Study: Most Kids Play Video Games (Some Even for Educational Purposes)

Amanda Lenhart checked in recently to talk about the latest report released by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. She was the lead investigator for the report, entitled “Teens, Video Games, and Civics.” Already it’s garnering considerable media and internet attention. Slashdot’s headline: “Study Finds Video Games Are Not Bad for Kids.” The results stem from a national telephone survey of 1,102 youths, ages 11-17, and their parents/guardians, that wrapped up in February of this year.

Several interesting findings came out of the research, including one that seems obvious but now has hard data backing it up: almost all children in the US play video games. Lenhart’s team broke down the data by gender, genre, game title, console, and more, ferreting out many interesting items. Here is a paragraph on gender:

The stereotype that only boys play video games is far from true in 2008, as girls constitute a large (if not equal) percentage of total gamers: 99% of boys play games, as do 94% of girls. While almost all girls as well as almost all boys play video games, boys typically play games with greater frequency and duration than girls. Boys are significantly more likely to play games daily than girls, with 39% of boys reporting daily game play and 22% of girls reporting the same. Boys are also more likely than girls to play games on any given day (60% of boys did, compared with 39% of girls), and when boys do play, they’re playing for longer periods of time.

Lenhart said I’d be interested in the findings on school gaming software, and she was absolutely correct. I suspect this might spur additional academic investigation, as a host of potential research questions come to mind from the findings on school games. This paragraph details the breakdown of students reporting school educational game use:

One-third (34%) of American teens have played a computer or console game at school as part of a school assignment. Lower-income teens (41%) and teens from homes with lower overall education levels (41%) are more likely than their counterparts (29%) to have played a game for school. Black teens (46%) are more likely that white teens (32%) to have played a game at school for educational purposes. Younger teens are also more likely to have played a game at school than older teens: 40% of teens ages 12-14 have played a game at school as part of a school assignment, while 29% of teens ages 15-17 have done so.

From there, researchers asked the students which games they played at school. Interestingly, here the answers got fuzzier:

When asked what games they played in school, many teens said they could not quite remember or that they played “math games” or “typing games.” Thus, we are not able to report on the most commonly played games with a degree of precision, and it was clear that no one game or one kind of game predominated. The games mentioned by five or more teens were: Oregon Trail, Fun Brain, Lemonade Stand, and Roller Coaster Tycoon.

I found it interesting that half those heavily mentioned titles stem from series started in the 1980s, which I blogged about recently here. It reminds me of some research a friend of mine once worked on in a third world country, focusing on non-governmental organizations. People working for the NGOs thought they were doing great, while the locals often held different opinions when answering the same survey questions. I suspect teachers using video games in the classroom could answer specific questions about them better than their students, but this probably holds true for other pedagogical activities as well. What kid remembers the name of any particular intervention? Without casting aspersions on either students, teachers, or the educational video games played, it was an intriguing tidbit.

In summary, this is an important dataset and report on teen gaming that other researchers will want to mine for details. There is something of interest here to anyone focusing on video games. I also liked the attention Lenhart’s team gave to social interaction in gaming, a facet so often overlooked by non-players. The main page for the report is here.

References:
Lenhart, A., Kahne J., Middaugh, E., Macgill, A. R., Evans, C., & Vitak, J. (2008, September 16). Teens, video games, and civics. Pew Internet & American Life Project. [Online]. Available: http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/263/report_display.asp

Free Video Games from Sesame Street

Got a nice letter today from Jacqueline DaSilva over at Ruder Finn, Inc. informing me of the new Sesame Street site, sesamestreet.org. Parents of toddlers will love this site. Not only does it have tons of age appropriate videogames to play with your pre-schooler, it also has thousands of videos from the show. You can literally spend hours on the site, (with or without the kids). It’s also a great place to have the youngsters sit in your lap while you surf, or let them play an age appropriate game on their own. Highly recommended.

Last Lecture Author & Alice Founder Pausch Dies at 47

Randy Pausch, a pioneer of educational videogaming, passed away this week from cancer at age 47. Pausch’s “Last Lecture,” videotaped at Carnegie Mellon where he taught, became an internet sensation last year. I linked to The Wall Street Journal article by Jeffrey Zaslow last September, and inadvertently misspelled Dr. Pausch’s last name. Google sent hundreds of visitors to this blog who made the same mistake.

Zaslow went on to co-author a book with Pausch, which has topped the best seller lists. Pausch is beloved by educational videogame enthusiasts because he was one of the founders of Alice, a popular software program for creating animation projects and teaching aspiring programmers how to code. Alice continues to be hosted by Carnegie Mellon. Dr. Pausch will be missed.

Nintendo DS Helps Teach English in Japan

The DS continues to garner media attention for its role in Japanese public schools. Here’s a brief article by Gary Schmidt detailing its use at the Junior High level for teaching English.

