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Useful things you learned from games
shutz
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
We all keep hearing from people who rarely play video games or who are afraid of them that they're useless, mindless, "not art" (that one insults me the most) and that they have no value save being entertaining to the player.
In more than 20 years of playing video games, I know this is not true, and I've started thinking back on all the useful things I've learned while playing video games. By this, I mean things that were useful outside of video games (i.e. not "By playing Super Mario Brothers I learned to become really good at 2D platformers.")
Anyway, here are some of the things I can think of:
- A friend of mine got an NES a couple of years before I did, and one of the first games he got was Contra: a game that was then notorious (in my area, at least) for its violence. But to us, the violence was secondary to the gameplay, and in particular, we learned to play cooperatively, to make compromises on our own advancement so that the other player could stay "in the game" and help out later on. Cooperation is a powerful skill to have, regardless of the context.
- A lot of games help develop problem-solving skills (if someone could post some links to recent studies I remember reading about that show that kids who play more video games tend to have better problem-solving skills in general, I would be very grateful) but I think the first one, for me, was Dragon Warrior. It was one of the first games I remember playing that actively encouraged solving puzzles and developing strategies to progress. Problem-solving is now one of my main skills.
- Civilization. Where to start? The amount of real knowledge to be found in this game was, and still is (with the sequels) impressive. And the best part: if you're into the game, the historical learning is a painless side-effect. But the one thing that Civilization teaches that is otherwise hard to convey in books or school lectures is the scope of progress that human civilization has made in the past 5000 years or so. Only by playing the game can you really "grok" what an accomplishment our current civilization is (if, after reading that last sentence you feel like posting a cynical reply about our current civilization, I suggest you go back and play the game again... see if that sense of wonder doesn't come back to you just a little...)
I could go on about some of the games that blew me away so much that they made me want to learn computer programming and later become a video game designer, but that would still be too close to home; I'm looking for things that are useful outside the context of video games.
What have you learned from video games?
In more than 20 years of playing video games, I know this is not true, and I've started thinking back on all the useful things I've learned while playing video games. By this, I mean things that were useful outside of video games (i.e. not "By playing Super Mario Brothers I learned to become really good at 2D platformers.")
Anyway, here are some of the things I can think of:
- A friend of mine got an NES a couple of years before I did, and one of the first games he got was Contra: a game that was then notorious (in my area, at least) for its violence. But to us, the violence was secondary to the gameplay, and in particular, we learned to play cooperatively, to make compromises on our own advancement so that the other player could stay "in the game" and help out later on. Cooperation is a powerful skill to have, regardless of the context.
- A lot of games help develop problem-solving skills (if someone could post some links to recent studies I remember reading about that show that kids who play more video games tend to have better problem-solving skills in general, I would be very grateful) but I think the first one, for me, was Dragon Warrior. It was one of the first games I remember playing that actively encouraged solving puzzles and developing strategies to progress. Problem-solving is now one of my main skills.
- Civilization. Where to start? The amount of real knowledge to be found in this game was, and still is (with the sequels) impressive. And the best part: if you're into the game, the historical learning is a painless side-effect. But the one thing that Civilization teaches that is otherwise hard to convey in books or school lectures is the scope of progress that human civilization has made in the past 5000 years or so. Only by playing the game can you really "grok" what an accomplishment our current civilization is (if, after reading that last sentence you feel like posting a cynical reply about our current civilization, I suggest you go back and play the game again... see if that sense of wonder doesn't come back to you just a little...)
I could go on about some of the games that blew me away so much that they made me want to learn computer programming and later become a video game designer, but that would still be too close to home; I'm looking for things that are useful outside the context of video games.
What have you learned from video games?
Creativity begets criticism.
Check out my new blog: http://50wordstories.ca
Also check out my old game design blog: http://stealmygamedesigns.blogspot.com
Check out my new blog: http://50wordstories.ca
Also check out my old game design blog: http://stealmygamedesigns.blogspot.com
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I played a lot of text-heavy games when my reading skills were just starting to form. Final Fantasy kept me reading even while playing games. The vocab wasn't the greatest but I got really good at reading short passages in nearly an instant and pulling from them any useful information.
Other than that, I dunno how much games "taught" me. Not a whole lot. But they were fun and at least caused me to engage my brain unlike TV.
Some games (Uru and Guild Wars come to mind first) let me take a step back and appriecate the amazing landscapes. Uru and Myst as well other adventure games get me thinking about how to approach a task or challenge and complete it given what tools I have.
but I will second games like Contra, and most squad-based FPS as to building teamwork. I played through about half of Rainbow 6 3 and Ghost Recon 2 on the xbox with 3 of my best friends.
[First post from Wii on the new forums!]
Red Baron and RB3D have made me very passionate about WWI aviation and the beautiful wood and canvas flying machines of that era. I still remember a lot of details about the planes and the aces, gleaned from the fantastic full-color manual and other source material, such as the copy of Jane's WWI Fighting Aircraft that I still own.
Other games have had a similar effect. I remember once using the cultural descriptions in the back of the manual that came with Age of Empires to cram for an exam on ancient cultures, and acing the test.
Videogames taught me English.
*edit.
Yeah I second English too, got my nes at 5, then snes with rpg's and all the way trough school I was in the english top tier without even trying.
Abso-fucking-lutely.
While I learned the basics of English in a classroom (second language), conversational and comprehension came mostly from TV and some from games.
When people tell me they are impressed I have no accent and they couldn't tell I'm not American, I fondly think back to Simpsons episodes, and hours upon hours of Zelda:OoC and Starfox 64. Starfox 64.
