen
suicide! These games must be put
to an end.
 Students at Risk

who don’t play video games are a

They get in trouble more

often!

Lawrence Kutner, PhD, and his wife Cheryl K. Olson, ScD

Some Research
Lawrence Kutner, PhD, and his wife
Cheryl K. Olson, ScD
Research was funded with $1.5
million by the U.S. Dept. of Justice
Findings reported in Grand Theft
Childhood: The Surprising Truth
About Violent Video Games and What
Parents Can Do.
Here are some of the myths
debunked
Myth #1

The growth in violent video game sales is linked to the

growth in youth violence — especially school violence —
throughout the country.
 Fact

Violent Crime in Schools fell 44%

from 1994-2001
We have the lowest juvenile arrest
rate for violent crimes since 1983.
Murder Arrests in 1993 = 3,800
Murder Arrests in 2001 = 1,400
Graph created by Tim Hart at crappygraphs.com
Myth #2

Girls don’t play violent video games like Grand Theft Auto.
Fact

29% of girls say they play at least one M-rated game a lot
One in five listed Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto was second only to the Sims in
popularity.
Myth #3

Playing violent video games creates criminals

Within hours of the 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech,
reporters were on the airwaves and the Internet blaming
video games for Seung-Hui Cho’s violent behavior.
Fact
There is a lower rate of violence in
those who do play games.
Cho’s roommates never saw him play
video games
In the official report by the Virginia
Tech Review Panel, the only video
game he was mentioned playing was
Sonic the Hedgehog.
When he was nine.
So Basically...

“There is absolutely no evidence that playing violent video

games will turn kids into criminals.”
~ Lawrence
Kutner
So Video Games don’t hurt
you...

...but do they help you?

YES!
How?

Don’t Bother Me Mom - I’m Learning

Marc Prensky
Internationally acclaimed speaker,
writer, consultant, and designer in
the critical areas of education and
learning.
Here is his book in a nutshell...
21st Century Skills

“The true secret of why kids spend so much time on their

games is that they’re learning things they need for their
twenty-first century lives”
For the Doctors

“I use the same hand-eye coordination to play video

games as I use for surgery.
Dr. James Rosser, Beth Israel Hospital
Doctors that played games earlier in life made 40% less
mistakes during surgery.
Playing video games before surgery also lowers error
rates.
Why the worry?

“A child plays basketball or plays the piano for 4 hours a

day, we may describe him as a dedicated athlete or
musician. But if that child takes the same approach to
playing video games, spending hours each day at the
computer, and reveling in the details and strategies of
play, we may worry about an addiction.”

~Dr. Cheryl Olson,author of Grand Theft Childhood

Multitasking
Increases the ability to do many things at the same time.
AND do them well.

“I remember my mom and dad yelling at me [for playing

too much] - they didn’t know I had a 200-person [online]
guild to manage.”
~Stephen Gillette, Business entrepreneur
Rules

Gamers figure things out on their own better than non-

gamers
Probe their environment for understanding
12:00 flashing on the VCR?
(if they even know what that is?)
Risk Taking

Gamers are risk takers

Gamers are more likely to try different strategies
Enlightened trial and error
On Digital Immigrants
You may be a digital immigrant if:
You print out your email
Turn to Internet for information second rather than first
You read a manual instead of assuming the program itself will
teach you to use it
You print out a document to edit it instead of just doing it on the
screen
You think “real life” happens only off-line!
I say video game, you say “Pac-Man”
Games teach strategy

Cause and effect

Long term winning versus short term gains
Order from seeming chaos
Complex system behaviors
Counter-intuitive results
Using obstacles as motivation
The value of persistence
 Gamers are good at business
Got Game: How the Gamer Generation Is Reshaping Business Forever

Are good at collaborative problem solving

Are committed to professional excellence
Put a high premium on skill and adding value
Have a strong sense of competence
See the world through the lens of competition
Have both high developed teamwork skills and the desire
to be part of a team
The list keeps going...
 Gamers are good at business
Got Game: How the Gamer Generation Is Reshaping Business Forever

Care about their organization

Love data
Are comfortable taking measured risks
Multi-task well
Learn on the fly
Think globally
Don’t count on fixed organizational structures
Expect themselves to actually deliver
10 year old gamers learned.

Everyone can save the world if they try

Two against one isn’t fair
Don’t shoot people
Have patience
The good guys always win
Don’t trust everyone you meet
Help your friends
Steps to get adults on board

Read Don’t Bother me Mom - I’m learning

Talk to children about gaming. Why do they like it and
what it means to them.
Invite an child to play a game with you.
Tell them to remember the horrible rock music your
parents warned would rot your brains.
Take Educational Games and Simulations in the Spring.
Games to point out
The Battle for Westnoth
http://www.wesnoth.org/
Free Rice
http://www.freerice.com/
Fold It!
http://fold.it/portal/adobe_main/
gwap
http://www.gwap.com/gwap/
Scratch
http://scratch.mit.edu/
Second Life
http://secondlife.com/
PHUN
http://phun.cs.umu.se/wiki