A lot of the world is changing -- the way we communicate (texting, chat programs, twitter), the way we travel (budget airlines, high speed trains), and even the way we congregate (facebook, linkedin, meetup). Why not the way we learn? Why would you learn from books and flashcards when you can learn from games? This is why I am investing into video game learning:
Fun
Traditional learning methods are boring. I don't actually mind reading about something new, but repetitive exercises to get you to remember something is just so boring. Do you remember the homework you had to do in school? It's pretty boring. But so many people will spend hours in an RPG game doing something just as boring as clicking on images for 12 hours straight. And you know what, it's fun!
Effective
Something fun and exciting is more effective because you will have more of your brain engaged and ready to create new synapses. Video games are really good at engaging their users. Ever try talking to someone play video games, they won't listen to you! But we can harvest that power into something good like
learning kanji!Reinforced intuition
Games force us to use our intuition to make decisions. For example, in our kanji learning game, you are given just a few seconds to figure out the meaning of a kanji character that you've already seen. You are forced to at least take a guess at the possible kanji character. If you guess it right, you are immediately rewarded and your brain can process the result. If you are correct, the opposite happens and your brain will work harder to get the next answer correct. This is fundamental of all games.
Learning Not to Give Up
Perhaps the best lesson I've ever learned from playing video games is that it is okay to fail as long as you keep trying. Any video game I've ever played, eventually I will beat that level or game if I just keep trying. And that is very rewarding!
True Application
The problem with a lot of education is that it is highly theoretical. Theory is interesting (usually), but the application of something is more effective. Also, education tells us there is only one way to learn something,
when learning should be tailored to the individual. That is why having an abundance of games where you can apply knowledge gained is a much more effective way to learn.! Try it with learning Kanji and give us some feedback!
