Anyhow, above the text was a picture of the flower power from Mario Brothers..you know the pixilated flower that allows Mario to throw fireballs at those turkeys wearing a shell. They are turkeys aren’t they?
I used to have a coworker that wore another Nintendo T-shirt that pictured the game console and controllers with the text “I’m classically trained.” I think it’s totally amazing how much video games have infiltrated pop culture while simultaneously defining a generation.
I grew up with Nintendo, and had a classic Nintendo and a Super Nintendo. I remember playing all kinds of games with the neighbor boy for a while, but after that, I kind of grew out of it and lost interest. He however, still plays video games to the best of my knowledge. Most of the men and boys I know do, whereas very few of my female friends play video games. What is it about boys and video games?
While I agree with Jane Pinkard that men dominate the gaming industry, I don’t really agree that the games are suffering because of it. Yes, yes I know that the most popular games are probably geared towards men the women in them look totally ridiculous (which is attractive to men or something), and because you shoot things (guns) at things (people) and blow things up (usually more people). But all of that seems kind of sexist to me. I know there are some women out there that get a kick out of stuff like that, or are completely unaffected by it and only care about the gaming aspect. I would say that the gaming industry is actually changing so that it is geared towards more women. Now again, it’s totally sexist with the pink DS systems and Barbie, fashion show, own your own pony, cooking, etc. games. However, it’s a start.
The video game world is revolutionizing in the sense that it’s really becoming another social network for people with it’s online capabilities, multiple player options, more epic adventures and video game literature (that one may have hurt a little). Gaming is trying to touch a broader spectrum of people with things like brain fitness, and weight loss “games” too.
While I think that sitting on the couch perfecting one’s ass print in the cushions and gaming all day is a royal waste of time most of the time..I also think there is some merit in it. Now I say that because gaming simply isn’t for me. Believe me, I’ve tried, but it’s just not my thing. Just like everything else, gaming calls for certain participants and is just not for everybody. The good I see is that there must be some critical thinking going on. Video games are complex, as Gee says, and certain skills are required to excel at them (not to mention a lot of fucking determination and patience..I never saved the Princess..not once). We also try and teach/facilitate such concepts in schools. Perhaps if a kid is not diggin’ it in school, they might find it within a video game. Believe you me, it pains me to say that, but it’s absolutely true. I think there is something to be said for Gardner and his theory of multiple intelligences.
Speaking of intelligences…I never got into The Sims, I didn’t really get it; understand what the hell was going on, nonetheless the point. However, these virtual realities are sweeping the world via the Internet. I know very little about them, but I do know they help formulate (much like other interactive, and networking type games) identity, relationships, networks, friendships, socialization, and personal connections for lots and lots of people. Take the gaming part out and you pretty much have the point of going to school, less the math and all that crap.
This is what Wikipedia (a very reliable source) has to say about Second Life. It’s “A free client program called the Second Life Viewer enables its users, called Residents, to interact with each other through avatars. Residents can explore, meet other residents, socialize, participate in individual and group activities, and create and trade virtual property and services with one another, or travel throughout the world, which residents refer to as the grid. Second Life caters for users aged over eighteen, while its sister site Teen Second Life is restricted to users aged between thirteen and eighteen.” Did you catch that part…”Residents can explore, meet other residents, socialize, participate in individual and group activities, and create and trade virtual property and services with one another, or travel throughout the world….” Seems like a pretty nerdy but somewhat reasonable way to partially develop necessary skills for real life. Second Life also allows it’s residents to build virtual objects with a 3-D modeling tool. I’d be terrible at it, but you know, that’s pretty cool.
I know there are quite a few universities (ivy league included) that use such avatars for educational purposes. There..I know you’re sold now…Harvard uses one. But think about it..virtual classrooms..distance education..this is what we have become and this is our future. Above all I think this type of technology taps into what I believe is the primary goal of education, to enable students to think critically about the world around them. The following excerpt is from a nerdy blog I follow, “Critical thinking is one of those difficult points that we often desire to instill in students of all ages, but I hear it frequently mentioned at the university level. Think of what reflective, critical learning can be done in the area of business, ethics, epistemology, law, etc. in a world in which the "residents" are from many cultures throughout the world. It is a fertile ground for questioning one's point of view - and that of society.”
Think about it, and game on I say (you nerd).
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