Mariam Toma - Critique Popular Media Assignment

Video games
Video games nowadays have become one of the most important and
persuasive forms of media for children and adolescents. Video games are now
everywhere and, in every form, whether for entertaining purposes or educational
purposes. Video games companies are spending a lot of money on game designs,
upgrades, game graphics, and music, besides there are different types of video games
like PSP, WII, cell phone application games, online games, social media games,
arcades, and even offline games. Some of the video games are sparking collaborative
learning, critical thinking, problem solving and creativity, other video games have
dreadful impacts on behaviors and self-regulation. Video games' popularity is expected
to increase as video games will become more equipped with enhanced speed, more
detailed graphics and increase online network functionality (Williams 2002). This
popularity is accompanied by social concerns regarding the excessive video games
usage which is ‘video game addictions’, some kids cannot dispense video games and
guardians sometimes use games as a powerful disciplinary tool to reward their children
,other parenting styles believe that if the kid is quietly hooked on gadget then he is
doing great and I have observed an 8-year-old student spent over 5 hours playing video
games daily and how it resentfully affects the child's behavior and aggression towards
the real world.
According to Bandura’s social cognitive theory of self-regulation and decision-making

processes, children learn by imitating others and so unregulated usage of video games
might affect children's and adolescents' self-regulation such as in playing violent fight
games as a factor of increasing aggressive action where students are imitating the
virtual violent world, it can affect their thoughts and feelings leading to lack empathy
feeling, in addition , consuming a long time playing games might affect children's health
, looking into a screen for a long time with unhealthy body posture can harm children
and adolescents in their biological and cognitive development ,it can lead to preferring
the isolating mood , laziness and losing the sense of the real world. However; Playing
positive games can increase prosocial behaviors, the problem is not with video games
as a general idea, it is choosing the kinds of games we provide to our children and how
we educate them to select the proper kind of video games that can fulfill the entertaining
desire but will not affect their social, cognitive and behavioral development.
Maria Montessori noted which matches to Piaget’s that brain develops with stimulation
and playing such as video game playing provides these simulations at every age like in
elementary school years, children prefer fantasy and they are playing complex games
and sports, thus learn cooperation, negotiation, losing, winning, problem-solving as well
as language development. Video games represent knowledge by different media tools
like images, videos, graphs, and sounds which emphasis knowledge in the players’
experiences which is a great tool for visual learners. Players can learn skills as
establishing relationships, constructing meaning through various modalities not only
words while playing video games that can be transferred from the virtual game world to
the real world. According to Piaget, knowledge is not a copy of reality, it is to act on it,
modify, transform and understand the process of this transformation, so it is more

efficient when students learn any content of knowledge through game experiences
rather than the direct instructional method and transferring knowledge from teachers to
students.
Integrating video games such as Minecraft in educational programs provides an instant
platform for students to problem-solving and learning from each other, it gives them the
freedom to share, communicate with peers and get instant feedback beside it is
entertaining, engaging and it satisfies the desire to curiosity and being in control.
Minecraft's been used recently by teachers as a language acquisition tool that uses the
constructivism learning principles where there is no right answer and using language on
such platforms among students and teachers can improve the language skills for
students.
It is acknowledged that video games provide people with opportunities to their identity
development or in the virtual world ‘projective identity’ which is a great tool to develop
their identity recognition and self-understanding in the real world. Online games can
provide a virtual environment with learning context, by using 2D and 3D technologies in
digital games which creates complex settings and interactive mechanisms that can
meet all constructivism learning requirements.
Problem-solving, critical thinking, decision-making skills can be developed by players
while playing games (Gee,2005, Prensky,2006 and Hommel, 2019)as well, as these
games promote academic engagement in students by stimulating them to find
resources outside the game to better understand the game storyline (Squire, DeVane &
Durga, 2008 ).
Over the last decade, Academics state that video games provide massive opportunities
for learning via innovation, persistence, and problem-solving (Gee, 2007, Malone &
Lepper, 1987; Shaffer, 2006, Squire, 2005), it is one of the most effective methods for
learning in the 21st century, it can positively affect children and adolescents. It is our
role as educators to promote and encourage the positive video games which core is to
enhance children's cognitive and learning development and be aware of the unhealthy
video or online games that companies are selling and its effect on our children's
behaviors and health. In my opinion Video games in general, is the way of evolved
teaching in this era, the educator should direct their planning to accommodate the
curriculum to integrate using games as a scaffolding tool for learners.
References
. Woolfolk, A., Winne, P., & Perry, N. (2019). Educational Psychology: Custom Edition.
Toronto: Pearson. ISBN 9781323959909.
. Zhang, L., Shang, J. (2016, September 22-24), Understanding the Educational Values
of Video Games from the Perspective of Situated Learning Theory and Game
Theory.IEEEXplore Digital Library. Retrieved February 2, 2017 from <
https://ieeexplore-ieee-org.uproxy.library.dc-
uoit.ca/document/7839497/references#references >.
. Bayeck, Rebecca Yvonne. "Exploring African student video game play from a
connected learning theory perspective." Journal of Pan African Studies, vol. 9, no. 1,
2016,p.103+.GaleAcademicOneFile,https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A461364066/AONE?
u=ko_acd_uoo&sid=AONE&xid=02b21b65. Accessed 12 Oct. 2019.

.Cipollone, Maria, et al. "Minecraft as a Creative Tool: A Case Study." International
Journal of Game-Based Learning, vol. 4, no. 2, 2014. Gale Academic OneFile,
https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A429883249/AONE?u=ko_acd_uoo&sid=AONE&xid=834
2e7a8. Accessed 12 Oct. 2019.
. Lee, Doohwang, and Robert LaRose. "A socio-cognitive model of video game usage."
Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, Dec. 2007, p. 632+. Gale Academic
OneFile,https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A172978816/AONE?u=ko_acd_uoo&sid=AONE
&xid=bfa9b1a8. Accessed 12 Oct. 2019.

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Video games

everywhere and, in every form, whether for entertaining purposes or educational

dreadful impacts on behaviors and self-regulation. Video games' popularity is expected

popularity is accompanied by social concerns regarding the excessive video games

the real world.

According to Bandura’s social cognitive theory of self-regulation and decision-making

as language development. Video games represent knowledge by different media tools

establishing relationships, constructing meaning through various modalities not only

modify, transform and understand the process of this transformation, so it is more

Integrating video games such as Minecraft in educational programs provides an instant

provide a virtual environment with learning context, by using 2D and 3D technologies in

meet all constructivism learning requirements.

Problem-solving, critical thinking, decision-making skills can be developed by players

games promote academic engagement in students by stimulating them to find

curriculum to integrate using games as a scaffolding tool for learners.

Toronto: Pearson. ISBN 9781323959909.

Theory.IEEEXplore Digital Library. Retrieved February 2, 2017 from <

u=ko_acd_uoo&sid=AONE&xid=02b21b65. Accessed 12 Oct. 2019.

Journal of Game-Based Learning, vol. 4, no. 2, 2014. Gale Academic OneFile,

2e7a8. Accessed 12 Oct. 2019.

&xid=bfa9b1a8. Accessed 12 Oct. 2019.

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