Games Functioning as Learning Tools

Just realized that I forgot this post from Wednesday..



I believe, in certain instances, that a game can be a learning tool. As noted in the article read, games can act as learning tools both by imposing a problem for the player to solve as well as causing the player to think of new ideas. I believe many games that involve strategy demonstrate this, on some level. With children, for example, games that involve navigation of a character can teach aspects of spacial properties. For adolescents, MMO games such as WoW or Warhammer can teach basic skills, such as team coordination and cooperation, as well as improve reaction time. In addition to this, as noted before, games can inspire new ideas. For example, although a very basic thought, I found myself comparing some aspects of the philosophical storyline within Warhammer to early Greek civilizations. A comparison that came to mind was that of Athens and Sparta.

Warhammer: Concluding Thoughts

In general, my game has been an interesting overall experience. I think my main fear of the game was that I wouldn't be able to excel very much. While this fear wasn't entirely dissolved, I did find myself doing better than I anticipated. The difficulty, however, was about what I expected it to be. One misconception I had about the game was that I thought it would be similar to or the same as any other war-oriented game. In contrast to this, I was surprised to see the detailed character customization. While I realize this is a feature in some other single-player and MMO games, I found the customization in Warhammer to be pretty specific. Furthermore, while the game was centered around the concept of battle, the story seemed to play out more in this game than others. For example, I was able to have more group-oriented battle with Warhammer than I have with other online games.
While I may not be playing the game as consistently as I have over the past week and a half, I will definitely play it again when I have the time.

Computer games

The online gaming was not what i expected it to be at all, my ideas and thoughts about what i was going to be playing was totally wrong. The times i played it i only planned on being on the game for at about an hour at a time but three hours later and i was still finding it hard to leave things as they are. It is something that i think i might be playing every know and then after this class has finished. It definitely isn't what i expect it to be in a good way, and i don't really understand why it has such a different opinion by people. The graphics and how easy everything is to understand was my favourite bit because it just seem to make the game easier to pick up and to play for hours at a time. For some reason i thought that people just did the same thing over and over again and that's why i was a bit foreign to games like this but now i have seen the other side i completely understand how and why people are addicted to online gaming.

The Hero Inside of You

It is true that as society has advanced, our need for a hero-- and thus many traditional oppurtunities to become a hero-- has become less and less. While it is also true that the hero may take many forms, there is a natural drive to push oneself, to evolve in some way, to take the journey to a new level of one's mental, emotional and spiritual state. Earlier in our society, out of necessity and tradition most young people undertook some form of a hero journey without fail.
It makes sense that engaging in gameplay can be a way of fulfilling that instinct, of inspiring that feeling. People spend a great deal of time and energy playing these games, and are often very emotionally invested also. As we have discussed at length, gaming is a real experience, and is considered an alternate reality by some schools of thought. If this is the case, it follows that the missions and quests completed have indeed become an experience for the gamer, essentially allowing th em to have embarked on that particular kind of hero transformation.

Playing WOW

I can't say my time playing WOW was bad. I actually had an enjoyable time playing the game, which I really didn't think I would. I didn't care for somethings in the game which my fiance did explain to me, but I still did like it. I didn't mind having to attack things but when it came to them just coming up to me, I wasn't that good at the game in that aspect. However I really enjoyed the graphics, and the quests were really fun. I can't say I wont play after this week, every now and then I may still play it. It still doesn't completely live up to what everyone says yet, I still really don't understand how its that great yet. I but I really did enjoy my time playing the game, and my fiance got some laughs out of it!

Impressions of Gaming

I decided to play "Second Life", which is a game which encompasses a virtual world. After creating an Avatar, characters are allowed to visit many virtual destinations, and interact with other avatars. People can become whoever they want, and buy items with "Linden" dollars, the form of currency used.

As a novice gamer, I wasn't so sure about this game....but I caught on quickly. My avatar was created, and I started exploring the worlds.

I was a little insecure about the idea of interacting with others; I am suspicious of people online, since I don't know their real identity. But so far I haven't really interacted with the other avatars, or had any problems with other players.

The only problems I have with "Second Life" is that it requires high-speed computers; my computer doesn't meet the minimum requirements of the game, so I was shut down a few times. Other than that, I have been having fun with the game!

Heroes

The video about the Hero's Journey spoke of the metaphors in pop culture (like Star Wars) and the general meaning of a hero's journey.

First we should define heroes- they are the people that sacrifice themselves for the good of others, complete an amazing feat, or stray outside the realm of the "expected" and "average" to contribute positively to society. When I think of heroes, I think of Olympic athletes (they all face more adversities and pain in training than most normal people), mythological figures like Hercules, spiritual figures like Jesus, and everyday people who stepped forward to help others and sacrifice their own well-being and comfort.

Metaphorically, the heroes journey, no matter what the circumstances, are all based on the universal quest of enlightenment. In video games, the goal may well be to reach the last level, and to conquer the last enemy....but according to Campbell, the last enemy is always something we prize- our mind.

Our ego is much like a dragon; it guards the illusions we hold dear, and in return imprisons us in our own limited and disordered thinking. Many self-help gurus speak of the "Power of Now".....but instead of this, we all trap ourselves in our thoughts. The hero in all of us wants to conquer this enemy, and the last triumph, the defining moment of the hero, is the disowning of the ego. Jesus and the Buddha embarked on journeys of spiritual awakening and were tempted by three different temptations, which represent the ego. In Star Wars, Luke is tempted by Darth Vader to "go to the dark side", which is a metaphor for giving into the ego. By using "The Force", Jesus, the Buddha, and Luke Skywalker managed to achieve something few realize.....the knowledge of the pure goodness at our core, and the wisdom to dispel our darkest egoic tendencies. The true hero is the one who learns these truths....so in the end, we can all be heroes.