How Video Games Can Level Up the Way You Learn | Kris Alexander | TED

When I was in senior year university,

this was around 2004,

I was in one of those classes

where the teacher would read the slides word-for-word

as part of a three-hour lecture.

Oh.

Oh, you all know what I'm talking about?

(Laughter)

I ended up doing alright in the class by catering to my own learning style.

After a little bit of experimentation,

I found that playing a video game during this lecture,

a game like Tetris, or in this particular case,

"Zelda: The Minish Cap,"

helped me pay attention

because the primary way I engage with information is by listening.

And this meant

that the teacher's voice with matching text

were a distraction for me.

Anyway, I was at the back listening and participating, mind you.

But one day, this teacher decided to call me out.

He stopped the class and said, "Excuse me.

Are you playing video games in my class?"

And then I said,

"I am, sir, but this is the way that I learn."

And then he said,

"There's no way that you're learning anything."

And then I said, "Sir, I'm not interrupting.

I am learning, and I’m even participating.”

And then he said, "No, I don't want you playing video games in my class."

And then I said, "Sir ..."

(Laughter)

And then I said, "Sir, I'm going to place this Game Boy Advance on the table,

repeat your last two sentences word-for-word,

and then I’m going to pick up this Game Boy Advance and keep playing.”

And then he said, "I don't think you can do that."

And then the class went, “Oooooh.”

(Laughter)

You can picture that, alright, cool.

So I placed my Game Boy Advance on the table,

I looked him right in his eye,

repeated his last two sentences,

word-for-word,

and then I picked up my Game Boy Advance and kept playing.

(Laughter)

And then you know what he said?

"Alright, carry on."

(Laughter)

So since that day, I’ve become a professor myself ...

of video game design.

And I'm convinced that there's absolutely something

that video games can teach the world of academia.

Like, how they can cater to human learning,

how they can enhance online instruction

and how they can provide clear objectives.

Let me explain.

Humans can take in information in three core ways:

audio, text and video.

Now, as I demonstrated earlier, I'm an oral learner,

which means I prefer to take in information via sound.

And some studies show that when two or more of these channels are used,

learning gains are higher.

But, there's a catch.

Now, I was struggling to pay attention in this class

because of something called cognitive overload,

which can happen when audio, text and video

aren't different enough when used together.

So when the audio of my teacher matched the excessive text on his slides,

my brain was overloaded.

Teachers who use technology in the classroom

need to ensure that each channel is complementary,

otherwise, students are going to have difficulty transferring information

from working memory to long-term memory.

Now, I fixed the problem for myself by essentially using the teacher's voice

as the soundtrack for the game I was playing.

And this brings me to my first point.

Video games, by design, are a complex blend of audio, text,

video and interactivity that can intensify focus.

That was the point of my PhD.

(Laughter)

And because of their enjoyment factor,

these components of video games can help with something

our students desperately need in the classroom:

motivation.

Now, at their best,

video games can immerse us,

focus our attention

and provide clear objectives with demonstrated output.

You know how well you're doing every step of the way.

And video games can teach multiple things simultaneously.

Like ...

There's this class I teach,

game design,

where I like to use a video game called “Virginia.”

Now, in “Virginia,” you play as Anne Tarver,

a newly-hired FBI agent

who is tasked with internally investigating someone

who just happens to be the only other female agent in the precinct.

And this game is based on a true story.

Now, on the surface, I’m using “Virginia” to teach game design.

But I'm also using the mechanics of video games

to trick students into exploring complex concepts

like history, sexism, racism,

corporate culture and tokenism

while we play this game together.

To me, effective instruction merges theory and practice.

Each week in this class,

I like to pick a unique video game that matches the game theory

and sprinkles in a couple of life takeaways.

We play the game together and talk about it,

and then the students have to go and make video games themselves.

And this all happens -- wait for it --

online.

(Laughter)

And guess what?

COVID forced everyone to join me teaching online,

and most schools struggled.

