Ebony Tree

On Facebook I have played many of the social games that McGonigal talks about, including farmville though I questions whether I should admit that or not.  She has a point about these games, one they are super addictive, I mean like "Oh my gosh I need to water my corn today or it will die" words that have been spoken by almost everyone that has played.  Also it does have great social implications.  The main reason I played Farmville was because of my mom and youth minister.  It gave me something to do with them that didn't involve being there, even though I would have liked to have been there.  It brought us closer, just as McGonigal has pointed out that it would.  I do love the fact that she points out that these interactions are by no means a replacement for genuine human interactions in a face to face situation, but these do well to bridge the gap of time and distance.

One part about social interaction that has become increasingly difficult to find time to get together in person whether it is because of schedules or because of how far away you are.  I have played games with friends that can't be here in person and felt just as connected.  I know it isn't a replacement for actually time spent together but it is what we could do.  And on the subject of schedules these games do not have to be played right away.  McGonigal points out their asynchronous play style that allows people to take their turn or do their actions whenever it best suits them.  Everyone is not on the same schedule so it is nice to be able to still do something with them and not have to worry about it.

She goes on to point out that the more we play games like this the more social interactions we are more likely to have.   This is due to the positive feelings you develop when you play the games with people.  I have noticed that whenever I play games with people I want to continue playing games with them.  I also have more to talk to them about outside of the game.  Even when I lose I still have many other interactions with those people and our bonds grow stronger.

I loved her term of Happy Embarrassment.  I am not one who likes to be embarrassed because of my mostly introverted nature.  I try to avoid situation where I would be embarrassed.  However, in games that is not the case.  I played a game called Dance Dance Revolution when it was popular.  This game was notorious for embarrassing it's victims.  Even though I looked like a blooming idiot while playing the game it was the social interactions and the shared fun that kept drawing me in and playing it more.

Another aspect of the embarrassment that McGonigal talks about is trash talking.  This was funny to read because everything she says is true and at one point in my gaming career I have experienced it.  One of my closest friends give me so much grief about my gaming skills and I return the favor.  This trash talk has strengthened our friendship because we know that we can be vulnerable about these minuet insecurities that is gaming.  This allows us to be more open in real life scenarios and has led us to be really good friends.

Vicarious pride, one of those words I knew before I knew the actually word.  Nothing makes me happier than when I teach one of my friends a game that I know and they don't.  A recent example of this is a game called Smite and I am playing with a friend who recently just started.  I will watch over his shoulder and give him suggestions on what to do and when it works out I feel as if I did well.  As teachers we can incorporate this feeling into our classroom.  Having students helping each other with work is the same feeling.  Have a student that has the material down teach it to their classmates and that feeling of "I did well" will be there and encourage more learning.

Even if we are introverted, much like myself, we crave human interaction at some point.  Games meet that need.  McGonigal calls this ambient sociability and it meets the minimal requirement for human interaction.  To quote McGonigal "it creates a kind of social expansiveness in our lives- a feeling of inclusion in a social scene."  As an introvert I can also agree with the point she makes that the more I interact online the more I do in real life.

She doesn't out right say this in the article but I feel she says it in more or less words.  These online games demand social interaction in order to accomplish a goal.  This is then taken and applied to the real world.  I have had games build relationships with people that normally wouldn't give me the time of day but since I played the game they wanted to know what I knew.  This is an incredible thing and if used properly can break down these social barriers that have been put in place.  Games bring people together, regardless of socio-economic status.

Confidence is something most gamers, at least in reality, lack.  I know that I am not very confident in myself but put me in a game and I can take down monsters that are as big as skyscraper.  In life I cower in fear if there is an assignment more than 5 pages long.  We just need to make sure students know that they have the skills and tools they need to conquer their beasts in school, just like in a video game.