The Virtues of Gaming
This is an article that I wrote awhile ago, but never got it published anywhere. I know my writing is sub-par at best, but I think I get my point across none the less.
The Virtues of Gaming
by Kevin Ruesch
In today’s pop culture the word “gaming” commonly refers to playing video or computer games or even poker. But in some circles, this term refers to role-playing games. Since the introduction of the original Dungeons and Dragons™ role-playing game 30 years ago, the reputation of this pastime has suffered greatly due to the unflattering stereotypes attributed towards those who play the game. Now and then I’m sure you’ve heard a comedian or a character on a TV show refer to somebody as a “geek”, “dork” or “dweeb” and remark that they play Dungeons and Dragons™, as if it were a bad thing. While some gamers may fall under these rather subjective labels, there is a significant and growing portion of the gaming community who, being well-rounded and socially active, shatter these stereotypes. Although RPGs (role-playing games) have evolved tremendously over the last few decades and have expanded into many different genres, the hobby is still plagued by this stigma. Unfortunately, these prejudices have kept many people from exploring the possibilities of role-playing games and benefiting from their many virtues.
Role-playing games are more than just another form of entertainment, parents and teachers can use this activity as a powerful teaching tool. As authors Michal Spectre and Marc Prensky state in their college paper (Theoretical Underpinnings of the Games2train Approach); “academic research strongly backs up the common sense notion that when students are engaged in the learning process, they learn and retain more. Engagement can come though emotion, relaxation, and especially through fun. Games are a strong motivating and engaging factor.” Ask any experienced teacher and they will tell you that teaching is most effective when done through an entertaining medium, something that can hold the student’s attention. To this end, role-playing games can be an effective and fun teaching tool.
For those of you not familiar with this type of activity, a role-playing game is just that; a game. Like many games, it has rules, players and goals. But unlike most other games, role-playing games have no finite winner and not necessarily an end. An RPG is more like a story that the players help to create. Have you ever read a book or watched a movie and thought to yourself “what would I have done if I were one of the characters?” Essentially, that is what the player does in a role-playing game. Each player controls, or “runs”, a character that possesses specific skills, equipment and abilities. This character is referred to as a “Player Character” or “PC” for short. The Game Master is the story-teller or narrator who describes for the players the immediate environment and details of the scene that their characters are in. Each player in turn must decide how their own character will react to the current situation, based on that particular Player Character’s personality and goals. With the resolution of each situation or scenario the story continues to grow. Just like in a series of good books, as the story continues along, each character becomes more complex and interesting.
Gaming has a number of beneficial aspects that develop and enhance the mental aptitudes of its players. Just as physical exercise tones and strengthens the body, role-playing games sharpen the mind through academic and philosophical exercise and encourages creativity and imagination. Many video and computer games test the player’s hand-eye coordination or problem-solving skills and this is commendable. But no other activity develops a wider range of school oriented- and life-skills than role-playing games. Arguments can be made for other benefits, but this article will focus on four major areas; Mathematics, Logic and Problem solving, Literary skills and Social skills.
The most apparent benefit of gaming is the development and practice of numerous mathematical skills. Whenever a character attempts an action or when the Game Master needs to establish a random event, the result of a dice roll determines the outcome of that action or event. The chance of a particular action being successful is set at a base number, which is then modified by a variety of contributing factors. The basic mechanism of these games is rolling different sided dice, totaling them, and adding or subtracting any modifying factors, sometimes multiplying or dividing them by other factors.
Here is a common example. Lynn is playing a scout character named Erin. The Game Master (Joel) tells Lynn, “Erin finds herself creeping down a dark corridor. In the dim light she can barely make out a wooden door about 30 ft. down the hall.” Lynn doesn’t like the look of this. She says “I think it’s a trap. Erin will search for trip wires and pressure plates.” Joel looks at his notes then says “OK, roll a Search check, but Erin suffers a -2 penalty to her skill check due to the bad lighting. She must beat a CR (challenge rating) of 16.” Because of her experience and abilities, Erin has a total skill bonus of +4. Lynn rolls a 20-sided die and adds this bonus to her result. She rolls a 15 and adds her bonus of +4, but then she subtracts the -2 penalty for bad lighting for a total skill check of 17. Lynn’s face lights up “Yes!” Joel checks his notes and declares “Erin notices a fine, black thread running across the hall about 1 ft. above the floor. Good job! Now is she going to try to disarm the trap or…?”
In addition to basic arithmetic, its common for players to use geometry, probability, fractions, estimations, rounding, numerical conversions and basic physics. Even in “fantasy” worlds, questions such as how far a character can run in a set amount of time, how much weight a pack mule can carry or what is the range of visibility during a heavy downpour need to be answered. While each game system has its own set of rules or “game mechanics” to deal with these questions, a resourceful teacher can easily use these opportunities to teach real-world physics. Since RPG situations are limited only by your imagination, these scenarios can provide endless examples ripe for teaching a range of scientific principles in an interesting and engaging manner.
