Monday morning  Megan Gaiser, Sheri Graner Ray, Cindy Royal, Dee Kapila, and Joe Sanchez hosted a discussion concerning the implementation of video games into young lives.  “Gaming As A Gateway Drug: Getting Girls Interested in Technology” touched on the positive side of video games in both girls and boys education and technology advancement ages kindergarten through twelve grade.  A surprising 63 percent of parents believe video games are a crucial part in development.

The panel explored the difference in learning styles of girls and boys: boys are exploratory and risk taking while girls learn from demonstration and example.  Young girls who learn the risks of a situation by observing can be misconstrued as being afraid or hesitant. Royal talked about the undergraduate college level and said the young women in her classes are more likely to indicate fear and ask questions. “Giving women success early in the game allows them to gain confidence with their skills,” said Royal.  Since women sometimes lack confidence in technology there are less in the industry. 

There are many women who use technology but don’t identify with the “gamer” title. “Casual games are broadening, content offerings are diversifying,and it can be dangerous pitching causal games because they are evolving,” said Gaiser.  There needs to be more risks taken in game devlopment so they can be more intriguing to girls at an early age.  It takes a lot of time developing an effective, quality game that girls will play.

A resolution the panel arrived at: creating a positive technology environment early on. Technology should be brought into education programs along with basic skills and user experience.  “There needs to be a distinction, gaming to be looked at as teaching,” said Sanchez.

video by: Lewis Knight