Jak & Daxter, the reason I don't own a game console
As an instructional designer I do see value in instructional gaming. As a mother instructional gaming terrifies me. Let me qualify that. I beleive there is a distinction between educational gaming and simply identifying skills learned through gaming in general. In my mind there is a difference in quality between what you learn in Quest Atlantis and what you learn in World of Warcraft. One could argue that all games teach you something. It may be the appropriate ratio of chemicals in a scientific experiment or it may be how to blow up a virtual tank, but I suppose you could argue you’ve learned. In both cases you’re probably required to problem solve, think critically, and follow rules. But is there a trade-off?
I am concerned that to learn from WoW requires a serious commitment of time. Further I worry about the addictive nature of some of the MMORPGs. To be fair, I don’t have first-hand experience. I only have experience with platform games such as Jack and Daxter, Sonic, and Spyro. Total kid’s stuff and without the ability to collaborate like WoW and others. But even playing those games gave me a sense of accomplishment. Unfortunately as I mulled over what exactly I had accomplished I realized it was nothing other than wasting a colossal amount of time. So I think one needs to be careful in relying on games to teach skills that could be taught in other ways with less risk of the negative side effects. I’m not saying that games shouldn’t be used nor should they be discounted as a viable means of instruction, but to ignore potential unintended consequences is dangerous.
Ask me in a few years what I think–once my son starts to notice we don’t own a game console.