Most game scenarios include some sort of floor plans, maps, mazes, puzzles, mysteries and/or riddles. Through these challenges RPGs help to develop the player’s sequential reasoning, strategic thinking and spatial reasoning abilities as well as exercising their logic and problem-solving skills. A well-crafted, intricate storyline also puts the player’s short term and long term memory to the test. Everyone, young and old, can benefit from these kinds of mental exercises. Kids and young adults with ADHD or those who are visual/spatial learners normally don’t respond as well to more traditional teaching methods. However, because the challenges faced through role-playing games must be verbally described and mentally visualized, these extraordinary students are far more receptive to this style of teaching.
As with reading a novel or short story, role-playing games help to expand the gamer’s vocabulary and improve reading skills. Text found in a rule book or on a sheet or card often contains words that the player may be unfamiliar with, inspiring him or her to pick up a dictionary. RPGs frequently draw on historical, literary and cultural references. While these aren't always accurate, many gamers like to investigate and compare the real-world histories and mythologies to the ones used in the games. Encouraging these inquiries not only develops library and research skills, but can lead to broadening the player’s scope of favorite reading material.
The job of the Game Master requires him or her to speak in front of the gaming group, which for most people isn’t always an easy thing to do. Although not as often, the players must also speak to the whole group, particularly when reading the text from a note or clue. Speaking in front of a group of your peers time after time can be the first step in losing that all too common fear of public speaking or performing in front of an audience. On college campuses across the country budding thespians use role-playing games to move passed this natural fear and to experiment with different voices and acting techniques. The very act of role-playing itself, when the player literally speaks as the character, helps to develop these oratory skills.
Tomorrow’s authors can learn a great deal about their craft from role-playing games. Game Masters often create entire “worlds” for their players to explore. Everything from fabricating a geography to generating a population to determining the politics and governing bodies of these imaginary realms, aspiring writers find these world-building skills invaluable. Continuously building upon a storyline develops within the writer a sense of continuity and hones their plot-development skills. The use of multiple plot devices and numerous non-player characters compel both Game Masters and players alike to take concise and thorough notes just to keep it all straight, thus refining these important skills as well.
Perhaps the most important benefit of role-playing games is their social aspect. In today’s fast-paced society the kind of quality “family time” enjoyed when family and/or friends dine together and play games together seems to be diminishing. This is due in part because most people don't seem to realize how truly important this function is. More and more, our day-to-day communication with friends and family is accomplished over the phone or through e-mail rather than in person, further distancing us from one another. Participating in RPGs is a great opportunity for face-to-face interaction and reconnecting with those we haven’t seen in awhile.
The National Parenting Center endorses Family Game Night as one way to bring family members closer together. Playing games, and particularly RPGs, for just for a couple of hours a week can strengthen the relationship between you and your child. Even if you don't play the games with your kids, sit down with them and watch them play. Each scenario can act as a springboard for family discussions of all kinds; ethics, morality, ideology, theology, philosophy and more. This kind of communication cultivates a positive family-child relationship and helps to prevent potential problems in the teen years.
Right or wrong, kids going through adolescence often perceive their friends as the most important part of their young lives. Having a steady group of peers to rely upon through these difficult years is priceless. The long term benefits of positive peer interactions and relationships have been shown in a number of studies. Joining a gaming group provides teens with friends that have similar interests, people that they can relate to and (hopefully) confide in. The group itself can act as a surrogate family unit for young people who are missing that vital connection at home. Role-playing games often build friendships that last a lifetime.
Lastly, role-playing games can help its players grow on a personal level, allowing them to be more understanding (and hopefully more tolerant) of people unlike themselves. Most often a player will choose to run a character that is different from his or her self, both in physical form and personality. Depending on the genre, the gamer could play an elf, an alien, a werewolf or any number of fantastic creatures. Particularly when playing a human character, gamers often choose to play a different gender, age, social status, personality, morality or ethnic background from their real selves. Using their imagination to “walk in the shoes” of someone vastly different from themselves allows each player a glimpse into the world, whatever world that may be, from a different perspective. This eye-opening experience can prove very enlightening.
In conclusion, if you are a teacher or a parent, hopefully you now recognize that there are numerous benefits of participating in role-playing games, for you and your kids. The opportunities to use RPGs as a learning tool is nigh endless. Unfortunately, many of you will still be hesitant to explore gaming due to the stigma that is present to this day. Do yourself, your kids, your students a favor. Take a serious and objective look into role-playing games. Once you look past the stereotypes you’ll find an amazing and entertaining activity both you and your kids can genuinely benefit from and enjoy.
