The EdGamer Channel: Worth a Look

It seems a bit odd to praise a fellow blog (actually a podcast) and encourage readers to visit a different site on my own blog. Wouldn't that be a bit like David Letterman telling all his viewers how hilarious Conan or Jimmy Kimmel is and to flip over and watch their show? Not that it is really a fair comparison in the end, these guys have a whole professional website and I've got a free blog thanks to Google.

As a part of the EdReach network, the EdGamer podcast is solely dedicated to discussing the educational value and impact that video games can have. They discuss all matters and all video games, not just those that are specifically intended to be "educational". In on particular podcast, the subject of interest was violence in video games. They discuss the potential damaging effects that these games have on students and they also discussed the potential for MMA games, despite their violent nature, to have a beneficial effect on children as a means of releasing their frustration and aggression in a virtual and non-harmful fashion. The host and the various guests always try to keep the topic relevant to the classroom, but sometimes they stray away from the classroom and discuss video games as they are. In the same regard, they also don't always stress video games in their podcasts, one of the recent podcasts was about the Top 5 (ish) Digital Creation Tools.

Enough about the specifics of these podcast (hey, they have an archive and I gave you the link, check it out yourself) though, I'd like to discuss why I think this project is very relevant these days. I don't really need to remind or tell anyone about the impact that gaming and technology has on our children. For better or worse, these screens are a daily component of their lives. Therefore, efforts should be made to highlight the benefits of these various mediums and to try and stress/encourage the potential good that might come from these technologies. That is goal of this podcast. It addresses current issues and hot items in this realm (particularly video games) and it does so in a way that is current and interesting. They aren't writing editorials about it or hosting a radio show. They are a living example of how these things can be used for good. Even better, they don't limit the scope of their topics of discussion to things that are purely academic or good. They take on controversial topics and games, such as Mortal Kombat and GTA IV, and try to make sense of these issues.

Who might benefit from this series of podcasts? Honestly, I think that everyone would benefit from checking out some of the work that these guys do, but specifically parents and teachers. This is a very easy, approachable and informative resource to keep these people in the loop about what games are popular, what technologies are being used, and the impact that these things are having. Additionally, it can give the parents and teachers ways to both encourage certain types of gaming or involvement that are positive, and deal with those that are not.

Gaming is not a fad that seems to be going away anytime soon. It has moved from platform to platform and has certainly waxed and waned in popularity over the years, but it has remained a major part of our society over the past two decades. The EdGamer podcast is a way for people who are not necessarily privy to this type of entertainment to access the language and the major events occurring in this world and take advantage of the opportunities that they present.