I chose to examine video games for this project, not because I am an avid gamer myself, but because this modality has deeply impacted the development and educational choices of my younger brother. Quite honestly, I have never desired to spend time gaming, nor have I really understood what all the hype is about: I figured it is about time I learn. In my brother’s case, what we thought was a mere hobby growing up turned into a lifelong commitment: he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in video game design at SCAD Atlanta and plans to make it a career. Gaming was an escape for him when social efforts with friends and sports weren’t going well: I never understood how he could be so entranced by the screen for hours on end, but now I realize gaming has the same addicting effect on him that binge-watching Netflix has on me, except his brain is changing in many more positive ways.

The American Psychological Association insists on a link between violent gaming and increased aggression; however, no sufficient evidence supports increased criminal violence among players. Actually, today’s plethora of research leads me to believe there are more positive effects of video games on kids than there are negative, when played in moderation. Brain researchers demonstrate that, contrary to popular myth, video games in moderation better vision, increase perception and attention, and provoke brain plasticity. The challenge lies in combining the right dosage with positive gaming characteristics and engaging content, in order to discover implications for teaching and learning. This claim is supported by those who try to bridge the gap between popular video games and educational gaming, which often lacks the depth and complexity of popular games. Progress is occurring, with the birth of classroom games such as Kahoot and Quizlet Live, which require lightning reflexes (with heavy consequences) and MOBA (Multi-Player Online Battle Arena)-like team work, in the case of the latter. I once employed Minecraft in a 6th grade classroom as part of a Social Studies Revolutionary War Unit, with the goal of students creating their own villages to reflect what we had learned in class about colonial life. The dependency on action rather than on language of video games may allow English Language Learners and students with other language needs to shine.

I feel video games are especially adapted for use in adolescent classrooms because we can maximize on adolescent impulsivity: teens are encouraged to take risks while game-playing, without life-changing consequences, all while learning to control these impulses over time. Teachers must be open to using different media approaches in their classroom, even those with which they may not feel comfortable. I believe that educators and game designers need to work together to create optimal educational games that re-engage students, employing interesting and relevant information, the Zone of Proximal Development, quick reflexes, and problem-solving. Overall, this will re-energize presentation of content knowledge and appeal to different learning styles, promoting differentiation in the classroom. Through educational video games, the learner will take charge of his learning; and, as games tailor themselves according to each player’s decisions, the adolescent learner will determine his own educational fate via his game choices, providing us a truly student-centered approach to learning.

For further information:
• CNN Do Video Games Lead to Violence?
• APA Review Confirms Link Between Playing Violent Video Games and Aggression
• Telegraph Study finds no evidence violent video games make children aggressive
• TED Talk Daphne Bavelier Your Brain On Video Games
• TED Talk Ali Carr-Chellman Gaming to Re-engage Boys in Learning
• Steinhardt Vimeo Your Brain on Video Games
• James Paul Gee: Good Video Games and Good Learning