White 1
Tienne White
Penn Foster Instructor
Course
March 9, 2017
Title: Genre Video Games for Children
Topic Announcement: Video Games
Introduction/Background: The focus of this essay is on genres of video games for children. Some genres of video games appear not to have that adversary impact on children which people use to think. In particular, adventure games, role-playing games, and simulation games are beneficial to children`s development. This essay will discuss the categories of adventure video games; discuss how video games develop the cognitive development of children, and also how video games develop the reading and listening skills of children, plus their skills with role-playing.
Thesis Statement: Adventure games, role-playing games, and simulation games are beneficial to children`s development.
Body Paragraphs
Category 1: Adventure Video Games
Characteristic 1: Adventure video games enable children to learn through performing in order to complete the goals of the game and receive a reward or move on to the next level, where more options are available.
Example 1: An example is an interactive movie – the game wherein a player watches the movie and then selects an action if it is needed, thus changing the plotline. The player`s action can be based on the information that they receive while watching. So, the game can be used as a training children`s skills. Dragon’s Lair developed in 1983, Thayer’s Quest developed in 1984, Brain Dead 13 developed in 1995 and Advanced Warriors developed in 2003 are just a few specific examples of adventure video games for children.
Characteristic 2: Adventure games improve children`s quick thinking and require them to make a decision quickly and react immediately to and not to be confused by the situation (Teach Thought Staff). An example of this are the adventure games, wherein a player`s “character” is supposed to survive by hiding somewhere or shooting enemies, teach children to make decision intuitively. Otherwise, the game is over and a player starts from the very beginning.
Example 2: Specific examples of these games include Starcraft (Raise Smart Kid), XCom Enemy Unknown (Raise Smart Kid), Civilization (Raise Smart Kid) and Battlefield 4 (Raise Smart Kid).
Characteristic 3: Another characteristic of adventure games are that they develop children`s reading and listening skills (Loo). An example of this is when in the game, children are required to read instructions or listen to other players` words. The instructions are usually placed in the frames at the bottom of the screen or put in the mouths of other players.
Example 3: Specific examples of this taking place in adventure video games are with Call of Duty (Raise Smart Kid):
According to a University of Rochester study, shooting bad guys in video games can unexpectedly give players better vision. In a 2009 study, expert action gamers who played first-person shooting games like “Call of Duty” saw a boost in their “contrast sensitivity function,” or the ability to discern subtle changes in the brightness of an image. Considered one of first of the visual aptitudes to diminish over time, the ability to pick out bright patches is key to tasks like driving at night (Raise Smart Kid).
Category 2: Simulation Video Games
Characteristic 1: The next category of adventure video games is simulation. Simulation games are used to train children`s skills such as strategic thinking and logics (Teach Thought Staff).
Example 1: An example of this are construction simulation games, where player constructs a building or creates the whole town and manipulates its virtual world, makes them think as strategists and think over every action and decision. A specific example of this is Destiny (Raise Smart Kid):
In Destiny, players become the Guardian of the last city on Earth, able to wield incredible power, exploring the ancient ruins of our solar system and defeating Earth’s enemies. It boasts an unprecedented variety of first person shooter gameplay, and players are able to customize with nearly unlimited combination of armor, weapons, and visual customization. The game integrates a number of differing genre elements – aside from being a first person shooter, it is also a role playing and massively multiplayer online (MMO) game (Raise Smart Kid).
Characteristic 2: Another characteristic of simulation video games is that they can help children experiencing difficulties with motion coordination.
Example 2: Examples of this areReal3D video games that usually require children to move in order to pursue the goals of the game. Some games involve body movements, whereas others may require the player to move some parts of the body (legs, hands, head, and fingers). A specific example of this is Titanfall:
Titanfall is a multiplayer first-person shooter where players control “pilots” and their mech-style Titans, and fight in six-on-six matches set in war-torn outer space colonies. It features fast-paced future warfare, and enables players to have the tactical ability of x-ray vision, invisibility cloaking and regenerating speed boosts. Players employ tactics that they can change quickly on the fly (Raise Smart Kid).
Characteristic 3: A third characteristic of simulation video games are that they help children to train their skills such as memory and attention (Teach Thought Staff).
Example 3: An example of this are there are simulation games where a player is responsible for preparation process (an example of such games is “Lemonade Tycoon”) and has to remember many details, steps, or ingredients.
Category 3: Role-Playing
Characteristic 1: Role-Playing video games boosts children`s creative thinking (Allan). Examples of this are such games which require a player to create something or do something which will be approved by other players. Such games require eliminating all the potential problems or complications so that other players will like this decision.
Example 3: Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor (Raise Smart Kid) is an example of this kind of video game:
This is an open world video game where the player controls a Ranger named Talion. There is a main quest, but the player has the freedom to pursue side quests and roam around the world. The player levels up the abilities of Talion both as a Ranger and Wraith. The “Shadow of Morder” has been called the strategic person’s action game (Raise Smart Kid).
Characteristic 2: Another characteristic of role-playing video games are that they improve children`s cooperation and teamwork capacity (Allan).
Example 2: An example of this is are the role-playing games where the player`s decision brings about the consequences which affect other players. So, it is necessary to cooperate intensively with each other in order to develop a strategy that will positively affect the game outcomes. A player does not feel isolated. They know that they are in charge of the rest of the team. A specific example of this sort of game is The Elder Scrolls (Raise Smart Kids):
The player (playing with a first or third person perspective) freely roam over the land of Skyrim, an open world consisting of wilderness expanses, dungeons, cities and towns. The player navigates by riding horses or using a fast-travel system to warp to previously discovered locations. The objective is to develop the player’s character so that it is able to cope with the quests it pursues. The character also chooses from a variety of weapons, armor and magic that he acquired to be effective in combat (Raise Smart Kid).
Characteristic 3: Another characteristic of role-playing video games are that they train children`s problem-solving skills (Allan). Examples of this are when the players are given the task to complete within a specific period of time. They are not given any hints and must act spontaneously and think critically. In such games, children use their critical thinking to come up with a meaningful solution. They make decisions based on their personal experience, knowledge, and feelings. Their desire to win activates all that background knowledge.
Example 3: A specific example of this would be Mass Effect (Raise Smart Kid):
This is a science fiction role playing action game that is also a third person shooter. The player assumes the role of Commander Shephard and use extreme character customization. The game reacts to every decision a player makes. The game has a rich, branching storyline with multiple endings based on the player’s choices and actions throughout the game (Raise Smart Kid).
Conclusion: In conclusion adventure games, simulation games and role-playing games affect children`s development positively in terms of training their critical and strategic thinking, memory, and attention, and developing their children`s problem-solving skills, team building, and cooperation.
Works Cited
Allan, Patrick. “The Surprising Benefits of Role-Playing Games (and How to Get Started).” Lifehacker, 2015.
Loo, Kara. “7 Ways Video Games Will Help Your Kids in School.” The Huffington Post, 2014.
Raise Smart Kid. “23 Video Games That Could Make You Smarter,” Raise Smart Kid. 2015. Web. Accessed March 9, 2017.
Teach Thought Staff. “6 Basic Benefits of Game-Based Learning.” Teach Thought Staff, 2015.