PSN/XBL: dragoniemx
Actually, it can help you recognize patterns in real life, so you can better react.
The following was actually posted on Boing Boing earlier:
http://www.boingboing.net/2007/02/17/union_square_subway_.html
After playing through that particular part of Star Wars Arcade, the guy might have a more developed skill in navigating all these columns...
But in general, sharpening up your pattern recognition skills is definitely a good thing in "real" life, because there are patterns everywhere, and being able to see them can open up solutions that wouldn't otherwise be visible.
Check out my new blog: http://50wordstories.ca
Also check out my old game design blog: http://stealmygamedesigns.blogspot.com
My accent is absolutely horrible, but that has more to do with me never having to speak English, ever.
Shadow Hearts actually taught me useful video game information. It explained why tents are one-use only in RPG's. Nobody can put them away so they just say screw it and leave it there and buy another one.
You can make the world a better place by finding the right pretty boy and beating the shit out of him.
I also learned how to work in large groups thanks to raiding in World of Warcraft (working together with 39 other guys and girls to kill Razorgore beats any assignments you can do in class)
Naturally, I also learned a fair deal about strategy from various RTS games and I learned that taking a step back and re-evaluating a situation leads to great results from Baldur's Gate II.
The Total War series always got me reading up on history, as did Dynasty Warriors (Guan Yu
GTA: San Andreas made me spend a whole day reading and learning about the Los Angeles riots...
I don't really seem to learn things directly from games, as you may notice. Very few games are good sources of information.
Actually Total War gave me a really good idea of what strategy was like back in those days. I ended up reading quite a bit about various strategies of the ancient world after that. Oh man, Zulu buffalo horns formation is fucking awesome.
Apollo 13 made me realise that, actually.
Back on the Amiga, we used to have a virtual Trivial Pursuit - quite a lot of random facts seemed to stick in my mind from that game.
Playing Civilisation: Call to Power gave me a lot of basic knowledge about famous monuments, and also new (back then) technology - maglevs in particular.
Playing adventure games like Simon the Sorcerer and King's Quest VII with my dad opened up a world of mythology and fantasy; I'd hear or see a reference on screen, and my dad would be able to explain the background to it.
Adventure games in themselves were a wealth of random information, such as:
* White spirit cleans paint.
* A red herring is a plot device as well as a fish.
* Pirates used pieces of eight as currency (simplification, but good enough for an eight-year-old).
* Metal isn't as strong as it looks.
* Gold isn't magnetic.
* "Consume" means "to eat".
* Mahogany is a type of wood.
* The concept of self-referential humour.
* Choosing the right thing to say is often very important.
* Rubber comes from rubber trees.
* The definition of mutiny.
Thanks to Fallout.
GO GO CHARLIE BROOKER!
it may not be completely relevant, but he makes a number of good points about the purpose of games. Also, Brooker is awesome.
They be speaking in funny accents.
As for my contribution: Multitasking. I've gotten extremely good at doing multiple things at once, thanks to micromanagement-based games.
Oh, right, gotta get a joke response in there! There aren't many differences between a fighting game and the Japanese legal system. (olol)
Playing the Splinter Cell series always leads me to consult fact sheets for the countries where the action takes place. I wouldn't know anything about Georgia or East Timor without that series.
Indiana Jones And The Fate Of Atlantis taught me a lot about the myth of Atlantis and Plato's works, and again, prompted me to do additional research.
WiiSports taught me how tennis and bowling scoring works. Punch-Out!! taught me all about the rules of boxing. My job in the videogame industry had me do research and learn how cricket works (okay, TRY to understand how it works, because that sport is CRAZY).
Guitar Hero 1 and 2 greatly expanded my musical culture, and taught me the concept of hammer-ons and pull-offs.
And finally, Wario Ware taught me that cars are constructed by dropping the chassis on the wheels, and that if aligned correctly, the car will drive off by itself.
they speak the language of truth!
In Zelda, when you encounter a puzzle, there is always, always a solution. You will probably have to look around your environment for clues. You will probably have to build upon the knowledge you have learned previously in the game. You will probably have to use your tools or items in a new way or in a new combination.
Not all real-world puzzles can be solved, but still, the "Zelda strategy" for solving puzzles seems like the best fucking strategy out there. For standardized tests—where there really is always an answer within reach to a puzzle—Zelda logic rules.
Growing up, SimCity 3000 taught me putting industrial zones next to residential areas is a poor idea. It seems obvious now but when you're dealing with limited space on the map, I tended to stick things wherever they'd fit.
Seriously, my fiancee says that playing Guitar Hero helped her with Latin, because it increased her ability to see patterns. So that's another vote for pattern recognition, then.
Switch: nin.codes/roldford
It's just too bad that I'd never played Gran Turismo prior to the first time I got into an accident. I may not have hit that lamppost on that cold, cold night. Although practicing fishtails may not have been the best idea.
By no means a primary source, but if you wiki 'astronaut,' it says 444 people have officially made it to orbit, and 18 astronauts/cosmonauts have died during missions, with a further 10 deaths on the ground, such as during mission preparation.
Not odds that I'd be comfortable with if a Shuttle trip was my morning commute, but I wouldn't turn down a seat on an STS mission.
Typing speed is another, mostly learned from both those text parser games as well as later a.. perhaps unhealthy, amount of time spent playing my, at the time, favorite MUD.
Large amounts of small historical facts from games that have encyclopedias (think Civ or Pharaoh).
I have to admit, unlike the person some posts above me, I did not learn what a red herring was from Monkey Island... that joke didn't click till later :P Neither did the pun-based "head of the navigator" one until after I tried every item on those damn cannibals.