Computer gaming: a boy-only EC?

[PaperChaserPop]

Your son can certainly start an "electronic media arts" club in his high school and make it a school sanctioned EC; however, you don't need a club or an official stamp of approval from the school to have a credible (or an incredible) EC. As long as he can demonstrate his passion through sustained commitment and showcase his talent with excellent projects (and recognition if possible), adcoms will take notice. In fact, adcoms see so much run of the mill EC's that something different and creative would be a huge plus.

Otoh, I doubt pure gaming, as in just playing video games, would be considered legitimate EC unless your child is a professional gamer capable of winning money tournaments. There was a girl, yes a girl, in my son's hs who was so good at a multiplayer game -- I forgot the name of the game -- that she won big money in tournaments and was considered one of the best in the world. The girl was recruited as a highly paid professional game tester right after she graduated.

[geomom]

Good points, pop. I'm actually not so much worried about my son - he's incredibly self-directed.

It's just the article I linked to about all the boys that are under-performing, it made me think that this is perhaps a potential venue to draw them into their high school world more.

So maybe, if as you suggest, my son were to start an "electronic media arts" club, maybe that would be a huge community service.

[geomom]

I just stumbled on this Link. The Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards has a new category this year. Video games!


Alliance for Young Artists & Writers

[Yurtle]

"It's just the article I linked to about all the boys that are under-performing, it made me think that this is perhaps a potential venue to draw them into their high school world more."

Is it a venue? Yes. Many kids go into gaming design or art or comics, or what have you.

But it's not the reason why boys are underpreforming, and it won't solve the problem.

And like everyone else has said, plenty of girls do this too. And I think you'll find that there's a slowly growing push for more girls in this field as well, since it IS so male-dominated. But while this is a great way to get kids involved in something (although maybe unorthodox) It's not really going to cure reading skills or make boys test higher or graduate college more.

*shrugs*

[beawinner]

The article mentions some headway made in Australia for early literacy training for boys. Girls seem to have trouble with math beginning as young teens, and it was recommended that they be trained separately from boys in math. Perhaps the boys need to be trained separately from girls in literacy at a young age. Reading (and writing) is too important to ignore.

Not saying gaming is not worthwhile, but I wouldn't want to see literacy thrown out the window in its favor.

[Naturally]

I could see some RPGs (roleplaying games) helping with literacy. With some of them if you can't read the text, there's no way of knowing what your next task/quest is supposed to be. I remember a Super Nintendo game I had where you were sent to find all kinds of wacky items, including Trout Yogurt . . . Good times!

[Keilexandra]

There are even some text-based RPGs that have high literacy as a prerequisite, but lots of boys get involved in, say, the complex battle system.

[Naturally]

And then there's Hamlet: The Text Adventure.

[Keilexandra]

^That is AWESOME.

I'm fond of Lusternia - Age of Ascension, myself.

[yabeyabe2]

Geo, you raised a good point and started a very interesting thread!

Perhaps a related point is that too many kids feel pressured to only do things which look good on an application? If playing video games is fun and a pressure release valve, isn't that sufficient?

Yes, many games as noted, involve creativity. And, with the popularity of the XBox live network, kids now play not just solitaire but online with people all over the world while talking to them. But there is nothing wrong a kid wanting to do an activity that has no school sponsor or college tie-in.

[noimagination]

If playing video games is fun and a pressure release valve, isn't that sufficient?

Pressure release? I'm still beating myself up over the chess game I lost this afternoon...

[mathmom]

OOOh I haven't seen a good text game since my days of sneaking onto the arpanet and playing Adventure. That was cute.

[fogfog]

Video games an EC...I dont think they are...unless the student is writing programming..

I think culturally gaming is viewed as a leisure/hobby...nothing more than watching tv....