A topic to work on.

1. Effects of Computer Games

2. Rationale
• Connecting with the Digital Native
• Understanding Video Games
• Impact of Games on Students
• Implementation, Design and Monitoring of
Video Games

3. Connecting with the Digital Student
• Stereotyped as having poor attention spans.
• They have a relationship to knowledge gathering
which is alien to their parents and teachers.
• different style of learning due to evolving technology
causing the brain to reorganize itself and unfold new
cognitive skills – this phenomenon is referred to as
“Neuroplasticity”

4. • The PEW Internet Research :-
97% of teens play video games
three-quarters of teens play games with
others
35% of girls and 65% of boys are daily
gamers

5. Understanding Video Games
• Form of entertainment
• It is multifunction interactive media tool
• Educational Software is “Edutainment”

6. What is a Video Game?
• Computer type of device and input devices.
• Designed for one or more players.
• Contains elements of rules, goals, challenges,
mystery, curiosity, competition, skill and/or
conflict.
• A wide assortment of genres and mixed
genres.

7. • Types of game genres include:
Multi-user Virtual Environment (MUVE)
Virtual communities VC
Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)
Role playing RPG
shooter games
strategy games

8. • Types of games include:
 Educational
 Consumer off-the-shelf (COTTS)
Early childhood
Everyone
Teen
Mature
Adult subject content
• Ratings associated with COTTS
include:

9. Impact of Video Games on Students
• There are several areas where Video Games
may have an impact on students which
include:
Motivation
Collaboration
Behaviour
Brain-based learning
Academic Achievement

10. Motivation
• Students are unengaged by traditional teaching
delivery methods
• The majority of the research indicate games as a
leverage for motivation for all students and helps
those of lower abilities become more successful.
• Motivation appears to trigger and instill confidence
• Exergames motivated disengaged students or low
self-confidence students to participate in Physical
education.

11. • Inspires students to relate their gaming experience to
various subject areas.
• Motivation factors are dependent on the following:
 Sufficient time to complete game.
 Integrating game time with classroom and computer
lab activities.
 Design specifically for course, student ability, and
opportunities for collaboration.

12. Collaboration
• important for students with lower prior math
knowledge.
• 75% of middle-school students prefer to play
multiplayer video games, enjoy achieving the goals
together, and like teaching each other different skills.

13. Behaviour
• Behaviour issues that may arise from video
game play include:
 Social Isolation
 Dependency
 Aggressiveness

14. • Social Isolation
 Excessive game play may take students away time from
other typical activities students normally engage in on a
daily basis.
 Hofferth’s (2010) study did not indicate any relation
between gameplay and isolation, but rather promoted
socialization through multiplayer games.

15. • Dependency
 Too much game time can negatively impact student
achievement.
 Too much game time takes away from studying,
reading, and reflecting.

16. • Aggressiveness
 Violent games can lead to aggressiveness mainly for boys.
 Violent games are less likely to cause aggressiveness
in girls.
 Other variables such as socioeconomics and parental
monitoring may play a factor in aggressiveness.

17. Brain-based Learning
• Video games can foster brain-based learning.
• Appeases the new way of thinking or brain
development of the digital native.
• Highly engaged activities such as video games
promotes neuroplasticity causing the brain to
reorganize itself and promote higher-order thinking.
• Key stages in human learning development may be
an opportunity to take advantage of video games as
a learning tool.

18. • Myelinisation is a component of brain development
and is influenced by learning and experience.
• This is an important component in learning response
and efficiency to environmental change.
• Appropriately designed video games promotes
attributes associated with neuroplasticity.
• Video games involving problem solving and real
world scenarios encourage higher order thinking.

19. Academic Achievement
• seems to have positive implications.
• appropriately designed video games may foster student
achievement.
• problem solving, fact/recall processes, cognitive,
metacognitive, motor and spatial skills, and collaboration
are some of the positive effects associated with a well-
designed game.
• Connections made between informal learning through
video games to formal learning in the classroom.
• Positive changes in the students’ attitudes, self-
confidence and self-efficiency.

20. Conclusion
• Video games can motivate and have a positive
impact on students given the following criteria:
 they are designed properly
 Given sufficient time to play
 Meets the abilities of the students
 Integrated with curriculum and classroom activities
 Monitored by parents and teachers