Comments on: Unlike school, learning is fun… http://www.moreno-ger.com/2007/09/unlike-school-learning-is-fun.html A weblog about why and how e-learning should be fun Fri, 08 Oct 2010 15:08:52 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Pablo Moreno-Ger http://www.moreno-ger.com/2007/09/unlike-school-learning-is-fun.html/comment-page-1#comment-2843 Pablo Moreno-Ger Tue, 20 Nov 2007 14:55:10 +0000 http://www.moreno-ger.com/2007/09/unlike-school-learning-is-fun.html#comment-2843 There is this classic game, called Shadow over Mystara that I used to play a lot in arcade machines. Along with some nostalgic friends, I have also played it a lot in an emulator. We keep in touch and organize a "Mystara Night" every few months. The point is that, when we come together after many months, none of us remembers how we used to set up the controls. Playing the magician (which requires quick sequences through the 3 buttons controlling the spell menus), I always start the first round with a configuration that seems good enough. I tend to be able to use that new control scheme proficiently although slowly. But when the battle heats-up well into the game, I start making mistakes with the control scheme. I will need to change a spell quickly and fire it instead, or jump, or whatever. This is my play-by-memory skill kicking in. In that moment I will usually pause the game and reconfigure the controls to the actual scheme that I have always used. I can never recall consciously those controls, but my fingers eventually remind me when I get really immersed into the game. Funny, isn't it?. Anyway, this reminds me that it has been a LONG time since I last had a Mystara night. There is this classic game, called Shadow over Mystara that I used to play a lot in arcade machines. Along with some nostalgic friends, I have also played it a lot in an emulator. We keep in touch and organize a “Mystara Night” every few months.

The point is that, when we come together after many months, none of us remembers how we used to set up the controls. Playing the magician (which requires quick sequences through the 3 buttons controlling the spell menus), I always start the first round with a configuration that seems good enough. I tend to be able to use that new control scheme proficiently although slowly.

But when the battle heats-up well into the game, I start making mistakes with the control scheme. I will need to change a spell quickly and fire it instead, or jump, or whatever. This is my play-by-memory skill kicking in. In that moment I will usually pause the game and reconfigure the controls to the actual scheme that I have always used. I can never recall consciously those controls, but my fingers eventually remind me when I get really immersed into the game. Funny, isn’t it?.

Anyway, this reminds me that it has been a LONG time since I last had a Mystara night.

]]> By: Raquel http://www.moreno-ger.com/2007/09/unlike-school-learning-is-fun.html/comment-page-1#comment-2840 Raquel Tue, 20 Nov 2007 11:35:35 +0000 http://www.moreno-ger.com/2007/09/unlike-school-learning-is-fun.html#comment-2840 This is not a very useful comment, but I thought Pablo would appreciate it ;) It's amazing how we are capable of learning things like the use of controls in videogames without being conscious of it. For example, a few nights ago a friend of mine was playing Mario Kart DS for her first time at home. At one particular moment she asked me how she could drop objects, and it was like "Errr... I know the answer, but I cannot tell you without taking the console and playing". Not only we are unconscious of what are we doing when playing, but also we are not capable of remember if we try! Along the same line, it is also interesting to think about how much time these habilities remain. A few months ago, I found my old GameBoy in a drawer at home. It had been years since I last played with it. To remember old times, I switched it on and started playing Wario Land. In a few minutes, my fingers were playing like years ago, although I could not say which were the moves I was doing. It was funny to discover that I still had the same habilities after so many years. This is not a very useful comment, but I thought Pablo would appreciate it ;) It’s amazing how we are capable of learning things like the use of controls in videogames without being conscious of it. For example, a few nights ago a friend of mine was playing Mario Kart DS for her first time at home. At one particular moment she asked me how she could drop objects, and it was like “Errr… I know the answer, but I cannot tell you without taking the console and playing”. Not only we are unconscious of what are we doing when playing, but also we are not capable of remember if we try!

Along the same line, it is also interesting to think about how much time these habilities remain. A few months ago, I found my old GameBoy in a drawer at home. It had been years since I last played with it. To remember old times, I switched it on and started playing Wario Land. In a few minutes, my fingers were playing like years ago, although I could not say which were the moves I was doing. It was funny to discover that I still had the same habilities after so many years.

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