Video Games are Your Friend - A Literal Interpretation

Teenagers spend a ridiculous amount of time playing video games.* Any number of explanations could be given for the reason, but I would offer escapism as the primary culprit, as this hits on many of the main points contained within a video game. The education world has not yet found a solution for this virus that has spread through high schools across the country. Schools cannot control what students do at home (sorry!) - or school for that matter - and parents cannot control what students do anywhere* (news flash!). I assert that, rather than fighting an uphill battle, then Education (capitalization intentional) would could, and maybe even should, turn around and run in the other direction. What if students could escape into a virtual world of learning modeled after some of the most successful video games.

Disclaimer: I am not a gamer. I have played video games, but I can't stand the monotony and tedious nature of most of them. Also, video games are not, I repeat not, the cause of, nor the answer to all of Education's problems. This is merely one avenue that I thought worth exploring.

Why are video games so popular anyway? Teenagers are vain, conceded, insecure, hormonal, lazy, impatient maniacs. (It's late, so I'm being nice.) Video games are an ultimate source of ego. The player is paramount. Whether it's a simple game of Frogger (no, I'm not that old), or it's a not-so-secret online society like World of Warcraft, the main character is the player. Moreover, the object of the game is the success of the player. Essentially, the entire purpose of a video game is to boost the ego of the player.

This is not unique to video games. A million years ago, Dungeons and Dragons was played by socially awkward youth through old fashioned books, dice and collectible figurines. This form of RPG (Role Playing Game for the uninitiated) was the ultimate escape for those in need of an alternate reality. In addition to providing a fantasy world in which one could retreat -manipulating a character whose traits are strikingly similar to those in the dreams of the player - the game encouraged a twisted form of social interaction. People would need to gather in order to play the game, essentially creating the geekiest, nerdiest party culture every to graze humanity.

How does this relate to video games, you may ask? World of Warcraft, NeoPets (It's not just for boys (actually, most people don't realize just how gender neutral these games are (market share (nested parentheses (LISP)))) and a host of other online RPGs, including a Dungeons and Dragons one, by the way, all mimic this behavior in a virtual format. No longer does one need to risk even the slightest physical human interaction. Now, friends are no further than your computer. Moreover, other human beings can judge you entirely on what your virtual character does. Emotion is expressed through single phrases preceded by a forward slash in a global chat window. It is the ultimate poker face in the high stakes game of social interaction. (Yes, I did just use a gaming reference to describe another gaming experience, and, yes, gambling has a lot to do with video games.) What better way is there to exist than as an entity that you have complete control over.

Or do you have complete control...?

I said that teenagers are impatient, but they have remarkable patience when they are dealing with status. Just as they may painstakingly work toward the perfect outfit to show their fashion superiority, or at least acceptability, teenagers will work tirelessly on building up their characters in an online world. These worlds have entire economies with currency exchanges, rare collectibles, skilled trades, information industries and power hierarchies. Moreover, achieving a high status in any category has a clear and defined path. Complete the tasks that the game lays out for you, and you can gain power, money, skills or a host of other status symbols available. The path is generally crystal clear, and there is only one thing standing in the way of a teenager's current self and their ultimate ideal: time.

These games take an enormous amount of time, as we all well know (redundant, redundant, etc.). Most people take for granted the reason for all this time being spent on frivolous spinning of wheels. That reason being that it is not frivolous at all, at least not to a teenager. Every minute is another step toward a goal; a goal that means something very real in the adolescent mind. It might be many steps removed, for instance: kill the deer to get the hide to tan the hide to sew the leather to gain a "leatherworking" experience point, which contributes toward the status of "expert leatherworker," which allows the character to create unique leather armor if only they can find the magic rune to attach to it, etc. The goals are clearly laid out for the player, and the steps to get there are concrete, even if they would take forever, literally. In the teenage mind, however, the end result is (totally) worth the "effort" required.

The success of online, multi-player RPGs would be severely tempered, however, without the "multi-player" aspect. While single-player video games can have an incredible draw on teenagers, their appeal will inevitably fade when the realization sets in that nobody, anywhere, will ever care about their accomplishments in the game. A multi-player game, however, particularly one that is online with other people in real time, gives the player a new incentive for playing each time they log in. The thrill of achieving the 94th level is wonderful until a 103rd level player passes you on the road on their pet dragon, which is unlocked at level 100, of course. Power, money, ego. For an insecure teenager, the emotions (hormones) that get activated through the first few minutes of logging into a game are overpowering. The player simply "has" to get just a little further in order to restore some self-worth. This is a real need for a real person in a virtual world.

The social aspect of these games runs deeper than competition as well. Players can form alliances, groups, guilds, etc. to form whole societies, complete with politics and corruption. It is not only good enough to beat the game, but all the other players must pay homage to the founding member of the "Dragonbusters" (where do I come up with these ridiculous names?) guild. On a lighter note, it's 3:00 AM, and the teenager is alone at the computer in a quiet house. Obviously, the human interaction that they so desperately need can be fulfilled by chatting with other players on these games. They make virtual friendships, much like pen pals (whoa...there's a concept that has just died...yes, all you who are old enough to remember ALF, I went there). It's a social scene with no risk of rejection, at least not real rejection, because it's not real, but just real enough (grammar: it's a choice). It's escapism at its worst, as reality gets intermingled with fantasy, and a teenager cannot navigate the nuance to tell the difference.

I swear there's a message about education in here.

I propose creating a video game to replace all homework. It would, of course, have to be an MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game). There would need to be an economy, skill structure, social institutions and just about all of the other major features that make these games so appealing. Students could challenge each other to academic duels in order to rise in the ranks. Graphics and music are key: it can't seem cheap (or "lame," which is worse than death). Goals need to have real, or in this case fake-real, incentives. For instance, achieving the ability to solve an equation could open up a new realm for exploration. Letters can be sent to an "oracle," who gives rare items to players who use topic sentences for their paragraphs. As the map unfolds, it will become clear that they are really travelling through the towns in rural Ireland. Later, they can travel to France, where all of the NPCs (non-player characters) speak only in French. etc. etc. etc. (The King and I)

Imagine the efficiency that could be gained if students concentrated on socialization and soft skills during school hours. They could work collaboratively on complex projects, free to explore and experiment. All the while, at home, they are playing video games to gain those hard skills that society requires of them when they get into the "real world" (there's a concept that will really make your head spin now). Moreover, they get so immersed in these games, that they have to be limited in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Imagine school becomes play and play becomes school. It could happen, but it won't; at least it will be a little while.

Creating such a game would obviously be a monumental undertaking. I don't propose that millions of federal and private dollars be thrown into such a venture without some serious foundational work. Unless, of course, I, personally, had complete discretion as to the appropriate handling of said funds. No, many academic studies would be needed to show which are the exact elements of a video game that give it the appeal to draw teenagers into it for hours on end. I hope that these ramblings give a hint of insight toward the themes of some of such studies. In the mean-time, let's hope Education survives long enough to see the day that video games become a tool, rather than a vortex. Happy gaming!

* All major claims in this article are completely unsubstantiated, yet entirely true*.

P.S. I capitalize "Education" in a few instances, although I invariably missed one or two. This refers to the current educational system in the United States. I see this as a massive entity with a character of its own that is so unique that it deserves to be a proper noun. Cue corporate culture (within Education) to adopt this whim as a standard. This has happened, to my great dismay, to the grammar rule that was held so dear to my English teacher and I**. Thank you.

** It physically hurt to type that.