Bogost Rhetoric of Video Games

On page 120, Bogost writes, "Play and learning have been segregated from one another in contemporary s-chooling, further cementing their perceived disparity." In the first week of class, we discussed this topic in depth. However, this reading gives a new vantage point to this idea. What are video games? Are they "play" in which childrens’ minds are enriched? Or are they “play” in a way that hinders their learning? Why do we, as a society, have to pick between this either/or? Video games, much like board games, imagination games or playground games, are simply another form of play. There are plenty of ways to learn through play. Video games are not separate from this idea. Think of playstation or xbox games. Even if the game itself is not super educational, hand eye coordination is being taught. In adventure quest games, children learn to make decisions and reap the rewards or repercussions. Nowadays, there are even video games designed to teach children things such as numbers, words, and colors. Learning and video games do not have to be separate entities, though there can come a time when enough is enough. 

For example, my brother is a fourth grader at Pinewood Elementary in Eagan, Minnesota. Due to COVID, his past year of school was completely online. For assignments, his teacher often assigned him to participate in online games to teach him math and reading skills. He really enjoyed this aspect of class, as it was much more engaging than regular math classes in school. He actually learned really well. However, I wonder if this will have an effect on the younger generation. As we age, we learn that many of the tasks we HAVE to do are not actually very engaging. I remember that one time, when I was at home while my brother was doing his online school, he said “I don’t want to read this, I want to play math games”. This makes me wonder if this younger generation will struggle when they are tasked with something that is not very engaging. I guess we will have to see how this plays out as they age and enter more advanced curriculum, such as high school courses.