Video Game Myths

Many scholars are excited about the potential of video games to promote learning, but Fran Blumberg, a professor of education at Fordham University, takes a more reserved position. In fact, she is skeptical about the educational benefits associated with video games. While she admits that individuals acquire certain skills when they play these games, she questions the impact this will have in school. Further, Blumberg doubts that the skills acquired in these virtual environments will transfer elsewhere. Part of her reservations regarding games stems from the fact that the individual is the one in control when playing video games. However, when these same games are appropriated for school settings, the teacher then becomes the one in control. In other words, video games + school/class = not fun.

Blumberg recently presented these findings at a conference, and despite the enthusiasm for video games, the audience members were not surprised by her conclusions. While Blumberg is less enthusiastic about the teaching and learning potential of video games than her peers, she has not totally discounted them. She simply believes that educators need to better understand them before declaring them the savior of education.