The Millers

The other day I had heard a story (or read a story...who knows where I got
it..haha) but anyhow, it peeked my interest in something. I was wondering
if there was a list of video games and computer games where it notes what
most "school" families would consider the games benefits.

For example, it would say something like this:

Neopets
(Writing, reading, math, reasoning, and so on)

I thought if it does not exist, then it that it would be a fun to come up
with one and post it somewhere for the critics. When my husband and I began
our "video and computer games aren't bad" detox, that information like that
would have helped Dave and I.
Crystal in NM

Sandra Dodd

On Jan 14, 2006, at 11:09 AM, The Millers wrote:

>
> For example, it would say something like this:
>
> Neopets
> (Writing, reading, math, reasoning, and so on)

=============

That would be so over-simplified, though, and not give some of the
deeper advantages of playing so hard with something that has
limitations and secret corners of the programming maybe no one the
kid knows has found, and like that.

http://sandradodd.com/videogames

As usual, it's more toward the philosophical and expansive than the
simplified list-stuff (except the now-becoming-outdated list of games
with strong female leads).

Sandra

Sandra Dodd

I just thought of where this might exist:

-=-I was wondering
if there was a list of video games and computer games where it notes
what
most "school" families would consider the games benefits.-=-

Scholastic Books has a computer games subdivision. We ordered many
things from them many years back.
They're glad to deal with homeschoolers.

Ah... I went to look, and it's been reorganized. But maybe you can
look there and see what you find:
http://shop.scholastic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?
storeId=10101&catalogId=10004&langId=-1&categoryId=13691&viewParam=Depar
tmentTopLevelCategory

You might have to put that address back together.
Or just go to http://scholastic.com and poke around.



And there's a very detailed analysis of every puzzle on Zoombinis. I
think it's linked form my videogames page.

sam

--- In [email protected], "The Millers"
<willowsfortress@c...> wrote:
When my husband and I began
> our "video and computer games aren't bad" detox, that information
like that
> would have helped Dave and I.
> Crystal in NM

I never had to detox over video games. My wife and were playing video
games long before our kids came along, so for us it's something we do
together. Some families might prefer board games, while we like to
sneak around the jungle and shoot at each other.
More along the lines of the question asked, though not quite, my son
got a real boost the first time he beat me at a game. I've used that
as an example to him when he felt something might be too big a
challenge or too hard for him. After many attempts at riding his bike
for example, he complained that it was too hard. I could tell that he
wanted to figure it out, and I could see that he was on the verge of
that click where the balance and speed all come together. So I
reminded him of the time when he never beat me at Tony Hawk. Then he
began to beat me pretty regularly and actually made me work at it.
All he had done, I reminded him, was to keep trying, to keep doing his
best.
Right now, it's cold and a little ick outside. He's got all day to
confront his current video game interest, Twisted Metal 4. His goal
is to beat the game with individual characters in order to open the
films about each character. So maybe he's learning to set goals, to
follow through and to work hard for something you find valuable. Or
maybe he just loves blowing things up.
For me personally, there isn't really any "learning" more important
than the fun I have playing video games with my son or my wife. Buy
extra controllers and multiplayer games. Parents should take their
own turn playing the games. That's the best experience in
understanding them.