Games have an unexplainable influence on people (words cannot begin to describe the feeling). Just the other day on the radio, there was news of a man suing a state (mainland), rather a gaming company, due to his inability to think for himself/care for himself as a direct result of addiction to the game. In reference to the influence of the game, we can see from this example that games do have an effect on a person's cognitive ability. Man is left with the opportunity of choice, yet by choice, the plaintiff chose not to pause the game or ultimately end the session to fend for himself. Games are tools introduced into this world as a means for entertainment. To our advantage as instructors, they have been incorporated into the learning process for the youth/generations of today. We are moving towards the age of technology and it has become essential to educate ourselves in the language of technology & function, or be left out (simply put). Anyone not moving along with the times, will "suffer" the consequences. However, this is only true to some extent.
Games such as Quest Atlantis and Second life (virtual reality), allow us to further our engagement in out of classroom studies. How has it enhanced a person's learning experience? Well, for second life, people have created worlds, such as University of Hawaii, and have set it up so that students go on quests/missions to accomplish a task, with mind of learning a language. The setup is not limited to just language learning, but can be altered to the needs of the instructor and the class they are teaching. For the purpose of this blog, it is language learning. This allows a new face for the presentation of classroom instruction. We are enabled to step out of the realms of powerpoint with pictures (still photos) and text, but to experience and receive instruction as if it were all around us in 3D - it would literally jump at you. What it does for the students, I think, is arouse their interest in something new and innovative - never done/experienced before. The user has the freedom to jump from island to island or world to world, experiencing the different set of instructions programmed into the game. This exposes students to the different methods of receiving instructions, and by luck, might find a teaching approach/setup more catered to their preferences and interest. Now with every great thing, also comes disadvantages. And for online games, I think the disadvantage comes with the clarity of instructions. With the teacher present (physically), students are able to ask questions to further their understanding of the subject matter or task at hand. However with online help, the students are rather limited. Availability of instructor is an issue being that he/she will stay logged on 24/7 to help students.
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