The Virtues of Gaming
by Kevin Ruesch
In today’s pop culture the word “gaming” commonly refers to playing video or computer games or even poker. But in some circles, this term refers to role-playing games. Since the introduction of the original Dungeons and Dragons™ role-playing game 30 years ago, the reputation of this pastime has suffered greatly due to the unflattering stereotypes attributed towards those who play the game. Now and then I’m sure you’ve heard a comedian or a character on a TV show refer to somebody as a “geek”, “dork” or “dweeb” and remark that they play Dungeons and Dragons™, as if it were a bad thing. While some gamers may fall under these rather subjective labels, there is a significant and growing portion of the gaming community who, being well-rounded and socially active, shatter these stereotypes. Although RPGs (role-playing games) have evolved tremendously over the last few decades and have expanded into many different genres, the hobby is still plagued by this stigma. Unfortunately, these prejudices have kept many people from exploring the possibilities of role-playing games and benefiting from their many virtues.
Role-playing games are more than just another form of entertainment, parents and teachers can use this activity as a powerful teaching tool. As authors Michal Spectre and Marc Prensky state in their college paper (Theoretical Underpinnings of the Games2train Approach); “academic research strongly backs up the common sense notion that when students are engaged in the learning process, they learn and retain more. Engagement can come though emotion, relaxation, and especially through fun. Games are a strong motivating and engaging factor.” Ask any experienced teacher and they will tell you that teaching is most effective when done through an entertaining medium, something that can hold the student’s attention. To this end, role-playing games can be an effective and fun teaching tool.
For those of you not familiar with this type of activity, a role-playing game is just that; a game. Like many games, it has rules, players and goals. But unlike most other games, role-playing games have no finite winner and not necessarily an end. An RPG is more like a story that the players help to create. Have you ever read a book or watched a movie and thought to yourself “what would I have done if I were one of the characters?” Essentially, that is what the player does in a role-playing game. Each player controls, or “runs”, a character that possesses specific skills, equipment and abilities. This character is referred to as a “Player Character” or “PC” for short. The Game Master is the story-teller or narrator who describes for the players the immediate environment and details of the scene that their characters are in. Each player in turn must decide how their own character will react to the current situation, based on that particular Player Character’s personality and goals. With the resolution of each situation or scenario the story continues to grow. Just like in a series of good books, as the story continues along, each character becomes more complex and interesting.
Gaming has a number of beneficial aspects that develop and enhance the mental aptitudes of its players. Just as physical exercise tones and strengthens the body, role-playing games sharpen the mind through academic and philosophical exercise and encourages creativity and imagination. Many video and computer games test the player’s hand-eye coordination or problem-solving skills and this is commendable. But no other activity develops a wider range of school oriented- and life-skills than role-playing games. Arguments can be made for other benefits, but this article will focus on four major areas; Mathematics, Logic and Problem solving, Literary skills and Social skills.
The most apparent benefit of gaming is the development and practice of numerous mathematical skills. Whenever a character attempts an action or when the Game Master needs to establish a random event, the result of a dice roll determines the outcome of that action or event. The chance of a particular action being successful is set at a base number, which is then modified by a variety of contributing factors. The basic mechanism of these games is rolling different sided dice, totaling them, and adding or subtracting any modifying factors, sometimes multiplying or dividing them by other factors.
Here is a common example. Lynn is playing a scout character named Erin. The Game Master (Joel) tells Lynn, “Erin finds herself creeping down a dark corridor. In the dim light she can barely make out a wooden door about 30 ft. down the hall.” Lynn doesn’t like the look of this. She says “I think it’s a trap. Erin will search for trip wires and pressure plates.” Joel looks at his notes then says “OK, roll a Search check, but Erin suffers a -2 penalty to her skill check due to the bad lighting. She must beat a CR (challenge rating) of 16.” Because of her experience and abilities, Erin has a total skill bonus of +4. Lynn rolls a 20-sided die and adds this bonus to her result. She rolls a 15 and adds her bonus of +4, but then she subtracts the -2 penalty for bad lighting for a total skill check of 17. Lynn’s face lights up “Yes!” Joel checks his notes and declares “Erin notices a fine, black thread running across the hall about 1 ft. above the floor. Good job! Now is she going to try to disarm the trap or…?”
In addition to basic arithmetic, its common for players to use geometry, probability, fractions, estimations, rounding, numerical conversions and basic physics. Even in “fantasy” worlds, questions such as how far a character can run in a set amount of time, how much weight a pack mule can carry or what is the range of visibility during a heavy downpour need to be answered. While each game system has its own set of rules or “game mechanics” to deal with these questions, a resourceful teacher can easily use these opportunities to teach real-world physics. Since RPG situations are limited only by your imagination, these scenarios can provide endless examples ripe for teaching a range of scientific principles in an interesting and engaging manner.
