My Gaming Experience

My Gaming Experience. . ..

As far back as I can remember, gaming has always been a part of my life.  I had an Atari, a Sega, a Nintendo, a Playstation and an X-Box.  As I began my education in digital media, the creation of gaming was never my motivation unlike others who solely enter animation to develop games as a career.  I was more fascinated with the story and the adventure than the graphics.  When I began to teach digital media, I found that the demand for gaming design had grown from entertainment to an educational need.

As a student, I have not had many instances where gaming was used, but as a professor I tried to find ways of adding interactive challenges that engaged the user while providing some lesson - obvious or hidden.  In my current job, I am tasked with learning analysis and curriculum development.  My job is to find gaps in knowledge and skills and develop learning plans.  Sometimes I need to develop the curriculum from scratch, but other times I can recommend pre-made content that is offered by my company.  In these lessons, gaming is not obvious, but simulations and interactive activities are used to provide engaging experiences while providing vital lessons to manufacturing professionals.

As I look ahead to how gaming can be a benefit to education, I begin to realize how the various delivery methods of gaming exists and how they impact education.  I also believe that if properly designed, a game can offer both enjoyment and education, adventure and knowledge, a challenge and a reward.  As games call upon cognitive function, problem solving, and critical thinking - what better way to develop and understanding of a topic than entertaining the student through various lessons in the form of a game.