Motoko Okubo, a junior high school teacher, has used the handheld DS and textbook software since May in weekly sessions focusing on vocabulary, penmanship and audio comprehension for teaching english.

“They’ve been using it at home playing games, so at first they were surprised they can use it at school,” Okubo said.

Vice principal Junko Tatsumi says results so far have been encouraging in Japan’s long struggle with English language education … Japan has around 15,000 middle and high schools and in 2000 launched reforms to create a more “relaxed” environment aimed at fostering creativity and reducing rote learning.

The educational outlook for the Nintendo DS continues to look promising.

References:
Schmidt, G. (2008, June 30). The Nintendo DS is becoming more popular than just a portable videogame device. [Online]. Retrieved July 7, 2008 from http://www.halflifesource.com/story/japan_uses_nintendo_ds_in_schools/
article2533.htm

‘Telly Guidelines’: A Roundup of Studies and Worries about Screen Time from Across the Pond

Here’s a nice article from British mum and columnist Janice Turner, who details the current state of official consternation regarding videogames, and parental juggling of duties in light of going against the grain of political correctness. She details a host of studies (mostly negative) regarding videogames and their impact on society from a British perspective.

 [I]n our multiplatform, interactive digital domain it’s not enough to pull the plug out after Newsround. “Screen time” is the new playground buzzword. What irony that having wasted weeks acquiring the world’s last Wii, and credit card bills still bulging from new PCs and plasma TVs, we spend the rest of the year fighting to stop our children using them.

ChildWise, a British charity and apparently somewhat akin to an American think tank, found the average British child spends 5 and a third hours per day at screen time. This has led to parental efforts at control, according to Ms. Turner, along with accompanying angst:

It is no small challenge being the in-house Ofcom, diligently monitoring screen minutes: adding a half hour of MSN to Doctor Who and 20 minutes on SuperMario Galaxy. Does squinting at music videos on your iPod nano’s teeny screen count? What about Tetris on your mobile? Is a podcast cause for concern?

Indeed. Where should the lines be drawn? Perhaps the government should regulate access to media. After all, there are several studies indicating harm with overuse:

Yet what exactly are we worried about here? Of course, the “toxic childhood” Jeremiahs are always plucking random figures from the air: Aric Sigman, of the British Psychological Society, declared that the Government should prescribe telly guidelines – two hours for seven to twelve-year-olds – just as it issues, say, a recommended sodium intake. Last year the University of California gave warning that between two to four hours of TV watching risks high blood pressure. Other reports claim that more than four hours a day leads to obesity, attention deficit disorders, linguistic problems and even back pain. They may as well add, like parents did in the Seventies, that sitting too close to the box gives you square eyes.

However, Ms. Turner has already decided where she will draw the line for her kiddos. She refuses to purchase for them any gaming console. They are “crack cocaine for the brain,” taking over all amusement time:

Playing videogames, children are mentally imprisoned, wired into their evil creators’ brains. And they play them – beepety-beep – on journeys, over family meals, any minute in which they find themselves unamused.

Nice article. Couldn’t disagree with her more, though, about that last point. Videogames are only one of many entertainment and learning options available. In my own household, we have access to consoles, MMOs, handhelds, cellphones, and books (lots of books). I can assure Ms. Turner that videogames are only one option in a world of entertainment, and when given access to them, kids don’t always devote all their free time to games. Nonetheless, Ms. Turner has an excellent article filled with British wit and a concerned mother’s P.O.V.

References:
Turner, J. (2008, January 19). Xbox is crack for kids. The Times. [Online]. Available:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/

janice_turner/article3211999.ece

Tim Holt’s Interview with Michael Levine

My colleague Tim Holt, over at El Paso ISD, recently changed the name of his blog from Byte Speed to Intended Consequences. I’ve updated the blogroll to reflect the change. In the meantime, check out Tim’s interview with Dr. Michael Levine, “the Executive Director of the Joan Ganz Cooney Center [at Sesame Workshop] about the role of digital media and how it affects today’s children.” Tim says Dr. Levine discusses a lot about videogames in this podcast. This is particularly exciting because anything related to Sesame Street has profound influence on casual learning for children worldwide.

Unfortunately I’m having connection troubles tonight and can’t listen to the interview. However, as soon as I do, I’ll update this post.

Gamer Builds Nuke; Film at 11

Here’s another example of media bias against gamers. A particularly brilliant young Texan set out to build a small nuclear reactor in his bedroom. (Okay, he lives with his parents; cut him some slack.) After setting the thing up, he notes double the passive radiation readings in his parents’ house. So then he blogs about the ordeal. Someone reads the blog, gets concerned and calls the local cops. They show up along with the FBI and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

NBC 5i in Dallas shows up to do a story. Does the story focus on the uber-nerd smarts it takes to construct a mini nuclear reactor at home? No, the story focuses on the fact the guy is a (gasp!) videogame player/programmer! Read more about the kafuffle and gamer reaction to it over at GamePolitics.com.

