Adults can't play games, right?
I had a new experience in the game lab... that of being better at games than the kids. It revealed an interesting aspect of how kids view adults.
We had asked the kids to videocloset about teaching adults and what that would be like. I haven't reviewed those yet, but Tanya said when she told them they would be teaching adults how to use Roller Coaster tycoon, they were like, "Oh, man, that will take forever."
I think that -- just like we assume that all kids are comfortable and proficient with technology (not true... they just don't have fear of it, but their competence is often greatly exaggerated... worse, they don't understand that there is stuff they don't understand), -- I think kids assume adults are clumsy and unknowledgable with technology and especially games.
I started playing DDR with Hannah -- who is regarded by the other kids as the "expert" on DDR, she takes great pride in that -- and without realizing it, I beat her pretty handily. She was making excuses about how it got harder for her, but that if we were both on the same level she could "totally beat me". So we played it again at the same level and I really beat her. Still, even though I was quite a bit better, she still assumed I didn't know how to play and was giving me instructions throughout... "Click the button there to play the song again".
She didn't like that I beat her, so we switched games to Guitar Hero (ahem... I play that a lot!). As we played, I was again doing very well... obviously experienced I would think... yet the other kids came around and were giving me instructions, ("wiggle that bar there on the long notes".) At first, kids saw I was there and said they wanted to play with me. When they saw that I was really good... no one asked to play me. It was ok that I was good... but I just couldn't be "too good".
I don't think this behavior is unique to game play... kids naturally like to "show others" how to do things that they know how to do. Yet, with games, it is exaggerated because kids have seen again and again that adults tend *not* to know how to play, and kids tend to pick it up quickly. Even when adults demonstrate competence, it creates dissonance within the kid, and they don't know what to make of the information.
It made me think abour Roller Coaster Tycoon and our plans to use it in the classroom. We need to acknowledge that the kids may not think of asking teachers for help with the program, assuming the adult can't know as much about the game. We could also make sure the teacher establishes him/herself as an expert in the game so that kids know that in this particular game, it is ok to ask an adult for help. We may also take advantage of the iPod to deliver tutorials and instruction to help futher kids' skill, so they don't have to ask.
posted by Barbara @ 2/20/2006 07:57:00 AM
1 Comments:
Kids do assume adults can't play because most of the time they won't play. We have to remember that at least in terms of authoritative figures and some parents their assumption are warranted because they know no different.
I think your post was very interesting in your own observation and perceptions. I tend to lean more toward kids in general viewing adults as not good game players because they won't game play, or won't play often, more than they can't play games.
I know it was pretty shocking for them to see you playing guitar hero and getting into it. How often do they see an adult do that? They thought it was pretty funny. I thought your finding were interesting from both perspectives, yours and the kids.
As far as teachers in schools, remember that when kids get to play games in schools that its viewed as free time not work time and a good time not to bother teachers, this is taught very early on. In fact most of the time their responses tend to be, find someone who knows how to do it, I don't use it, or not now.
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