Translator: Jelena Ačanski Reviewer: Mile Živković
First of all, I would like to thank all of you,
organizers and previous speakers,
for making this conference possible
and for these wonderful moments.
As announced, I'm going to talk about a well-known phenomenon
you're all familiar with,
but, I would like to talk about it
from my professional, as well as
my personal experience.
I grew up with video games
and I think they had big influence on
my professional choice,
on what I've learnt
and on what I apply in my everyday life and work.
We talk about video games, and generally about upbringing
and I won't tell you how to raise your children.
It's like football - everybody knows everything and they are all great experts.
And that is fine.
I will not tell you whether video games are good or bad.
What I am going to tell you is my vision of the whole story.
I think you should ask yourselves whether I am right or wrong.
I would like you to ask me about that later.
I think that it is very important to discuss this topic.
But firstly, let's see how it all started.
Video games were made in the USA,
as a military product for the needs of the defense industry.
In the beginning people used to play on radars.
People who worked in the army,
and made those radar systems, discovered a way to have fun
by moving some dots on screens,
as we say - to kill time.
Due to development of science, technology, information systems, computers,
they came to personal computers,
and today we have video games in different forms, shapes,
on consoles, computers, mobile devices and so on.
It is a global phenomenon.
What characterizes this global phenomenon?
Simply, it is a mix of art
science, technology, new discoveries, media, education,
and above all, I think there is a lot of capital,
and we shouldn't forget that video games are a commercial product
intended for selling and making profit.
And this is completely normal.
When we have a situation like that,
then many ask themselves what we should do with video games
and how they affect our children.
And here we have an endless public debate
in our country as well as in the world.
You've seen all the previous speakers, they have mentioned it in a way.
When you have a debate, then you have people who will say
"It is something bad that spoils our children,
that constantly presents a risk to their development and health and so on."
And you have the ones who will say, "Well no, it is good,
it can be used, it's great!
There should be more of this, especially in schools"
So, some speak of violence, bad influences,
and some about chances to widen human capacities and development.
All in all, we should bear in mind,
that a debate about some problem or social phenomenon is always good.
It is always good because it broadens our horizons,
it allows people to gain new insights.
When we confront our opinions
we can discover on what ground we stood
and maybe improve our knowledge.
A thing that people who work on studying video games agree on
is why kids actually play video games.
A very frequent reason is the escape from reality.
In video games you can become a character
that you will never be in reality,
you can do what you wish,
you can forget about everyday problems,
you can move to a new dimension.
Then, you feel successful.
In video games, when you lose your life it's no big deal.
You come and try again.
In real life, when you lose your life, well you know...
All of this has something to do with belonging to a community,
with the idea that you have to be in a circle of players,
that that you have to be appreciated, respected,
that what you do has some response in your social environment.
Video games give that sort of feedback
to those who play them.
I will now try to be something I am not.
You know these two guys.
They are the hosts of the famous TV series 'Mythbusters'.
Of course I am not them,
so something may not exactly be by their standards.
I will try to give my version of this story.
What's it all about: "Video games cause violent behavior."
This is the most common myth
and you will often hear this myth in modern media.
"Violent video games produce violent children"
Where do you think this comes from?
The truth is that, the let's say in the beginning of 2000s,
there were numerous psychological researches that actually proved this.
When you connect children to those machines and into MRI,
you see that, while they're playing, something happens in the brain.
Some centers related to aggression and stress fire up
and hormons start working.
Indeed, violent behaviour seems to occur.
However, as a pedagogue I'm mostly interested in
whether there is a direct relationship
between those effects that occur while playing video games
and what we call violent behavior in a social setting.
Specifically in situations where children meet, live and work every day.
I think that, actually, this is not true.
And I think that much bigger problem,
when we speak about aggressive behavior,
which we all know in some way,
is that it is a result of frustration
family dysfunction, unmet needs,
various problems that a family or a society can have.
It may happen that they are linked to video games,
but I think it's not the case.
And therefore I will say that this myth is 'busted' or debunked.
This is my point of view.
When we talk further about myths,
there is also one very controversial myth,
which says that video games cause psychological addiction.
You probably hear this often.
There are numerous examples
of people who cannot be separated from video games.
They play them a few hours every day, and that's true.
But did we ask ourselves why?
For one very simple reason, remember those three reasons,
almost every activity that produces a feeling of success,
that you can escape somewhere,
that you feel accepted and loved,
causes some sort of psychological addiction.
It's not neccessary to mention them.
People can become addicted to betting,
gym, various forms of sport and so on.
Video games are maybe just one example.
So I would leave this myth plausible,
but under what conditions and how,
that is what interests me the most, as an educator.
So, when, in what kind of environment, in what kind of families,
under what circumstances can we say this?
"Video game destroy our traditional values."
You will often hear people say that they are a product of the West,
they corrupt our children and so on.
I just do not think so.
And I can safely say that today video games
are produced in various parts of the world, in different cultures.
They are made by groups, companies, individuals, enthusiasts and so on.
We can't say this is something that comes from the West
or any other environment,
and that its goal is to spoil our children.
So we can safely say that this myth is busted.
Another myth is that "there is a neglect of obligations while playing video games."
You will often hear that the teachers and parents complain
that children don't do their homework, that they waste their time.
However, again we return to family upbringing.
If you have a relationship of trust with your child,
if you have built work habits with them, if you know what they play,
and if you can agree on how to arrange time,
then you should not be afraid of this.
However, under certain circumstances, in particular situations,
this prejudice, this myth is possible because it happens.