Things We Can Learn About Serious Games from Sesame Street

Recently I saw an A&E Teacher’s segment from the Biography channel on the late 1960’s genesis of Sesame Street. I was struck by the similarities between Sesame Street and serious games. Both deal with existing entertainment media that some folks try to appropriate for educational purposes. Both have had periods of “trial and error” to get it right and learn what they best can teach in a limited textual (non-paper) domain. And, both have encountered criticisms and concerns from the “experts.”

I was also struck by the willingness of the early Sesame Street creation team to depart from the experts’ advice when faced with results from their own research. Someone told them not to mix fantasy with reality, so their first show had adults and children doing things like reciting the alphabet. They tested the show in Philadelphia with 100 test families paid $100 to watch. The families reacted negatively to almost all parts of the show. But, the families almost universally loved Jim Henson’s Burt and Ernie puppets. Then the team said, “OK, we’ll mix fantasy and reality,” and incorporated the puppets throughout the show. The rest is broadcast history as Sesame Street went on to become the most successful children’s television show ever.

Some other things I noticed when comparing instructional gaming and Sesame Street:

- Both tend to be most successful in traditional education efforts when focusing on young children. Sesame Street focuses on the alphabet and counting to 20 or so. Some of the most successful commercial gaming products that focus on traditional education likewise keep it simple and focus on teaching youngsters (think of the early Math Blaster and Reader Rabbit titles).

- In due course, the Sesame Street writers ventured out to craft episodes designed to teach kids “warm and fuzzy” concepts, such as the benefits of sharing, empathy, and accepting death and birth as part of the natural order of life. Increasingly, serious game makers are realizing that videogames are perhaps the best medium for instilling “fuzzy” lessons like this in students. Teamwork can easily be practiced within a MMOG; consequences to choices can be easily realized in a good RPG.

- Like any good videogame, Sesame Street takes a lot of hours from a lot of people to do right. The producers indicated most folks unfamiliar with production make the faulty assumption that putting on puppets and throwing together a show remain easy to do. In fact, hour after hour after hour is spent writing, re-writing, rehearsing, and re-shooting the show. It looks easy on screen because of the hours of effort behind the scenes the viewer never sees. Likewise, good games are good because of the time and effort that has gone into making them.

It’s nice to see an educational show get praise and huzzahs for its success. Let’s hope it doesn’t take another 30 years or so for educational games to receive similar adulation.

Update:
Felicia over at Library Development Services at the South Carolina State Library’s blog, LibraryTrax, takes me to task for not mentioning that one of Sesame Street’s strongest contributions was to show that education is fun, a point well taken.

Study notes lower blood flow to brain while playing videogames

Chalk up another example of journalism by press release concerning a videogame study. The study was released by Chou Yuan-hua (周元華), in the Department of Psychiatry at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan. Studying 30 men, all aged 25 years, lower blood circulation to the head was measured a half hour after playing videogames, with results particularly notable following violent games.

On the surface, the study seems reminiscent of Haier’s work observing lower glucose levels in the brains of Tetris players. However, details of the study have prompted derision and scoffing among gaming aficionados.

Without reading the study, I would speculate blood flow was chosen as an easy to measure marker. It’s hard to say what significance, sociologically or physiologically, can be attributed to the observations, especially since comparisons to blood flow when subjects watched television or engaged in reading were apparently not offered. Negative connotations against videogames would be greatly reduced if questions were asked and answered such as: Does blood flow decrease when any other medium is engaged? Are the results simply a function of amusement? (Note that the word “amuse” literally means to stop thinking. Hmm.) Time will tell, along with a few replicated results in separate additional studies.

References:
Tapei Times. (2007, December 27). Videogames reduce blood flow to the brain: Study. [Online]. Retrieved December 27, 2007 from: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/
2007/12/27/2003394285

America’s Army Tournaments Help Recruiters Target Candidates

Here’s an interesting article out of The Arizona Republic on Uncle Sam’s Army leveraging it’s America’s Army franchise in recruiting efforts. Recall that I included America’s Army in my Top 10 Free Educational Video Games earlier this month. Besides serving as a recruiting tool, the game instills values such as teamwork and cooperation, and gives potential recruits a simulated taste of boot camp.

Article author Dianna M. Náñez indicates the Army is getting creative in its recruitment efforts through local sponsorship of gaming tournaments. Such efforts are an attempt to cut through media-instilled perceptions of military life.

References:
Náñez, D. M. (2007, December 27). Army using video game as recruiting tool. The Arizona Republic. [Online]. Retrieved December 27, 2007 from: http://www.azcentral.com/community/chandler/articles/
1227cr-recruiting1228.html