#137 - Will Video Games Make Us Smarter?

Open to Debate

Education, Society & Culture, News, Government, Politics

4.5 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 17 May 2017

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

MOTION: Video Games Will Make Us Smarter.As video games gain prominence, some game creators are turning to global issues, such as poverty alleviation, international diplomacy, and combating climate change, for inspiration. Playing these socially minded games, they argue, allows users to build tangible skills in combating crisis and solving critical problems. But others see the multibillion-dollar gaming industry, dominated by portrayals of crime and war, as a threat that desensitizes its users to violence and encourages anti-social behavior. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	In a lot of settings, the concept of kids getting to play is considered entirely positive.
0:07.6	There are play dates to help them socialize.
0:09.8	They play, make believe, to grow their imaginations.
0:12.7	They play sports.
0:13.7	They play tuba.
0:15.8	But playing video games, that gets all controversial.
0:20.0	Where the arguments tend to go in two directions.
0:22.5	Either that gaming is mostly bad for you.
0:25.1	It's addictive.
0:26.1	It is sedentary.
0:27.1	And it is not especially educational.
0:29.9	But others say, oh really, if you think that, then you don't know how far games have come.
0:34.2	How socially productive they can be.
0:36.2	How some research shows that there are benefits to a variety of cognitive skills, actually
0:40.7	making gamers in some way smarter than everybody else.
0:44.2	So which is it?
0:45.3	Well, that sounds like the making of a debate.
0:48.0	So let's have it.
0:49.0	Yes or no to this statement.
0:50.5	Video games will make us smarter.
0:53.4	I'm John Donbenn.
0:54.4	I stand between two teams of two experts in the topic.
	...

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