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Video Games - Educating Children

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Technology seems to be something that many people do not understand, therefore they are afraid of it. Throughout history people have always feared what new technologies had to offer. The Gutenberg press was thought to end up corrupting the masses with unholy thoughts. In the 20s the radio was going to begin unraveling the moral fibers of human existence. Movies were going to finish the job. Now, people are fearful of video games (Kalinske). Video games do not cause aggressive behavior in children, they are educational tools that we are not taking advantage of. If videogames are used in education we will not only be stimulating their minds through various games, but also preparing them for the future job market. Video games teach children through a learning process that involves exploration, discovery, constant feedback, and individual experience. There is a game called Minecraft which perfectly demonstrates this. Minecraft is a game that consists of taking the resources found and creating a world where the person playing is in complete control. When a child first begins playing this game the first thing are going to do is play around with the controls to figure out which buttons do what. After a little while they will begin to learn and memorize which buttons perform which actions. They will then begin to explore more of the world around them and the different possibilities that come out of playing this game. The child will then think about how they want to construct the world that they are in complete control of. There are also monsters in this game that give the creator something else to work with. Now the person creating this world will not only figure out the way that they want to create their world, but also how to adapt to different, uncontrollable things that happen. If the child dies in this game they will re-spawn, learn from their mistakes, and set a personal goal to do better the next time around. This is teaching children unique ways to be creative and adapt to their surroundings in the best way that they think is possible. Marc Prensky is a speaker, author, and consultant in the area of education, particularly he is involved with video games and the learning pro

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