Videogames: The Future and Now

I feel that there are some great videogames that can be used as learning tools and then there are others that may not fit as well into this category but could potentially still have some benefits. For example, games such as Brain Age that cause you to really focus mentally can be very beneficial to learning and strengthening important skills. Some other games such as the Fable games give you decision-making abilities of whether or not to do something good or bad, with different outcomes for each choice over time. These types of games can be useful learning tools, but some also contain content that may not be suitable for children. Games like Grand Theft Auto 4 are not necessarily a great tool for learning, though they may be fun. However, the content such as strong language, drugs, and violence may not be the best choice if you were to use the game for a learning purpose. Overall though, I feel that videogames have great potential to be used as learning tools.
When it comes to the information presented during the presentation in class, I was not too surprised to hear some of the statistics. Being a fairly avid gamer myself, I knew some of the information presented and also knew that people of all ages and sexes play videogames regularly. There was some interesting information as well though. One thing that I did not expect to hear was that the average gamer is in their mid 30s and had been playing for about 12 years. I expected to hear a much younger age such as 20s or late teens.
I spent a fair amount of time playing "Cursor 10" and yes, I did make it to level 16 on a couple different occasions. I enjoyed this game and found it rather addicting. It got my attention for a good 30minutes to an hour. The game combines mental agility with a bit of strategy to get your mind working and thinking. It is a very creative game that I would recommend to others. I also spent a bit of time playing "Free Rice". This was a great game in that the more you play and the more right answers you get, the more rice the site donates to help end world hunger. The questions are word questions or math and science questions that help you learn or stay on top of basic materials while giving you the reward of knowing you are helping to end world hunger. Both of these games help you to memorize, strategize, and think creatively, which are all important learning concepts.
In the future I would like to go to Graduate School to pursue a career in Physical Therapy. Videogames have the potential to be implemented in my profession with the use of Wii Fit, which essentially in an exercise and nutrition videogame. In addition there are several other exercise videogames (mainly for the Wii) that can help to get in shape or to track personal goals and progress. These are great games for people who do not have time to exercise and who also like to play videogames.