“Are serious games the classroom tool of the future? Is the future already here? The tablet classroom may have once been the stuff of science fiction, but modern developments in technology and brain science may have come together to create a massive change in the way we think about education.”
Noted game designer and scholar Eric Zimmerman published a manifesto on the future of culture. Keeping in step with the content, the article was published on Kotaku, a videogame blog, rather than an academic journal. The document, “Manifesto: The 21st Century Will Be Defined By Games,” is a preview to his forthcoming book from MIT Press entitled “The Gameful World.” Zimmerman postulates that the 21st century will be defined by games in what he calls the Ludic Century. He indicates that games are as ancient as culture itself, but digital technology gives games a new role in gating the control of information. Whereas the 20th century was marked by increasing access to information, the Ludic Century will be marked by an interactive relationship to information. Digital designers and media mavens will play a new role, inviting users to play with information in an unprecedented way. There will also be a democratization of digital experiences similar to that of other industries. Game design will cross all boundaries of art, science, education, and media. Zimmerman states that games are complex systems that might allow us to understand, synthesize, and digest other more complex systems.
The CUNY Games Network is excited to have Eric Zimmerman participating as a featured panelist at the CUNY Games Fest conference in 2014.
Originally posted at TransformativeGames.org
“Some video games are designed to foster a fun experience, while others are meant to educate. One 3D video game, which was at the center of a recent University of California, San Francisco study, was specially designed to enhance older adults cognitive abilities. Based on researchers findings, playing this game can improve seniors mental strength.In the study, which was published in “Nature,” researchers set out to see what impact playing their video game would have on participants between the ages of 60 and 85 years of age. Those who played the game had to navigate a race car around a winding track, while keeping an eye out for specific road signs. When these signs popped up, players were asked to press a button. Overall, the game required them to rapidly switch between tasks.While the game was difficult, the participants received training to make multitasking easier on them. The training proved very effective, as they were able to perform better than individuals in their 20s who were playing the game for the first time.Following the video game training, the participants saw improvements to their sustained attention and working memory. Ultimately, the study results show that the older brain can change.If adults play video games regularly and are curious to learn how this hobby has affected their cognitive abilities, it may be time for them to take an IQ test.”
