My last post seemed to spark some discussion regarding what games can teach us outwardly and subversively about society and many other aspects of life. I had made the statement that the primary lesson I received from Minecraft is how to mine for resources and destroy natural resources with no apparent consequences in the game. This type of lesson could transfer to real world experience and influence the way youth may perceive utilization of natural resources in reality. Furthermore, mining for resources with impunity in a game with no environmental consequences is a dangerous message to be sending impressionable students.
I am happy to say that I have found some redemption for Minecraft. After some responses from fellow classmates and instructors alike, we were able to uncover exactly how Minecraft can be used to teach students about responsible and sustainable use of our resources. This experience has hit so many areas we have been discussing over the last couple weeks. For instance, John Paul Gee's theories about how learning through games must be directed through an experienced guide, like a teacher, in order for real learning to take place. I experienced this first hand. After being rather disappointed with the message I was receiving from the game, I was able to find many ways Minecraft can promote sustainability and responsible use of resources through guidance of my instructors giving me examples of how responsible practices can be taught. Additionally, I was shown how other teachers were using Minecraft to teach responsible use of resources in the game. For example, students have lessons where they have to replant the trees they are taking from the earth. Also, harvesting crops and managing red stone to conduct electricity responsibly because it does run out. In fact, I tried it out myself and planted a small garden you can see here:
I got some wheat I think, and some melons and some pumpkins just starting out.
Here they are all grown up.
So this is great. There are some very important lessons to be said for sustainability and environmental responsibility that Minecraft teachers, WITH guided teaching and learning for students. But what about all the millions of players that are just playing for fun and not in a classroom nor playing for educational purposes? There still seems to be millions of people playing that are not learning the lessons to be offered in sustainability or environmental responsibility. They are playing strictly for entertainment purposes. There is some redemption to be had. However, is enough being done?
Hi, Mack,
ReplyDeleteYou raise some very good points about all of those players who go through Minecraft with the intent of simply playing.
Perhaps the best explanation is that the folks who are simply playing don't especially care about the lessons they could be learning. As you say, they're just playing for fun. It's stress reduction, it's camaraderie if they're playing with others, it answers the need to compete.
I believe it takes a teacher to point out the learning connections. Chances are they don't even realize they know what they know. Case in point... my son was playing Minecraft with a friend who happened to be a student teacher. When I mentioned that I use Minecraft with students, he looked shocked. He couldn't quite see the connection to learning. I, in turn, was shocked he couldn't immediately see what I was saying. I wanted to point out the sustainability issues, the learning to prioritize, the connections to science and math but considering they were playing survival and about to be attacked by hostile mobs, that was not the time. Maybe some day he'll see it...
~Sally
Hey Mack,
ReplyDeleteI see the validity in your point about people playing the game for fun and just running around consuming resources until nothing remains. There's a whole subculture of "griefing" in Minecraft, where some players will simply craft blocks of TNT, plant it all around someone's base, and destroy whatever work others have put in. The possibility for destruction is very real.
However, as I played Minecraft in the past, purely as recreation, I saw something pretty neat happening in the online forums, where we know "trolling" and generally being a jerk is easy for people to anonymously do: As these griefers were popping up all over the place, players were banding together to report these antagonists, finding their in-game name and banning them from the servers. People were appreciating and respecting one another's work, the effort and time that goes into some of these creations (some dudes built a friggin' calculator out of redstone; imagine how much work and planning that took? Imagine how frustrating it'd be for someone else to show up and blow up your calculator?)
I think that with games and simulations like this, there is potential for misuse and perhaps misunderstanding. But there is also the potential for the formation of communities, self-governance, and of course, that can go well just as easily as it can go poorly.
I too found some redemption for Minecraft this week. After Sally posted the video of the young person's school project about the mission; I experienced quite a shift. That video was very well done and showed a child explaining some complex topics about the way the mission was used historically. As I watched the video tutorials, i realized the potential to teach children and adults about building technique. Now if only, i can get the hang of this myself. Judy
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