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The three articles regarding Video Gaming stirred great memories. As a gamer in my youth and now an educator, I can see common ground between the two. Those of my generation growing up in Minnesota may think of Oregon Trail, Odell Lake, or Number Munchers with great nostalgia. As a student, I remember how "Computer Lab Day" was seen as a break from the grind of the usual class schedule. Even though games such as these were rooted in content, the ability to manipulate characters made the experience enjoyable and memorable. Outside of school, as a youth of the Nintendo generation I explored many computer-generated worlds. Games such as The Legend of Zelda, Deja Vu, and Super Mario Bros. required me to take risks and solve problems. Contemporary games obviously have countless more layers. Presumably, today's gamers enjoy more sophistication and overall depth, but what is required of the user has largely remained the same. Over time, video games have demanded players to manipulate their environment, confront their own actions, and make moral choices in order to achieve the objective.

These themes have interesting implications for educators. Both the games themselves and the issues they raise can aid student understanding.

First, lessons and curricula may be repackaged in a video game format. As stated, I look back fondly on days spent in the computer lab. Most importantly, games such as The Oregon Trail are rooted in content--at the same time they require the player to make logical decisions and they are reactive to those actions. A contemporary game, Making History, updates these challenges and has players consider social, political, economic, and diplomatic implications of each action. Now, even if educators don't have access to these specific resources, they may borrow important lessons from the video game genre. For example, educators could repackage historical controversies. The lesson would be created so as to react to the actions of the students. What decisions and actions led to United States involvement in World War One? Students act as "players," where their movements affect the actions of other characters and manipulate their environments.



Second, video games, like any element of popular culture, are up for a discussion of societal standards. As implied in the Genderplay article, video games offer a wealth of controversies. Many and varied discussions could be derived from the gaming world. Obviously, gender issues as a reflection of overall popular culture could be explored. Today's games may offer to the classroom interesting investigations of heroism and redemption, as in Max Payne. The Grand Theft Auto series also deals with issues such as gender roles, but also begs questions regarding racism, loyalty, and moral quandaries. What better way to engage students on weighty issues such as these? Educators constantly look for ways to connect beyond the classroom--video games connect learning directly to the student's television or computer monitor.