Gender+issues

= Issues =

**__﻿Gender __**
﻿One of the obstacles that teachers cite in using gaming in the classroom to teach students, is the gender issues about which games to purchase. It is believed that it causes difficulties when trying to unite class members and on a limited budget getting the best value for money. However research shows that children are largely in agreement about popular genres between the ages of 6-10 and don't begin to diverge until the age of 11-15. It is during this period that boys tend to prefer first person shooter games, simulation racing and WOW games whereas girls tend to largely stick to puzzles and social simulations. (Bryon, 2008) This is of course not a problem if the school is a single sex school.

__Violence﻿﻿ __
A detrimental factor in the lack of use of games and simulations in schools is the frequent negative attitude that comes from the media where a few activists complain about violence content in games. Headlines that have appeared in the Daily Mail in UK recently are as follows:

__Room __
Classrooms wanting to use platforms such as Wii require areas that the students can move about freely and this possess a problem inside the classroom. Many schools in the UK are now allowing students to use hall and corridors for this and computer rooms specifically set up could help to over come this issue.

Here is a recent you tube video showing the use in a school hall with the teacher talking about some of the benefits of using wii in the PE program.

media type="youtube" key="Gc9C4vmeTU8?fs=1" height="385" width="480" align="center"

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__﻿Time __
Time is another issue that seems to be a stumbling block to gaming in the classroom. Time for the teachers to learn to use the equipment, controls and understand the rules around the game. Video games are seen as a reward for finishing work early and to a required standard. Teachers therefore have little knowledge of the game and its potential for developing the learners thinking. It is often the students who dont finish work that would benefit from the gaming world. The family gamer website in the UK completed a survey that noted that parents reasons though often stated as lack of time actually had underlining reasons. The following quotes are taken from the BBFC study (Dawson, 2007)

 It is worth noting that non-gamers are often deterred from playuing because they LACK the necessary skills. Acquiring skills with a view to applying them elsewhere in life is not a motive for playing amongst adults but having a go and finding that your level of skills compared to younger learners is certainly a discouraging factor. (P50)

 Unsurprisingly adults who played video games usually have more positive attitudes towards their children playing than parents who have not, The latter's alienation often expresses bewilderment. They do not understand games, cannot play them, and consequently feel excluded - ont of the loop. Their mental set is unsympathetic to gaming in part because of the dissonance between their children's absorption and their own ignorance, Unfamiliar with the challenges and delights of gaming, it is assumed by them to be a waste of time. (P87)

__﻿Sociability and Health Concerns __
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Adults who feel negativity towards video games often cite the duration of students/learners play sessions and unproductive use of time and lack of sociability towards others. They talk about them being addicted to games and agressive. There is some concern with repetitive strain injury. Both these concerns are being addressed by some console manufacturing companies. An example is the XBox 360 has a parental tool that allows a time limit to be set.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> Many games these days require multi players to play and so enhance sociability. The next pages will look at the some of the benefits that can be obtained from gaming.