Kaleb Lefkowitz

1-2

5/1/17

Innovative Video Games are Beneficial For Society

In todays society there has been a long standing disagreement on whether or not
playing video games helps or hurts our society. Many parents and their kids disagree on
whether or not video games are harmful or beneficial to their development. Some parents argue
that video game play is just a brain drain and that kids are better off doing other things. On the
other side, many kids believe that there is an educational advantage to playing certain video
games. The majority of kids strongly support the argument that certain games teach them
important life skills during game play as well as educate them on important information. This
difference of opinion between parents and their kids changed in 2009 when a new game hit the
world gaming market called Minecraft. Minecraft was so highly adopted it even became part of
the school curriculum in Sweden.The Swedish school has been very happy with Minecraft as
so far, 180, 13-year girls and boys, have participated in this mandatory unit, which not
surprisingly has been such a huge hit that the school is planning to make it a permanent
addition to their curriculum. It of course augments, not replaces, core subjects like math and
science. The educators say that even parents who were a little apprehensive about their kids
playing video games at school, are now on board and fully support this decision. (Dolasia,5).
When Minecraft was released in 2009 it quickly became very popular across all ages.
Minecraft is a unique game and has become widely adopted throughout the world by parents
and kids alike. When it was released it was the first of its kind, a new exciting adventure for kids,
while parents loved the high learning engagement their children had with the game. Minecraft
offers a game that teaches kids about life skills, managing resources, problem solving and team
building. In addition, the game offers players the opportunity to build their own environments
encouraging creativity and inspiring them to explore new adventures. Gameplay within the
Minecraft universe is not just about moving around and destroying objects but building a world
within the world that you play. In order to create your environment you must learn how to find
and manage your resources. You must learn to grow food, architect the space around you and
design structures to serve as your shelter. In order to build you must also upgrade your
equipment such as your hammers, axes and shovels. For example, in order to build a stone wall
you must first mine for the stone. In order to mine for stone you must find metals to create an
axe or shovel. The size of the wall you build will depend on how much stone you mine. The
game teaches kids about the interdependencies of resources and building strategies, reinforcing
critical thinking skills. In Sweden, Minecraft has had such a breakthrough that schools have
begun to implement the game as part of the curriculum for 13 year olds after testing it in a
smaller group of students. It has been so successful according to the teachers, the game which
challenges kids to use their imagination by building virtual worlds complete with electricity grids,
water supply pumps and anything else they would like to see in their future, allows students to
think beyond the classroom frontiers. This they believe will help them make better decisions as
adults, especially about things like the environmental impact of their actions. (Dolasia,4).
Over the past few years gameplay has had a significant impact on our society. Not only
have games like Minecraft impacted kids, other games have had an impact on society in other
positive ways as well. One example of this gameplay and the impact it has on our society is the
military's use of combat inspired games and the positive effect it has on training younger
soldiers. This new crop of enlisted soldiers today have grown up playing video games. Certain
battle games can be used to teach combat tactics and teamwork to achieve common goals. The
military is taking advantage of the multitasking that video game players have to master when
playing these games. They are then applying those learnings to the piloting of new high tech
tanks and aircrafts. Since this new equipment requires the simultaneous use of both hands and
both feet, as well as utilizing specialized occlus to control the vehicle, gaming simulations are
the safest way for the new soldiers to get themselves prepared for a real battle and the
psychological impacts that may occur afterwards. The military has used video games at every
organizational level for a broad array of purposes. Its had three big aims in this: to recruit
soldiers, to train them, and, most recently, to treat their psychological disorders, such as PTSD.
(Shaban,5).
Although the argument of game playing being a benefit to society continues to be a
heated topic of conversation; there are many positive benefits that are already being realized.
These positive benefits are being seen in both education at home and in the classroom and for
the military on and off the battlefield. Hopefully, there are more games like Minecraft and military
simulation games on the horizon built to enrich learning, build teamwork and challenge the
mind.