Thoughts on “Talking About Videogames” by James Newman

        Writing about videogames feels like a daunting task for me.  My own experiences with videogames seem to be rather limited compared to the experiences of my peers.  As I was growing up, my family always had a gaming system of some kind in our home.  Our earliest system was a Super Nintendo, followed by, a Nintendo 64, a Play Station II and finally a Nintendo Wii.  While I have enjoyed playing performance and trivia games like “Sing Star,” “Dance, Dance Revolution,” or the “Buzz” trivia game that we have for the Play Station, I’ve never really developed an interest for action, combat or other types of videogames.  Because of my lack of experience in the world of gaming, I was a bit worried that James Newman’s, “Talking About Videogames” would be beyond my scope of understanding or interest.  Thankfully, I was wrong.  Although I know very little of the storylines or rules of the games mentioned, I can identify with the concept of video gaming as a social culture, and although I don’t consider myself a gamer, I have been exposed to many of the elements that Newman mentions in his writing and can identify with their value.

            Newman observed that the creation of multi-player games, “where all players are co-present in a given space”(463) has made video gaming a more socially interactive experience rather than a solitary one.  I easily identified with this because my only gaming experience has been with multiplayer games where I’m competing with friends or family, and not playing alone.  Even games that we own that are single player are usually played with others giving suggestions or strategies to the single player.  

            Newman also indicates that people talk about videogames in much the same way that people may discuss the storyline and characters of a television show or movie.  I’ve witnessed my own sister and friends engaged in conversations about Link from Zelda or about levels in Super Mario World.  More than once I’ve listened to friends’ and family members’ discussions concerning predictions, tips, and criticisms of the latest game they are obsessed with.  I also have friend who is involved in a gaming group, leading to further social interaction and discussion.

            As well as discussion, video games have created a magazine culture.  The closest I’ve come to awareness of this was leafing through my sister’s old “hints” magazine for Zelda for the old Super Nintendo!  Things have really changed since then.  In addition to hints, today’s gaming magazines feature articles about current and future games, as well as opportunities for gamers to write in and share hints and successes and ask questions or make comments about games.  I think the most important point of the section on the “magazine culture” of video games is that, according to Newman, they “provide considerable reassurance that other like-minded gamers exist” (469).  That reassurance must provide a feeling of connectedness among gamers.

            Of the online gaming culture, I have no experience, but I can understand and appreciate it as another way for gamers to feel connected to one another and validated that what they are doing is worthwhile.  Because people are able to communicate about the games they are interested in via microphones while playing, or through blogs or chat rooms they can share moves or hints, and voice opinions about the quality and content of the games they enjoy.

                                                           Works Cited

Newman, James.  “Talking About Videogames.” A Media Studies Reader.  Editor: Williams, Kevin.  2010, University Readers Inc. and Taylor & Francis Group.  P.463-483.

             

                       

           

            

Comparing and Contrasting Brian Sutton-Smith and George Herbert Mead’s Theories on Games and Play From the Reading “What is a Game,” by Egenfieldt-Neilson, Smith and Tosca

        The subject of games and play is a very interesting one.  Educationist, Brian Sutton-Smith did much research on the role of games as play in the 1970s.  Social psychologist, George Herbert Mead wrote the book Mind, Self and Society in 1934, and discussed in detail the function of play and games as role training.  While both scholars voiced their beliefs in different decades, the content of their research has validity.  Though Sutton-Smith and Mead have different philosophies on games and play, they do share several similarities in the themes of games and play in society, in goal orientation, and in the necessity of rules.

            Both Sutton-Smith and Mead see the playing of a game as having a role in society.  Sutton-Smith believes that the games of a society reflect how evolved that society is.  He states, “The more complex a social system, the more advanced its games” (159).  This makes perfect sense.  One can imagine primitive societies, where all of the members of the group spend the majority of time focusing on meeting their basic needs, as having very little time for games or play, as even the youngest members of the society are helping their parents.  Even with time for play, more primitive people might base their play solely on imitation, and not have formal rules of play.  The members of more complex societies, where basic needs are more easily met, have time to engage in play and create games with more structure and rules.  George Herbert Mead sees play and games as the building blocks to understanding one’s self and the roles and rules of society.  He believes that through “make-believe” play children learn to understand the roles of others and they begin to “understand the symbols that indicate that role” (160).  Once a child involves him or herself in organized games with others, such a team sport, they are forced to learn the roles of others in the game and their relationships with them.  This prepares them for fitting in with society as they mature.

            Both Sutton-Smith and Mead agree that games are goal oriented.  Sutton-Smith sees the establishment of “dominance by making the right moves” (159-160) and creating a clear winner or loser as the goal of game playing.  This goal can be achieved through one-on-one play or through team play.  Mead sees the goal of game playing as a method for the player or players to understand themselves and those around them, and believes that this understanding will later translate to the player’s role in society. If Mead were on a soccer team, he would be focusing on his position and role as a player, and how his role relates to the others on the team.  Where it seems that Sutton-Smith would be focusing on his interaction with the others on the team in order to for his team to win the game.  Mead seems to focus more on learning about self and others, where Sutton-Smith’s focus seems to be more on winning.

