Learning About Learning: Cognitive Gaming as a Technology of the Self

Authors

• David Corso

Abstract

Humans perceive and interpret video games in various ways. When viewed as a cognitive process, video games facilitate intellectual growth and development. This piece analyzes selected works by French intellectual Michel Foucault and educational game design researcher Kurt Squire to explain how video game play elicits various cognitive and metacognitive processes. The video discusses how gameplay contributes to the development of cognitive skills, such as memory and attention. It explains how gameplay facilitates learning about learning as well as how video games provide transferable knowledge. An interpretation of Foucault’s “technology of the self” indicates how individuals might use gameplay to train, learn, and grow. Collectively, this suggests that a player can develop mental agility playing video games.

Recommended Citation

Corso, David (2012) "Learning About Learning: Cognitive Gaming as a Technology of the Self," Caravel Undergraduate Research Journal: Vol. 1, Article 6.
Available at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/caravel/vol1/iss1/6