Most game scenarios include some sort of floor plans, maps, mazes, puzzles, mysteries and/or riddles. Through these challenges RPGs help to develop the player’s sequential reasoning, strategic thinking and spatial reasoning abilities as well as exercising their logic and problem-solving skills. A well-crafted, intricate storyline also puts the player’s short term and long term memory to the test. Everyone, young and old, can benefit from these kinds of mental exercises. Kids and young adults with ADHD or those who are visual/spatial learners normally don’t respond as well to more traditional teaching methods. However, because the challenges faced through role-playing games must be verbally described and mentally visualized, these extraordinary students are far more receptive to this style of teaching.
As with reading a novel or short story, role-playing games help to expand the gamer’s vocabulary and improve reading skills. Text found in a rule book or on a sheet or card often contains words that the player may be unfamiliar with, inspiring him or her to pick up a dictionary. RPGs frequently draw on historical, literary and cultural references. While these aren't always accurate, many gamers like to investigate and compare the real-world histories and mythologies to the ones used in the games. Encouraging these inquiries not only develops library and research skills, but can lead to broadening the player’s scope of favorite reading material.
The job of the Game Master requires him or her to speak in front of the gaming group, which for most people isn’t always an easy thing to do. Although not as often, the players must also speak to the whole group, particularly when reading the text from a note or clue. Speaking in front of a group of your peers time after time can be the first step in losing that all too common fear of public speaking or performing in front of an audience. On college campuses across the country budding thespians use role-playing games to move passed this natural fear and to experiment with different voices and acting techniques. The very act of role-playing itself, when the player literally speaks as the character, helps to develop these oratory skills.
Tomorrow’s authors can learn a great deal about their craft from role-playing games. Game Masters often create entire “worlds” for their players to explore. Everything from fabricating a geography to generating a population to determining the politics and governing bodies of these imaginary realms, aspiring writers find these world-building skills invaluable. Continuously building upon a storyline develops within the writer a sense of continuity and hones their plot-development skills. The use of multiple plot devices and numerous non-player characters compel both Game Masters and players alike to take concise and thorough notes just to keep it all straight, thus refining these important skills as well.
Perhaps the most important benefit of role-playing games is their social aspect. In today’s fast-paced society the kind of quality “family time” enjoyed when family and/or friends dine together and play games together seems to be diminishing. This is due in part because most people don't seem to realize how truly important this function is. More and more, our day-to-day communication with friends and family is accomplished over the phone or through e-mail rather than in person, further distancing us from one another. Participating in RPGs is a great opportunity for face-to-face interaction and reconnecting with those we haven’t seen in awhile.
The National Parenting Center endorses Family Game Night as one way to bring family members closer together. Playing games, and particularly RPGs, for just for a couple of hours a week can strengthen the relationship between you and your child. Even if you don't play the games with your kids, sit down with them and watch them play. Each scenario can act as a springboard for family discussions of all kinds; ethics, morality, ideology, theology, philosophy and more. This kind of communication cultivates a positive family-child relationship and helps to prevent potential problems in the teen years.
Right or wrong, kids going through adolescence often perceive their friends as the most important part of their young lives. Having a steady group of peers to rely upon through these difficult years is priceless. The long term benefits of positive peer interactions and relationships have been shown in a number of studies. Joining a gaming group provides teens with friends that have similar interests, people that they can relate to and (hopefully) confide in. The group itself can act as a surrogate family unit for young people who are missing that vital connection at home. Role-playing games often build friendships that last a lifetime.
Lastly, role-playing games can help its players grow on a personal level, allowing them to be more understanding (and hopefully more tolerant) of people unlike themselves. Most often a player will choose to run a character that is different from his or her self, both in physical form and personality. Depending on the genre, the gamer could play an elf, an alien, a werewolf or any number of fantastic creatures. Particularly when playing a human character, gamers often choose to play a different gender, age, social status, personality, morality or ethnic background from their real selves. Using their imagination to “walk in the shoes” of someone vastly different from themselves allows each player a glimpse into the world, whatever world that may be, from a different perspective. This eye-opening experience can prove very enlightening.
In conclusion, if you are a teacher or a parent, hopefully you now recognize that there are numerous benefits of participating in role-playing games, for you and your kids. The opportunities to use RPGs as a learning tool is nigh endless. Unfortunately, many of you will still be hesitant to explore gaming due to the stigma that is present to this day. Do yourself, your kids, your students a favor. Take a serious and objective look into role-playing games. Once you look past the stereotypes you’ll find an amazing and entertaining activity both you and your kids can genuinely benefit from and enjoy.
posted by Kevin Ruesch | 3:32 PM
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