Weekly Blog 6

Much of class today was centered on discussion of video games, and there place in education. Many ideas and viewpoints on the matter were tossed around, and I have to admit I was skeptical about what some of my peers were arguing. As an avid gamer, I found myself believing that video games were in no way educational. I mean I play tons of video games and never thought I got anything out of them other than recreational value. However, in class today we were able to play around with different video games. The game my group played was called Diner Tycoon, and I have to admit, after about an hour of playing I definitely saw some educational value, and because of this I would say the most significant thing I learned in class today was that video games can provide some sort benefit to kids. In this game, the player must build up restaurants to compete with a rival business. Players can determine what is on the menu, what and how many ingredients to buy, as well as how to advertise and when to build new restaurants. I really believe that this game was a great way to introduce kids to business and entrepreneurship. Not only this, but players must think critically about how to act, as their actions will determine their success in the game. It also teaches kids how to manage their money, as players must determine what to buy and when to buy it. Too many bad investments and a player will lose the game. I could definitely seem classroom applications of this game. The only questions I have left surround some of the other games my classmates played. I would be interested to perhaps discuss some of the other games and how they could apply to a classroom setting. Did every group feel that their game had educational value?