            In addition to agreeing that games and play have a role in society, and that games are goal oriented, Sutton-Smith and Mead both see the necessity of rules in game.  For Sutton-Smith, rules help to “produce a disequilibrial outcome,” (159) or an outcome with a clear winner or loser.  For Mead, rules aid in defining the roles of the players.  They allow an individual to go from “play to game” (160). 

            Play and games are an important part of the development of most individuals.  While Brian Sutton-Smith and George Herbert Mead have differing beliefs concerning the functions of play and games, they both recognize that play and games have a role in society and that play and games are both goal oriented and have a clear need for rules.

                                                                                          Works Cited

Egenfeldt-Neilson, S., Smith, Jonas, H., & Tosca, Susana P.  “What Is a Game?”  A Media Studies Reader.  Editor: Williams, Kevin.  2010, University Readers Inc. and Taylor & Francis Group.  P. 151-173.

Learning Styles

What are Learning Styles?

            A learning style is an approach or technique that aids a person in gaining and storing new material. The learning styles that I had always known about were visual, kinesthetic, auditory and reading/writing styles.  I had always considered myself as mostly a visual and kinesthetic learner.  Show me how to do something, and then let me try it, and it will stick in my memory forever! 

The two assigned tests, the VARK and the Learning and Styles and Strategies Test tested for several learning styles.  The VARK tested for visual, aural, reading/writing, and kinesthetic learning styles.  Visual learners learn with the aid of looking at charts, graphs, and pictures. Auditory learners take in information best by listening to a speaker explain and describe. In the reading and writing style the learner best takes in information through reading about it and writing about the details.  If someone is a kinesthetic, or hands on learner, they learn best by physically taking in the information in a way that they can touch or be a part of the learning experience. The Learning Styles and Strategies Test tested to see if the learner was active or reflective, sensing or intuitive, visual or verbal, or sequential or global.  The active learner is much like the kinesthetic; learning by doing.  The reflective learner needs time to process the information they have experienced in order to properly absorb it.  The sensing learner prefers facts and established methods for learning and problem solving, while the intuitive learner is able to grasp more abstract concepts easily.  The visual learner, as mentioned before, prefers a visual reference such as a graph, chart, picture or diagram to aid in learning.  The verbal learner gets more out of spoken words and explanations.  The sequential learner prefers an orderly path to solve a problem or a sequence of steps where one learning experience builds on another, where the global learner can learn in “jumps” without having to see connections between concepts.  It is much preferred that a learner have a good balance between each of the learning pairs in the Learning Styles and Strategies Test to be an effective learner.

Testing Results!

            Because I already had an idea of the types of learning styles, and considered myself a visual and kinesthetic learner, I was eager to see if the two assigned learning styles tests confirmed my own knowledge and beliefs.  In the VARK test I was surprised to see that my highest score was in reading and writing with an 11.  Kinesthetic came next with a 10, follow by visual with an 8, and aural at 7.  In retrospect I have to agree with the test.  I do find that my main way of studying is by reading the information and writing it down in my own words over and over until I fully understand it.  I wasn’t at all surprised by my score for kinesthetic.  I’ve always known that I learn well by doing.  My lower score with visual was somewhat surprising, as I’ve always relied on visual references to better understand concepts.  Aural coming in last was very much expected.  I’ve always had difficulty processing auditory information, and note taking is especially difficult for me.

            My scores for the Learning Styles and Strategies test went along fairly well with the VARK test.  In active and reflective learning my scores showed that I am fairly well balanced in these areas.  In sensing and intuitive, I have a moderate preference for sensing over intuitiveness.  In visual and verbal, I have a moderate preference for visual learning.  In sequential and global my scores showed a moderate preference for sequential learning.

Strategies for Life-long Learning

           

            These tests and their information were very eye opening.  I’ve always known that aural/verbal learning was a weakness of mine.  Some of the ways I cope with this is by going over my notes with other friends in my classes, rereading the lectured information in my text, using the internet for further information, and asking classmates for their explanations of a topic that I’m having trouble getting.  Hearing several explanations is always helpful.  Because I tend to be more concrete than intuitive I have to seek out real life examples to make abstract concepts more understandable for me.  This is also another time where doing my own research and brainstorming with peers can be helpful.  Because I tend to be more concrete in my learning styles, it made sense to me that I favored sequential learning over the global learning style.  Thankfully, most classes I have taken have been in some form of sequential order.  When they aren’t I compensate by creating my own order, and studying things in an order that make sense to me.  I also call on the help of peers and my own research to fill in any blanks in my studies.

            It’s very important for one to understand what works best for them when it comes to learning.  Because education is so important to me, I have been aware of my learning strengths and weaknesses since elementary school, and have sought out strategies to aid in my learning.