Video-Game Middle School / High School

[leetdude_007]

So I was driving home and caught a story on NPR's All Things Considered about a donation made by the MacArthur Foundation to new schools that will based off video game design.

Source: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.p...toryId=11259040

Technology
Proposed Video-Game School Gets $1.1 Million Boost

Listen to this story... by Heather Chaplin

All Things Considered, June 21, 2007 · The MacArthur Foundation board announced Thursday it will fund a $1.1 million grant for a brand new middle- and high school in New York. The curriculum revolves around teaching kids to make video games.

The MacArthur Foundation says video games and the dynamic systems they use will be key to information management in the future.

Heather Chaplin reports on the new idea of gaming literacy.

If you take a listen, the primer to this story is that the 20th century definition of literacy was the proficiency in reading and writing. "New Literacy" in the 21st century is based on the ability to perceive dynamic systems. One way to stimulate this form of thinking is through video-game design!

Interesting, yes?

 

[Da Foxx]

Man... I wish I could go to this school. Its not like I'm learning anything in school now that will help me in the future besides math and english.

 

[Little]

I remember playing a computer game at school when I was around 9. It was based on a ship and you had to like talk to the people and they'd tell you things, and you'd have to find or do what they say to move on. It ran from DoS from floppy discs. Then my school thought it was hot because we got a windows computer =o

 

[xcalibur]

that is really awesome but to be honest....i dont think its a good idea.
if you think closely, what do middleschool kids like the most usually?
sex, violence, "adult themes"...imagine if the kids dont get enough guidance.
itll just be a churnout of stuff worse than EA does. and these are going to be the kids that are going to be the majority in the games industry of their generation.
Sure, we'll get inspired stuff once in a while but like stuff before it, it will just be ignored..
imagine a world where games like ICO and shadow of the collusus are frowned upon because of their creativity, were dangerously close to that already.

i also feel that the statement

"If you take a listen, the primer to this story is that the 20th century definition of literacy was the proficiency in reading and writing. "New Literacy" in the 21st century is based on the ability to perceive dynamic systems. One way to stimulate this form of thinking is through video-game design!"

is wrong, no other way about it. literacy is much more than a profeciency in reading and writing and even though i cant stand the subject in class, i respect it for all its worth and done.

literacy is art, and art just cant be changed like that