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In the Netherlands the advertising agency JuniorSenior launched with big success Vitamine G. Or better Gaming is Good. Indeed there was a lot of negative news before this promotional campaign started and parents were not familiar with the dangers and risks of (excessive) gaming. With Gaming is Good parents (and kids) can learn what are the pros and cons of gaming. And why gaming can also be positive in a child’s development. Practically the same initiative was introduced this week in France with the website www.pedagojeux.fr. The French government together with partners inform especially parents in a very objective way about gaming. Well succeeded and clear website.

There is a revolution going on in the world of gaming. Where at first many researchers, politicians and parents were fiercely against children playing games, because of the fear of being isolated, becoming more violent, becoming less creative, school results would go down, chances of getting addicted, etc.., the opposite has been proven true. The famous psychiatrist and psychoanalyst for children, Serge Tisseron, has done extensive research and found that children are more social, only they meet in new surroundings, the knowledge they acquire through gaming is very useful in school and in real life, and that they become addicted is not likely at all.

I am very much in favor of the use of computer games in schools. Learning by playing is much more effective than listening and repeating a teacher. There are a lot of possibilities already. One example:

Digital schoolboards: This touchscreen can work as a traditional schoolboard for writing on lines or squares for calculations, but you can use it as an internet screen as well. Teachers can use Google earth for Geography or films about the human body for Biology for example.