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How Video Games Can Level Up the Way You Learn | Kris Alexander | TED

Video games naturally tap into the way we learn: they focus our attention and track our progress as we head toward a clear goal. Kris Alexander, a professor of video game design and passionate gamer himself, thinks the same elements should be used in traditional education to cater to different learning styles and engage students…

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Video games naturally tap into the way we learn: they focus our attention and track our progress as we head toward a clear goal. Kris Alexander, a professor of video game design and passionate gamer himself, thinks the same elements should be used in traditional education to cater to different learning styles and engage students across the world, both in-person and online.

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62 Comments

62 Comments

  1. Moontherion

    March 10, 2023 at 1:29 pm

    Brilliant.

  2. David Rossi

    March 10, 2023 at 1:42 pm

    I get what he means as a way to focus but for me my lifelong pursuit of knowledge and learning began at 5yo when I was introduced to games like Pharaoh or Age of Empires. My grandfather was a classically educated man and when I was little and spending 5-6 hours straight on the computer he was naturally concerned, he didn’t tell me to get off though instead he was curious and asked what I was doing. I replied with, “I’m playing a campaign as El Cid right now, he was the champion of Castile until the kings brother usurped the crown and exiled him, now he’s traveling around Spain fighting for both Spaniards and Moors while trying to be a chivalrous and just knight.” My gramps was blown away and wanted to know more and so I showed him the Crusades campaign, the one for Genghis Khan, Joan of Arc, etc. and he absolutely loved it. My vocabulary improved well beyond my grade, I was reading all of the historical narrative and dialogue, I was learning strategy and tactics, and falling in love with military history. 20+ years later I’m a history major still 🙂

    • VonB

      March 10, 2023 at 5:38 pm

      Same story with the same Games. Pharoah might get an revamp in 2023

  3. Nick e i Morty

    March 10, 2023 at 1:44 pm

    Zelda Minish Cap? Sir you got an instant like

  4. Social Splash Squad ????

    March 10, 2023 at 1:44 pm

    Amazing! Great discussion

  5. Vcat417 - Channel " All is intertwined "

    March 10, 2023 at 1:46 pm

    It’s about time we look on video games differently

  6. Zodayn

    March 10, 2023 at 1:47 pm

    I listened to podcasts, including the RED Radio Hour, while picking tomatoes. And I had a much easier time concentrating on those TED Talks than in class where I couldn’t pick tomatoes in the mean time.

  7. Samus Hunter 00

    March 10, 2023 at 2:03 pm

    Where was this guy when I was a kid lol????

  8. ali rıza avseren

    March 10, 2023 at 2:05 pm

    ????????….

  9. Robbie Rolfe

    March 10, 2023 at 2:06 pm

    This is the future of gaming.

  10. SchwarzeLanze

    March 10, 2023 at 2:07 pm

    Gamification is an old head but know one how to successfully implement a complex discipline in one or Multiple tools

  11. Sam Perez

    March 10, 2023 at 2:32 pm

    Thank you Kris!!!!

  12. Deanna L. Newton

    March 10, 2023 at 2:36 pm

    I’m surprised that Unreal Engine even had a course. I remember that Unreal Engine has developed the first Octopath Traveler game and Octopath Traveler 2.

  13. Austinn72

    March 10, 2023 at 3:33 pm

    you watch boys and men play these games and you pretend as if we aren’t training

  14. Tee Games

    March 10, 2023 at 4:34 pm

    The video was well researched and had accurate information throughout. 😀

  15. peter

    March 10, 2023 at 4:48 pm

    Okay kids..just send this to your mom. It’s about time

  16. acdnan Abdi

    March 10, 2023 at 4:49 pm

    Yo is he using a Steam Controller and a Steam Deck to do his presentation? That’s dope

    • Video Games Prof

      March 11, 2023 at 3:07 pm

      Yes indeed. There are several game-related Easter Eggs embedded in this talk for the community. Let’s who else can find the rest. Someone tell Gabe that the Gabe Gear made it on the TED stage.

    • acdnan Abdi

      March 11, 2023 at 5:07 pm

      @Video Games Prof your talk was great btw.

    • AL2009man

      March 11, 2023 at 5:33 pm

      Sigma Grindset

  17. Ligia Sommers

    March 10, 2023 at 5:05 pm

    Excellent ????????????????????????????????????????????????????✨????????

  18. jesuswasahovercraft

    March 10, 2023 at 5:37 pm

    It’s still interesting how many always try to find anything beneficial in video games, a bit resembling a collective Stockholm syndrome. Working with kids and adolescents for 25+ years let me reassure you: they waste precious time with any second they play virtual games.

    • w0mbles

      March 10, 2023 at 8:16 pm

      Sounds very unlikely.

  19. pudicus2

    March 10, 2023 at 6:14 pm

    This huge brained man used a steam deck and dualsense controller for his presentation.

    • kuhpunkt

      March 11, 2023 at 7:01 am

      It’s a Steam Controller, not a Dualsense.

  20. Uyulala88

    March 10, 2023 at 6:49 pm

    I listened to this while playing video games. ????

  21. Luiz Fernando

    March 10, 2023 at 6:53 pm

    Nice TED, Kris is a people very funny, the video stayed more interesting

  22. Graciela Ladogano

    March 10, 2023 at 7:06 pm

    Great ! Thank you , Kris!

  23. Rhonette Smith

    March 10, 2023 at 7:12 pm

    This was a masterpiece of a video. I work in higher ed and will definitely be sharing this with my school.

