What Do Non-Gamers Want? (Via Grand Text Auto.) I haven’t linked to Grand Text Auto in a while, but in this post Andrew addresses a question that we will need to ask if we’re to use video games in formal (public) education… what do non-gamers want? He approaches the subject from a design perspective and the post has some depth to it. It turns out he’s something of a non-gamer himself (and his reasons are similar to those that keep me from gaming more), and this particular excerpt caught my attention. I think it hints at what we should be aiming for:
Videogames could regain a place on my list of entertainment choices if: as I played I gained experience of people’s lives, culture, and especially human behavior and psychology — and therefore, learned about myself — just as I gain from the best TV shows, movies, books, and so on. And, if I’m going to do work to interact with my entertainment, I want my actions to be meaningful, to be expressive of who I am, and to matter.