An Outlook article in the Washington Post by Patrick Wilson laments the amount of time that gaming takes up in the lives of boys and men. The article is titled; "It's No Contest, Boys Will Be Men, and They'll Still Choose Video Games" . The author makes the error of assuming that to learn the kids must adopt his passion, the passion for great works of literature and writing. Nothing could demotivate a child more from learning. The teacher has identified a means by which to educate the children through their passion, gaming is the vector by which those children, seemingly addicted to it, can learn the art of literature, narrative, characters, themes and writing.

Gaming

In the first two paragraphs, the author has identified how he can make literature appealing to the student;

Jake Stephens, a senior in my AP English class at T.C. Williams High School, is hooked. "The narrative is so exciting you lose all track of time," he said to me last week. "Three hours can go by and it seems like 15 minutes. Once I'm into it, it's hard to think of anything else; all my focus is on finishing the story line."

Was Jake talking about "All the Pretty Horses," the novel I'm currently having my students read? I wish. Personally, I find Cormac McCarthy's coming-of-age cowboy tale enthralling, with its tragic love story, graphic violence and lyrical writing. But Jake probably thinks it's pretty tame. He's seduced by a different kind of narrative -- the car-stealing frenzy of one of his favorite video games, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

This is an awesome opportunity for the teacher. The student has just declared their passion, and in the same sentence identified that gaming has a story line and narrative that he cannot wait to finish. This is just another version of staying up all night to finish a book. So how do you take advantage of this students immersion in a console game?

Several ways, avid game players all know the errors and weaknesses in a game. They know when a narrative has become lame, and when it is inconsequential to the game's conclusion. Anyone who has played Final Fantasy XI is aware of this. Medal of Honor Pacific Assault also tries to be a movie, and detracts from the game's narrative by being too schmaltzy. All game players also carry in their hearts, their secret desire to create the perfect game.

• Have the student design a game narrative.
• Have the student sketch characters out.
• Have the student give the characters missions that contradict the characters personality.
• Have the student put a character from a famous book or film in their game and include them in the narrative.
• Convert a famous book into a game by focusing on the challenges the characters in the book face.

It would produce bad games, bad missions, but the enthusiasm of the game players in the class would be undeniable. School would cool!

The point is, that all individuals have passions for certain things that could be the ideal vector for learning newer skills outside of the narrow focus of their passion - skills and knowledge that have wider educational purposes.

Share My Passion Please

The author writes how he became interested in being a teacher;

But my more immediate concern is how to get books back on the playing field. I became an English teacher because I love literature and wanted to share it with students. Literature, however, demands that we enter into an imaginative world slowly, through the written word. It forces us to re-create this world in our minds, through the power of our imaginations.

He is arguing that he wants his students to share his passion. It is highly likely that some do, I read voraciously as a child, ripping through books four hours at a time. But the books we were forced to read for the HSC, were dulling to the point that you wanted to stick hot knitting needles in your eyes - And I was a passionate reader.

I preferred Science Fiction to "Mill On The Floss". If I had to do a unit on E.E. Doc Smith or Frank Herbert; I would have aced it no worries, because it matched my passion. Doing it on George Eliot was not fun, and I didn't enjoy it because of that. It might be supposed fine literature, but I am more apt to explore the literary science of a book if I enjoy the book in the first place. Consequently I would learn more, faster, with greater ease and with an increased educational benefit simply if the educators used my passion as the vector to learn more.

For those that aren't already passionate readers, everyone has an area that are expert at and specialize in - even if it is being on top of the leader board of Halo2. It is the teachers challenge to recognize that talent, that passion and use it as the vector through which to expand the skills and knowledge of the student. Our schools, and students will benefit immeasurably by such an approach.

cam