Theres that old anthropologistҒs quote that goes along the lines of show me how the children played and IӒll tell you how the society worked. The point being that play is a form of learning and the forms that play takes are intertwined closely with the way society/culture functions. The Wired article here http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.04/wright.html makes this point in the context of videogames, and I think the impact canԒt be underestimated. People who grew up playing videogames have a far more sophisticated and hands-on approach to problem-solving than those who didnt. Learning as you go in a complex and ever-changing situation; and increasingly (thanks to the rise of online games) collaborating with others in teams. The experience of this are developing very different skills and mindsets. IҒve had to bastardise the quote a bit to make it fit on the slide (although the gist is still the same). The article is worth a read in full, but heres a few more quotes:
ғAn entire generation has grown up with a different set of games than any before it - and it plays these games in different ways. Just watch a kid with a new videogame. The last thing they do is read the manual. Instead, they pick up the controller and start mashing buttons to see what happens. This isn’t a random process; it’s the essence of the scientific method. Through trial and error, players build a model of the underlying game based on empirical evidence collected through play. As the players refine this model, they begin to master the game world. It’s a rapid cycle of hypothesis, experiment, and analysis. And it’s a fundamentally different take on problem-solving than the linear, read-the-manual-first approach of their parents. In an era of structured education and standardized testing, this generational difference might not yet be evident. But the gamers’ mindset - the fact that they are learning in a totally new way - means they’ll treat the world as a place for creation, not consumption. This is the true impact videogames will have on our culture.
ԓLike the toys of our youth, modern videogames rely on the player’s active involvement. We’re invited to create and interact with elaborately simulated worlds, characters, and story lines. Games aren’t just fantasy worlds to explore; they actually amplify our powers of imagination
ԓMore games now include features that let players invent some aspect of their virtual world, from characters to cars. And more games entice players to become creative partners in world building, letting them mod its overall look and feel. The online communities that form around these imaginative activities are some of the most vibrant on the Web. For these players, games are not just entertainment but a vehicle for self-expression.