Hold The Press! Video Games 'Teach Aggression' Shocker
But they should be used in the classroom.
Iowa State University has released a rather hokey press release regarding new research entitled: Violent Video Games as Exemplary Teachers: A Conceptual Analysis. The research appears to indicate the that more you play 'violent' video games, the more violent you become.
Here's how the university kicks off its story: "Like other fathers and sons, Douglas Gentile and his father have spent many hours arguing about video games. What makes them different is that Douglas, an Iowa State University assistant professor of psychology, is one of the country's top researchers on the effects of media on children. His father, J. Ronald Gentile, is a leading researcher on effective teaching and a distinguished teaching professor emeritus of educational psychology at the University of Buffalo, State University of New York.
"Through their discussions, they realised that video games use the same techniques that really great teachers use."
So far, so not bad. In a non-judgemental way, and certainly not in a way to garner headlines, son and pop then instigated research based on techniques that really great teachers use? Apparently not, here's what - according to the University, happened next:
Sure. If we were going to base research on great teaching techniques, we'd look into something like, How Our English Lit Teacher Mrs Riley Showed Us That Shakespeare Enables Us to Blind Old Men With Hot Irons. It's a much better title for a research grant than, How Mrs Riley Was Great At Teaching: 25 Examples.
Doug and his dad then tested, "nearly 2,500 youths" and through this testing found that "Students who played multiple violent video games actually learned through those games to produce greater hostile actions and aggressive behaviours over a span of six months."
We are further informed that, "We know a lot about how to be an effective teacher, and we know a lot about how to use technology to teach. Video games use many of these techniques and are highly effective teachers. So, we shouldn't be surprised that violent video games can teach aggression."
No, of course we shouldn't be surprised. Nor should we be surprised that sports teach aggression, that movies teach aggression, that recruitment posters and Youtube videos posted (when they were not censored) by frontline troops also teach aggression. We already know this stuff.
Tucked away, however, at the end of the University's press piece were two paragraphs that shifted from the hokey, "Pop and Son Discuss Video Games" and the weighted, "Violent Video Games Teach...". These pars indicated something more intriguing:
Hold on! So, if violent video games teach violence... maybe it's the 'teaching' aspect rather than the 'violent' aspect of the medium that could be studied?
Maybe the researchers work has been weighted by title (it sells) and by press release (to sell it). We've contacted Dr Doug for further response - and also to see which games were used in the testing.
Read the full report right here.
Here's how the university kicks off its story: "Like other fathers and sons, Douglas Gentile and his father have spent many hours arguing about video games. What makes them different is that Douglas, an Iowa State University assistant professor of psychology, is one of the country's top researchers on the effects of media on children. His father, J. Ronald Gentile, is a leading researcher on effective teaching and a distinguished teaching professor emeritus of educational psychology at the University of Buffalo, State University of New York.
"Through their discussions, they realised that video games use the same techniques that really great teachers use."
So far, so not bad. In a non-judgemental way, and certainly not in a way to garner headlines, son and pop then instigated research based on techniques that really great teachers use? Apparently not, here's what - according to the University, happened next:
"That realization prompted us to ask the question, 'Should we therefore be surprised that violent video games could teach aggression to players?', said Doug Gentile, who is also director of research for the National Institute on Media and the Family, and co-author of the book "Violent Video Game Effects on Children and Adolescents: Theory, Research, and Public Policy" (2007, Oxford University Press)."
Sure. If we were going to base research on great teaching techniques, we'd look into something like, How Our English Lit Teacher Mrs Riley Showed Us That Shakespeare Enables Us to Blind Old Men With Hot Irons. It's a much better title for a research grant than, How Mrs Riley Was Great At Teaching: 25 Examples.
Doug and his dad then tested, "nearly 2,500 youths" and through this testing found that "Students who played multiple violent video games actually learned through those games to produce greater hostile actions and aggressive behaviours over a span of six months."
We are further informed that, "We know a lot about how to be an effective teacher, and we know a lot about how to use technology to teach. Video games use many of these techniques and are highly effective teachers. So, we shouldn't be surprised that violent video games can teach aggression."
No, of course we shouldn't be surprised. Nor should we be surprised that sports teach aggression, that movies teach aggression, that recruitment posters and Youtube videos posted (when they were not censored) by frontline troops also teach aggression. We already know this stuff.
Tucked away, however, at the end of the University's press piece were two paragraphs that shifted from the hokey, "Pop and Son Discuss Video Games" and the weighted, "Violent Video Games Teach...". These pars indicated something more intriguing:
"Because video games were found to be such effective teaching tools, the Gentiles propose greater educational use of today's smarter technology found in those games -- technology that "thinks" along with students, adapting instruction to each student's current skills, strategies or mistakes.
"While some schools are already incorporating this type of educational programming, the researchers report that it's not widely used. The authors urge educators not to wait for more advancement before using such technology with students in the classroom."
"While some schools are already incorporating this type of educational programming, the researchers report that it's not widely used. The authors urge educators not to wait for more advancement before using such technology with students in the classroom."
Hold on! So, if violent video games teach violence... maybe it's the 'teaching' aspect rather than the 'violent' aspect of the medium that could be studied?
Maybe the researchers work has been weighted by title (it sells) and by press release (to sell it). We've contacted Dr Doug for further response - and also to see which games were used in the testing.
Read the full report right here.
Comments
actionmonkey 6 Nov 2007 13:56
1/1
I think he'll find that all games 'teach aggression' if he looked into it a little more closely.
I prefer to not get physically hurt or hurt other people when playing the games I partake in, unlike almost any other 'real world' sport you could mention, rugby for example..
I prefer to not get physically hurt or hurt other people when playing the games I partake in, unlike almost any other 'real world' sport you could mention, rugby for example..