Video Games Become the Coolest Teachers

Knight Ridder/Tribune

GREENSBORO -- The operating room isn't real. The patient and the surgeon aren't either. Nor are the intricate and varied medical devices.

But the results of this video- game-style simulator could be very real for the surgical technicians it aims to teach.

Teaching with video games: It's an idea catching on at schools across the county.

Two Page High School students are helping design the tools used in the surgical technician simulator. They're enrolled in game art design, a class that teaches the theory, principles and design behind games.

"This opens up to them that there's more to games than what they see at home. They find out games are something they can use to learn," said Page teacher Phyllis Jones .

Jones and Weaver Academy teacher Roy Kimmins developed the curriculum and launched the gaming class last year at Page and Weaver. Southeast High added the class to its course catalog this fall .

Jones and Kimmins are developing curriculum for the state Department of Public Instruction so other school districts can use it.

Martin Ross is one of Jones' students working on the surgical technician simulator. He has spent hours creating 3-D renderings of clamps, suction balls and other medical devices for the program.

"The big thing about this stuff is the skills can be used interchangeably. You can do animation or create video games," he said.

Ross, a senior, wanted to major in music in college, but now he wants to continue his work in computer animation.

Jones will enter the simulator project in an annual career and technical education competition. Two Page seniors won the state competition last year and were runners-up in the national competition.

Jones starts her students out with the history of games and technology. They work their way up from designing board games to working with computer design and the principles behind video game development.

The work is a great way to teach kids about math and science without boring them, Jones said. "Let's have them learn through a technology style they're used to."

More and more opportunities are opening for students like Ross who are interested in studying video games and animation beyond high school. Locally, High Point University and GTCC both added gaming courses this fall.

"There's a lot more behind it than just creating video games," said Kevin Lee, chairman of GTCC's computer technology department. "I think this is the future of technology. Obviously, it's going to morph into something else as tech evolves."

GTCC has 50 students enrolled in the program and a waiting list of students eager to start the course. Lee said the college will begin offering the classes at its Greensboro campus next semester.

Jon Peddie Research, an analytical firm that tracks the computer graphics industry, estimates there are 200,000 people employed full time within the video game industry. The firm also estimates that the markets for console and personal computer video games are worth a combined $8 billion worldwide.

Lee and others in the industry say gaming has matured to the point it is no longer a hobby but is integrated into everyday life. North Carolina already is considered a hotbed within the industry.

Mike Capps is president of Cary-based Epic Games, a video game development firm and industry giant. Capps is happy to see gaming taken seriously in academics.

"It's such a great opportunity to allow a person to pursue things they're interested in," he said.

Epic Games has been around for nearly 18 years. What started out as one guy developing games in his spare time has become a company that employs nearly 500 people with offices in five countries. In its early years, the company hired hackers and traditional software programmers with an interest in games.

Now, Capps said, new hires are coming with degrees in gaming and specialized training. The change means the future of gaming is wide open.

"We're going to be able to do so much more," Capps said.

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Copyright 2012 by Knight Ridder/Tribune