More video games, fewer books at schools?

By Debra Sherman

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Of all of the proposals aimed at improving America's failing schools, there's one idea kids will really like: More video games and fewer books.

At least a number of educators hope so, arguing that children would get more excited about school and that video games can present real-life problems to solve.

Nobody is talking about putting violent video games such as "Doom" or "Mortal Kombat" into classrooms, particularly given concerns they may encourage aggressive behavior.

Instead, educators such as Indiana University associate professor Sasha Barab are developing alternative video games that can teach as well as entertain.

In one game designed by Barab, the player assumes the role of an investigator seeking to find out why fish are dying in a virtual park.

Various theories are offered such as excessive logging or farm fertilizers, and the players share data about water quality and compare hypotheses. If they recommend kicking out the loggers, the park may go bankrupt, giving students a real-world dilemma.

"I believe in digital media literacy. If we don't make changes in the way we educate our children, they will be left behind in world markets," said Barab, a former high school teacher. "Right now, I'm not that optimistic about where schools are headed."

Another backer of video games as educational tools is Katie Salen. A game designer, Salen is working with a group called New Visions for Public Schools to establish a school in New York City for grades six through 12 that would integrate video games into the entire curriculum.

"There's a lot of moral panic about addiction to games. There's a negative public perception and we know we have to deal with that. But teachers have been using games for years and years," Salen said.

"We're looking at how games work and we want to think about ways to redeliver information. It's quite unknown territory."

'THE WORLD IS NOT A VIDEO GAME'

The MacArthur Foundation is investing $50 million to investigate whether video games promote learning, and last month sponsored a panel discussion on the subject in Chicago.

"Kids don't just play games. The games inspire so they then turn to books," said Connie Yowell, director of education at the Chicago-based foundation. "There are bad games, but people tend to blame the tools instead of learning about the tools."

To be sure, there are plenty of questions about the educational value of video games, as compared with books and traditional tools.

Dr. Joshua Freedman, a neuropsychiatrist at the University of California, Los Angeles, said video games are interactive and can help with spatial concepts.