Class blog 16: The importance of games
Why do we play games?
The most obvious answers would be because we're bored, or because they're fun. But if you think about it, children are socialized not only to play, but to play games.
Koster makes a lot of good points about games. Games are often thought of as whimsical or insubstantial, but when we think about it, games are almost always a reflection of reality, even if it's a bit of a “bent” or misshapen reflection: “games might seem abstracted from reality because they are...depictions of patterns...they have more in common with how our brain visualizes things than...how reality is actually formed...our perception...is basically abstractions anyway (34)”.
Think about some games that are commonly played in yards across America: cops and robbers, cowboys and Indians, etc. This game is a direct look at how children begin to learn the idea of good and bad, right and wrong, and punishment.
Think about other, less conventional forms of games: what about dictionary races? I don't know if anyone else had those in elementary school, but in my school, everyone got a dictionary and the teacher would call out different words. Whoever got to them first would get a prize. The point of the game was to teach the students how to use the dictionary as well as refresh their spelling skills: things that could have easily been learned by rote memorization or writing on a chalkboard. The “game” aspect is what keeps kids engaged and still learning.
Games might seem silly, you might want your kids or the kids you're baby sitting to come inside and read a book, etc, but it's important to think about what the games may be teaching them, even when they (and you) don't realize it.
The most obvious answers would be because we're bored, or because they're fun. But if you think about it, children are socialized not only to play, but to play games.
Koster makes a lot of good points about games. Games are often thought of as whimsical or insubstantial, but when we think about it, games are almost always a reflection of reality, even if it's a bit of a “bent” or misshapen reflection: “games might seem abstracted from reality because they are...depictions of patterns...they have more in common with how our brain visualizes things than...how reality is actually formed...our perception...is basically abstractions anyway (34)”.
Think about some games that are commonly played in yards across America: cops and robbers, cowboys and Indians, etc. This game is a direct look at how children begin to learn the idea of good and bad, right and wrong, and punishment.
Think about other, less conventional forms of games: what about dictionary races? I don't know if anyone else had those in elementary school, but in my school, everyone got a dictionary and the teacher would call out different words. Whoever got to them first would get a prize. The point of the game was to teach the students how to use the dictionary as well as refresh their spelling skills: things that could have easily been learned by rote memorization or writing on a chalkboard. The “game” aspect is what keeps kids engaged and still learning.
Games might seem silly, you might want your kids or the kids you're baby sitting to come inside and read a book, etc, but it's important to think about what the games may be teaching them, even when they (and you) don't realize it.