The Kellner and Share article explains the importance of thinking and learning through means of new media, mass communications, new technologies, and popular culture. This would even the playing field in terms of communication and reach and allow a more equal opportunity for all to express themselves. The Teaching Social Studies with Video Games article argued that the characteristics of video games, like strategic decision making, problem solving, and social engagement, make a great tool for teaching. The Political Internet Games article explained that games with a political topic like mass shootings or assassinations allow people to engage with more serious topics and develop their political self. And finally, the Creating Critical Play article explored the topic of video games and their effects, arguing that games that touch on topics like social, political, or educational topics and in turn open a dialogue for the players.
Personally, I never realized how much video games can provide for students. I am not a huge fan, especially of violent games or money-grabbers where you have to pay for everything. I have seen my brothers entranced by the TV, just staring and moving their hands over the remotes. Thinking back now, I see that they are making split second decisions, working as a team sometimes, and even learning to lose. Reading the articles, they clearly show how effective video games can be used as a resource for learning so I am gonna work on weaning my brothers toward those.
Do video games have to be historically accurate or can they bend certain things for the sake of entertainment? Where should the line be drawn?
Alicia's Blog 
Hello Alicia, I agree that video games can just be used as a tool to monetize things in-game which many people sadly buy into. But I am glad that you are learning about the different ways in which video games can help students learn in the classroom.
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Hey Alicia! I really appreciate your openminded approach to these articles and the way that you allowed them to expand your understanding of the effect video games can have. I would have really appreciated if my parents and sister had a similar understanding when I was a kid spending a bunch of my free time playing video games. When it comes to learning through video games, I think it is important that games have at least a baseline level of historical accuracy. While they don’t need to use only stories and experiences that are documented and we know to be true, it is important that the context and realities of different people in the given situation are captured. Historical fiction can be super fun to experience in a video game, but if the context the events are taking place in are not true to the context of society at that point in time, then the game starts to become harmful. With that, it’s especially important to accurately capture the lived experiences of each group of people. If the experiences of people who were poor, rich, male, female, white, or of color were different, then it would be important that the game captures that as well so consumers aren’t being offered false accounts of people’s lived experiences.
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