But there are many examples of effective online instruction

in unlikely places like YouTube streams,

Netflix programming,

and, believe it or not, Amazon's Twitch.

Now, as you probably know,

Twitch is an online streaming platform

where people can watch other people play video games.

But it can also be used to learn how to paint with Ergo Josh.

Learn how to play piano with Juanorpiano.

Learn how to code with RothioTome

and even how to cook meals with yarumichan.

Uh-huh, yeah, real.

(Laughter)

And Twitch had an average of 2.78 million concurrent viewers in 2021.

Now, that's a lot of motivated learners if you actually think about it.

One of my favorite classes to teach online

is a class called Esports Broadcasting,

where I'm essentially just using video games

to teach students how to professionally present themselves online

using a free piece of software called Open Broadcaster Software, or OBS.

Here, I teach them how to connect any available camera to the software.

Add white balance

(Laughter)

and color correction to help that image pop,

(Laughter)

use on-screen text to complement the video,

(Laughter)

and compress any available microphone to make it sound and look

exactly like what they're accustomed to consuming online.

And the same processes that hooked viewers on Twitch

are the same processes schools should use

to learn how to engage students online and globally.

That should be one of their objectives, shouldn't it?

(Laughter)

Hold on.

What are the objectives of a post-secondary education anyway?

And what could education overall learn from video games,

which clearly say:

start here,

do these things

and then obtain these things.

Now, if the goal of a post-secondary education

includes students getting a job in the same thing they went to school for,

guess what?

Schools are failing.

More than half of graduates do not get jobs in their field of study.

That would be like enrolling in chef training

and then graduating to start a job in data analytics.

Why not just enroll in data analytics?

You could.

Grow with Google has an online program

promising you a job in data analytics starting at 74,000 dollars a year,

and that program is free to start.

Epic Games offers a pathway to become a developer

with its Unreal Engine for interactive 3D development,

a field that they say has gone up 601 percent

and is paying people 57 percent more than the average salary.

For clarity, their Unreal Engine is the same tool used to build Fortnite

and the same tool used to build some of the backgrounds

behind "The Mandalorian."

At no cost to use.

Are y'all hearing all these near-free, no-fee examples I'm giving you?

(Laughter)

University in particular is mad expensive.

The cost of university has gone up

1,200 percent since 1980.

To me ...

To me, there's not a single job, trade or discipline

that doesn't in some way connect to the video games industry.

There are dentists like Dr. August de Oliveira,

who are using augmented reality to see the roots of your teeth

while working on your teeth.

Psychologists are using virtual reality to help you overcome a fear of spiders,

and broadcast technicians responsible for filming a dragon

flying over a live stadium full of people

as part of a League of Legends esports broadcast.

Video game technologies are embedded in all of these.

And that must mean that the video games industry is not just made of players

but made of you.

Now, I'm not suggesting that video games replace classroom instruction --

Settle down, internet.

(Laughter)

I'm advocating for the components of video games,

especially the engaging ones,

to be ported into classroom instruction

because the audience, the students,

clearly understand the medium.

There are roughly three billion video game players worldwide.

Video games contain the blueprint for engaging education

because of the way that they cater to human learning,

a complex story interwoven with learning content

and a bit of artificial intelligence for difficulty and balance.

Online instruction can be enhanced

if schools turn to top streaming platforms and streamers

to learn how to effectively engage students online.

And the objectives for education overall need to be as specific as a video game

so that those who are enrolled

have a clear line of sight to where they're headed.

If we can start showing students how their passion for playing

connects to their futures,

we will have done our jobs.

The next generation of teachers

are those who can connect the path of study

to profession via passion.

Oh, and one last thing about the playing of video games.

There's a 2022 study suggesting that the playing of video games

is associated with heightened cognition,

faster reaction times,

improved working memory

and modifying the cortical networks associated with the process of playing.

And that ...

is what I should have said to that teacher.

Thank you.

(Applause and cheers)