  24. Le gamer boi

    March 10, 2023 at 8:28 pm

    Finally, s-ranking most of the Cuphead bosses will pay off…

  25. Austin Denotter

    March 10, 2023 at 8:41 pm

    I’ve heard plenty of gobbledygook and this takes the cake

    • dr3n5k1

      March 10, 2023 at 9:24 pm

      You take the cake

    • infg3570

      March 11, 2023 at 11:33 pm

      Boomers take the cake

  26. Mj K

    March 10, 2023 at 9:42 pm

    Highly engaging speaker, excellent content, and great points. Well done.

  27. KGA

    March 10, 2023 at 10:41 pm

    not me playing, of all things, tic tac toe while listening to this

  28. Chris Henderson

    March 10, 2023 at 11:07 pm

    A: Thank you. Gotta say that up front. B: it has been awhile since Ted has given me a truly new concept to think about. C: This video explains why I drop into video games for 5-10 mins while working to keep my mind sharp. With ADHD and a joy of playing games with no sound while watching TV, I say this concept from this talk once again defines how our education system must adapt to the player (learner) in the game of life! Not the learner in the game of education.

    • Video Games Prof

      March 11, 2023 at 3:06 pm

      Thank you. Great insight.

  29. Cole Barton

    March 11, 2023 at 1:07 am

    I just watched this after playing 2048 during my math class lol

  30. HotKey Success

    March 11, 2023 at 1:43 am

    you can listen to your teacher or you can win at Tetris.
    You can’t do both.
    Just like people being distracted with their phones, they aren’t engaged.

  31. milon natural sinary in bangladesh

    March 11, 2023 at 1:56 am

    ????????????????????????????????wow nice video????????????????????????

  32. R2robot

    March 11, 2023 at 2:29 am

    Great talk!

  33. Michael M

    March 11, 2023 at 2:58 am

    This man is a genius. I played World of Warcraft at a top 10 worldwide level for years and years and even got paid to play in tournaments. I never graduated college, but the skills that I gained throughout my professional gaming career along with my self taught skills have led me to a successful career in web development and content/media creation for some of the largest companies on the planet – and I never would have gotten here without video games. I just wish there was a way to trick our bland education system and boring teaching styles into taking key learning components and focus concepts from video games and instilling them into public education.

  34. Fedoua Igrahatan

    March 11, 2023 at 3:46 am

    Hallelujah

  35. Kacem Salem

    March 11, 2023 at 3:50 am

    Attention à vos enfants. Ils risquent de devenir adeptes des jeux vidéo.

  36. 林生生

    March 11, 2023 at 7:55 am

    I think this is a good eduction of studing ,it can poupular on the earth

  37. ARSNL!

    March 11, 2023 at 1:22 pm

    As a competitive player in esport I always saw gamifying things in my life made it easier to advance it’s so helpful and I hope education and Careers really understand this concept because my generation and future generation will appreciate it

    • Iche

      March 11, 2023 at 6:43 pm

      So you think that Gamification would be a wonder weapon? That sounds too good to be true..

    • ARSNL!

      March 11, 2023 at 6:55 pm

      @Iche let me break it down a lil bit so even when I work out or anything that you can improve or advance you make it a game!! it has helped me a lot

  38. Alim tvnetwork

    March 11, 2023 at 3:02 pm

    Best lecture Kris Alexander

  39. Invox

    March 12, 2023 at 4:41 am

    Not gonna lie… I listen to a lot of TedTalks while playing videogames.

  40. Necmettin Kararer

    March 12, 2023 at 7:00 am

    Ey İNSANLAR
    Sizleri İSLAM’A DAVET EDİYORUM.
    Unutmayalım ki öldükten sonra pişmanlık fayda vermiyor.
    “‘LA İLAHE İLLALLAH MUHAMMEDURRASULULLAH”DEYİP KALBİMİZLE İMAN ETMEDİKÇE DÜNYADA DA AHİRETTEDE KURTULUŞ YOKTUR .

  41. rubyrock555

    March 12, 2023 at 9:35 am

    what an excellent speaker

  42. Hair Style Tips

    March 12, 2023 at 10:01 am

    Video game could lead us to be more flexible than others. comment YES if you are agreed with me :)!

  43. Manuela Peña

    March 12, 2023 at 11:59 am

    One of the best talks I’ve seen on here. What an incredible person to speak about this topic.

  44. Fangirl Quincy

    March 12, 2023 at 12:48 pm

    One of the best Ted talks I’ve ever seen I learn in a similar way

  45. gharbi sedky

    March 12, 2023 at 6:35 pm

    Quel magnifique orateur

  46. sean doherty

    March 12, 2023 at 10:11 pm

    The concept of streamlining the information taught in schools is very important: some people just have a way of learning that could be engaged more to reap major benefits in the long term (getting information to an audience quickly and efficiently how they best take it in is ideal)!

  47. Noah

    March 13, 2023 at 12:02 pm

    I was in high school and in science class everything we went over was on this YouTube channel I was watching and let’s just say I didn’t need to pay attention at all in class just watched the videos because they were so interesting channels called “kurzgesagt”

  48. The Big Dawg

    March 13, 2023 at 11:08 pm

    You’re not a gamer. You didn’t even use the gamer word.

  49. Benison Devis

    March 14, 2023 at 2:00 am

    Good

  50. Makinley

    March 14, 2023 at 2:58 pm

    The funny thing is, I’m playing stardew valley while listening to TED talks about various things. Didn’t think I’d get called out within a minute lol!

  51. The 3rd Variable

    March 14, 2023 at 9:06 pm

    I’m a professor and a gamer and this is a bit ridiculous and impractical. “Learning styles” don’t have much empirical support and the application of the gamification of higher education seems niche at best. Glad it works for him, though.

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