What surprised you, concerned you, or intrigued you about students' engagement with gaming?
A couple of things surprised or intrigued me in this chapter. First was the ESA reports in 2007 that
showed 38% of game players are women. They also report that the gaming population is made up of a greater percentage of women (30%) ages 18 and older than males (23%) ages 17 and younger. I do realize that game companies have been trying to reel women into the world of gaming, and it may actually be working. I know that I love to play a game every now and then.
What aspects of your own gaming experiences were reflected in the case studies?
My own gaming experience definitely goes along more with 'Killing Time' than the other genres, but I do occasionally 'Hang Out' with my family with a full night of Wii. I honestly do not have a lot of time to kill throughout my days. I find that when I have a doctors appointment or when I have to wait on one of my kids to come out to meet me, I generally kill that time by playing games on my IPhone. My game of choice lately is Fairway Solitaire. It's awesome, and I have managed to get my husband hooked.
I do remember one night many, many, many years ago of 'Recreational Gaming'. To let you know just how long ago it was, we were playing Pac Man on an Atari. I know, right. I have to admit, I could play Pac Man for hours on end and could not be beaten by anyone in my home. This particular night my sister decided to bring in good ol' cousin Rick who was a whopping 15 years old to my 10. Let's just say that my mother finally had to make us quit at about 3 am with no winner declared. Good times.
Read the last paragraph on page 240. Do you agree or disagree with the comparison between sports and gaming and the benefits they offer children in terms of learning?
This question was really tough for me, and I had to really break it apart. Let me start by saying, I personally would never consider comparing the benefits of sports and gaming. To me the value of sports win hands down. Sports are active and interpersonal, whereas gaming may be interactive, but not interpersonal. With that being said, I have to agree with the question. I think that the comparisons made are accurate in the question asked.
I agree that I have problems with the comparison in terms of physical activity. The benefits of physical activity that comes through playing sports can not be underestimated! However, I think that playing games, especially online role playing games, are hyper-social! I think the research is clear that contrary to perceptions that game playing is anit-social or isolating many kids and adults play for the relationships.
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