Since the dawn of the home video game era in the late '70s and early '80s , there has been much bad press concerning young children's exposure to violent games, and the possibility that video games might turn children into 'zombies', who are incapable of thinking and behaving outside of their chosen virtual environments.
However, a recent speech given by the British Secretary for Education, Mr. Michael Gove, could be about to change the reputation of videogames forever.
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| Michael Gove |
Speaking to The Royal Society last week about the future of education, Mr. Gove praised educational videogames as a tool for learning.
In particular, Mr. Gove highlighted the work of british-born mathematician, Marcus du Sautoy, who has developed videogames in order to teach many advanced aspects of mathematics to young schoolchildren.
Mr. Gove said: "When children need to solve equations in order to get more ammo to shoot the aliens, it is amazing how quickly they can learn. I am sure that this field of educational games has huge potential for maths and science teaching."
[sourced from: http://www.education.gov.uk/inthenews/speeches/a00191729/michael-gove-speaks-to-the-royal-society-on-maths-and-science]
Of course, it has to be said that educational videogames are nothing new. The Nintendo DS has many educational titles aimed at young gamers and adults alike.
Nevertheless, Mr. Gove's speech is an indication that the general perception of videogames may at last be changing, and that the value of videogames as an educational tool is now being recognised outside of the gaming community.
HAVE YOUR SAY...
What do you think of Michael Gove's comments?
Do you agree that videogames should be used as a tool in the classroom?
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