I recently read an article entitled: “Inventive Games That Teach Kids About Empathy and Social Skills” By Tanner Higgin, in which he stated:
“Play is nothing if not social. Games organize play, allowing us to wrangle and experiment with the world. When we play games, more often than not, it’s us under the microscope.
Video games, however, have been a bit of an aberration in the history of play and games. Many of them have been solitary experiences. That’s changing, though. We’re in the midst of a multiplayer video game renaissance that’s bringing people together. Equally exciting is the trend in design toward video games that build social skills and encourage players to reflect on themselves and their relationships”
My take is: Great, Wonderful, lets have lots more. I really like his statement
“games put us under the microscope” Very very true. That is very true in sports and it can be for good or for bad. It depends upon the flavor of the experience and the coach. But on computer it is not REAL. That’s why some of us early gamers saw S/G as a LABORATORY. FOR SOCIAL SCIENCES. I like his statement “a good spark to get kids on the way” The key word is ABOUT. It sure is great to start getting kids to gain “knowledge” about social interaction. I would classify these as “Learning Games” You learn about…….. and that is the first step. Now lets create a simulation game and see how they do in it. I think learning games like this are especially valuable in the young when they are first trying to learn about how to be and not be socially responsible.
What’s your take?