Coping with the Game Anxiety

If not because of the new workshop module, "Games for Learning", it would not have 're-open' the can of 'worms' and extended the 'status-quo' perspectives.

Online Games? In the first place, doesn't sound exciting or 'attractive' to me... Still can remember my very own facial expression when was assigned to do this module

• Games??? Oh no!!! They sound alien to me!
• Chiam!!! Start from ground zero again???
• Hey, lots of catch-up to do...
• all those terms - IVE, MULE, etc... Oh no!!!!!

Yes, truly, my exposure to games is really limited.... never cross my mind that games to be labelled as 'lame' or not... Especially when people around keep saying "those games are so lame". It keeps ringing at my ears and generating anxiety... Please stop it, especially in front of an 'antique' trying to catch up! I thought! It doesn't help telling me that the games are lame while I've not gotten enough exposure to the "lame" type of games! I need to bridge the gap!!!! Help!!!

I guess part of the anxiety was formed by doses of 'hearsays' like "the design of the game does not really support Maths learning, they are strategic games... there's little potential, etc...." So, I can see how "influential" are hearsays... especially when barricades are "self"-built, even before we decide to step out to explore... Lesson learn here... Since hearsays are so influential in one's perceptions, it's important on what kind of 'hearsays' 'float' in the air - positive or negative ones!

Well, well, well... must confess... after a while of "looking" and "seeking"... thought it was not that difficult after all... still can survive :D On the other hand, scoping is also very very important.

On one hand, we see that immersive games took the world into a new game era... certainly conventional games available in the internet is nowhere near... but I think it's really up to us, or I would say, for us to open up our minds not to forget and appreciate what's there and see how we can use them, too... (in the first place, we have not even really tap on their potential to the fullest) so, it's unfair to brush them aside though they are 'lame'. One thing learnt, through repeated observations over different things, it's good to give room for new perspectives to things that we thought they only worked in ways we saw in the past... Look at the MS tools... we knew them for a long long time, we knew how they can be used at work, but we also discover new ways to use our old time tool! So... 事是无绝对！

During the lunch break at Yishun Safra, it was the first time I saw with my own eyes how the multi-player game worked. It was so amazing!!! Each avatar represents a player and they all come together to interact and work and even challenge each other. In fact, it's exciting to roam from one station to another to see what's happening in the computer screen.... That's the first time encounter...