Am I just Getting Old?

Regarding getting old...

Some time ago I visited a friend in the retirement home where he and his wife lived. He was, I think, 87 at the time. While we were going up to their apartment, the elevator stopped at the next floor, and this stopped old man shuffled on with his walker, commenting on how terrible it was to get old.

Ted just winked at me and said "Beats the alternative." :)

Man, I miss that guy.

As for the game consoles in a learning centre, I'm on the 'that's ridiculous' end of the spectrum. It may be because I'm a recovering academic who, after a long, long week at work is feeling downright curmudgeonly, but I really don't think it is. After six years as an undergrad (here's a tip to new students out there: don't change your major or move to new unis as often as I did. It really tacks on the years) seven as a postgrad, three degrees, and several years lecturing, I have a pretty clear image of what a place of higher learning should be. And I simply don't buy the arguments that having something like a gaming console in a learning centre would contribute in any way to that image.

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Originally Posted by Jimbo

I was perusing my University's web pages the other day and came across a news item. It was reporting on a new Student Learning Centre building on one of our campuses which featured, among other things, a "Microsoft Tech lounge" with Xbox 360s.

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When you said "Microsoft Tech Lounge", I immediately thought that it sounded like a move by Microsoft to promote their products. It sounds like a new popular thing in Australia. Here's an article about it for Monash University.

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Originally Posted by crouton976

Believe it or not, game consoles can actually be beneficial to students. No, really, they can!

There have been studies done on the effects of surgeons and medical students who game constantly and they showed that their super fine motor skills improved a great deal. Also, in terms of the psychological effects gaming has, other studies have shown that they can help improve one's ability to think on their feet and problem solve as well as study the environment around them and Macguyver a solution for a problem with little to no resources.

I never would have thought that playing video games would have these types of effects on people when I was a kid playing Contra or Zelda. Kinda cool, huh?

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Yeah it is kinda cool actually. My only comment would be that I'm sure there are also studies that show that use of gaming can be related to procrastination and avoidance and escapism. There are studies for everything and for every point of view, you just have to shop around. It's what happens when you let corporate money sponsor "research" and "education".

Anyway, that's a whole other topic I guess.

James.

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Originally Posted by henryconchile

When you said "Microsoft Tech Lounge", I immediately thought that it sounded like a move by Microsoft to promote their products. It sounds like a new popular thing in Australia. Here's an article about it for Monash University.

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Yes, I think that also. You guys remember that Simpsons episode?
The Simpsons show the future of Wisconsin schools - YouTube

James.

My first reaction is that it has no place there. When you look at our Society these days, a lot has changed. When my kids were little (now grown and out !!!!) my son would spend hours upon hours in the game room literally glued to the tv playing something. I couldn't get him to go out. When I was growing up, I never wanted to be inside. Most of the time, I didn't want to come home for Supper.

Now, look at Drone (UAV) aircraft like the Predator aka Reaper's. They can be flown with a joystick very much like a video game. The U.S. Navy has unmanned ships (USV) I can see the future of warfare being fought remotely.

Maybe they're learning how to program video games :p

Or perhaps they've figured out training young kids to do anything that doesn't somewhat resemble a video game is near impossible. :)

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Everything is relative. When I hear my son (who is pushing 30) listening to music he grew up with I always ask him why he's listening to the "oldies". He doesn't find it amusing.

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Lol the music I listen to is really old music.
I first heard it in fallout 3. They happened to use that
music due to it was cheaper. Cause it too for someone to own it.
These good old songs are far superior to any of the new music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMMV_RoEMxE

All this talk about music and the generations got me to looking at my preferences. I realized that I am a hodgepodge of era and the like. In my eighth decade and I like modern and unusual architecture, simple home cooking, early 20th century painting AND the non-objective painters and ONLY classical music (alright, a few of the 40's, 50's and 60's singers). Modern pop genres of music leave me deaf, literally. But I do draw the line on most operas but not the singers.

A few things come to mind when hearing about this, odd as it may be with an XBox 360 in a Learning Center it can have some uses. If there is a gaming software engineering degree offered at the University this would be a great way to promote the students work and get good feedback without the hassle of advertising it to the students in emails or pamphlets. Next, it's a multimedia device. It's cheaper on the University to have an XBox that can play mp3/DVD/Blu-Ray/internet streaming in a all-in-one device rather than a multitude of other expensive devices. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to hear there is a time limit on the device for actual gaming considering most students have a console in the dorm or apartment.

::EDIT::
The more I think about it the network engineers in the University could also restrict online gaming data flow through the switches and routers (or Packet Shapers) so it would deter gamers from using it in that fashion.