But again the question is when and how.
Then we say that "video games lead to social isolation and alienation."
Is this true?
People say, "Kids play video games,
but they don't go out, they don't socialize, they don't meet anybody."
I think that this is not true.
Video games are most played today,
you've heard examples from previous talks,
most played in the world today.
And simply, there isn't less social interaction,
but the very nature of social interaction has changed.
Here, I will illustrate it with an example.
Let's say two boys meet and one says to another,
"Did you hear there is a new WoW patch?
They nerfed the hunter, but busted the rouge.
They released tier 12, now I will raid all day long!"
And the other one answers:
"Forget about that, I am now grinding for honor,
for some PVP. I'm doing arena with some noobs."
When you hear that, you ask yourself what is wrong with our children.
Some demons must have entered their heads.
However, it is just a very specific nature of social interaction
that has a very interesting story, which perhaps is not for this occasion.
So this myth is busted.
Another one: "Playing video games for a long time has a negative effect
on health, it is bad for the back, causes obesity and so on."
I thought about what to do with this myth.
Then I took a look at myself in a mirror,
and said, "There is no chance to bust this one, except to lie to you."
There are indeed many pieces of medical evidence that it works that way.
There are video games that encourage activity, such as Wii,
or the Microsoft kinect.
But I would like you to tell me whether anybody actually lost weight
while playing them. If so, well done.
But this myth becomes confirmed,
and this is the only one in this presentation, I think.
"Are video games waste of time and energy?"
I don't think so.
In fact, what children do not invest in school they invest in video games.
And at the same time they gain
an opportunity to develop and learn new content,
and I think that this myth is busted.
Are video games a form of art?
This is also a big question.
Indeed, there is evidence, and we can say that
in video games you have numerous elements of art, creativity,
great designers, artists...
Video games often rely on, for example
literary works, films, various artistic achievements
and simply create new products
that may have great artistic value.
Are they a form of art?
In fact, best to say about it is
don't forget that video games are primarily
commercial products used for entertainment, leisure
and that is what they actually do.
So I would leave this myth plausible,
and I would love to talk about it.
Best to say is let's see what will happen
in 5 or 10 years' time, where it will all go.
I'd like to see some changes in this area.
There is a myth that's not only related
to video games, but to games in general:
we pedagogues say that "a game must always be in service of learning".
It has to lead to some development,
that kids always have to learn something while playing,
always use a game as a pedagogical teaching tool.
We actually couldn't say so,
because a video game has to stay a game,
it should above all remain fun and relaxation.
Some great pedagogues have also said
that through video games you are actually not aware that you are developing and learning,
the same as, in everyday life a good teacher or parent
will act almost invisibly,
they will act without action.
Such a method may be more efficient,
and will encourage the development of intellect more.
So this myth is in some way exposed.
Lastly, the famous myth that "video games replace traditional games."
Children need to turn to video games,
new technologies and so on.
I simply think that's not true.
Because traditional games are still very important,
and there is nothing better than a direct, live social interaction
of two people. When they talk
to each other, exchange experience, smile at each other.
This does not mean it annuls some positive sides of video games,
but I think that both forms of games should exist in the 21st century.
Where is school today in comparison to media and video games?
I am going again to use the legendary lecture by Sir Ken Robinson.
This slide is from the RSAnimate website
and it simply says: today we have children
who are surrounded by hundreds of TV channels,
advertisements, different devices and we teach them
for example, about the grain yield per hectare in Vojvodina.
Which can be an important piece of data.
But today they can find that information more easily on the Internet.
My view is that today's teachers should be motivators,
models of the man of the future,
role models and someone who will teach these children
how to find the source and how to use it.
Today's schools can learn a lot from video games.
Because video games set tasks
that can easily be skipped, not too difficult nor too simple
and can motivate and give the student the right reward.
Grades that are rewards in traditional schools
are an outdated form of motivation and today they don't work.
This is my opinion.
Where actually lies the pedagogical potential of video games?
Let's summarize: motivation for further learning, new knowledge,
discovery, creativity, easy and quick language learning,
mastering computer skills...
For the overall development of social, intellectual
and emotional components of human personality.
What are some difficulty factors, which of course exist?
For example, poor or completely inadequate information literacy
of parents and teachers, people involved in education.
Not to mention the value system in the society.
The people we value, who, is successful today and how.
Then the obvious availability of various inappropriate content
for children.
The negative impact of the media, which we cannot ignore.
But what can you do in such a situation?
To sum up, the most important thing is to talk to your children.
See what video games they play, why they play them.
Talk about them.
Admit to the kids that you don't know anything about those games.
That you don't know how to use a computer.
You might learn something, they might share some of their experiences.
For example, in school, why shouldn't children, on written assignments
describe their favorite video game or an experience related to it?
Teachers may receive some new insights,
new information about that.
And finally, the most important thing:
always do whatever is necessary to be a good parent or teacher.
If you have a relationship of trust with your child or student,
if you help them develop some universal values
that are essential for the life in the 21st century,
no video game can destroy that.
As well as there isn't a video game that can fix your failures in upbringing.
Parents and teachers often tend to shift responsibility
to the media, video games, and to point fingers.
It's like when your child starts to behave badly, and you
accuse the neighbor's children, saying, "He was caught in bad company."
You can point your finger at video games, the media, anything else.
I think that, and I believe there are parents and gamers here,
I myself grew up on video games,
we can learn a lot from modern technologies,
as you have heard in the previous talks, as well.
I would like to finish here, thank you.
(Applause)