Pedagogical Perspectives

Arthur Berger addresses economic theories, such as Marx's theories on economics and capitalism. Marx claimed men created needs for themselves leading to a dependence on things to suffice their pleasure and egotistical need. (Berger, 2014, pp.67) The Nintendo Switch appeals to different audiences as it comes in different price ranges and in different themes, such as Pokemon, Animal Crossing, etc. There is also a large array of accessories and attachments one could buy to customize their Nintendo Switch or to enhance play. Cases, sleeves, screen protectors, and stickers are all things that one could buy to decorate and protect their Switch. Steering wheels, tennis rackets, and golf clubs all are useful to enhance play and make it feel more realistic. The Nintendo Switch also encourages users to purchase many games both virtual copies and hard copies. As Animal Crossing New Horizons is a simulation game, there is no clear goal, but players can visit others’ islands and come back to their own to design it like the others or make it better and bigger. Animal Crossing New Horizons begins to show children concepts of economics as the game has a functioning economy where players can complete quests in exchange for money which can be used to buy items for their islands.

Berger (2014) mentions that the anthropological study of objects focuses on more contemporary objects with culture being a central concept in the theory. (pp. 81) Through the anthropological perspective we can study how 1) video games have evolved and 2) how they influence our lives. The first gaming system by Nintendo was the Nintendo Entertainment System or NES and the first portable game was the GameBoy. The first thing that becomes apparent is how the Nintendo Switch has become a 2-in-1 gaming system, it is portable and can be turned into a home gaming system. In the early versions of the Nintendo all games were 2-D and had very low pixel quality, today there are both 2-D and 3-D games and very high-quality pixel quality that make some games seem as if they were movies. Additionally, players can now access the internet, thus allowing them to connect with other players worldwide. Another change between the earlier versions of Nintendo systems with the Switch is that controllers are detachable and wireless, earlier versions had controllers integrated into the games or had to be connected through wires. It also shows us how attached we have become to video games and other electronics. Similar to phones we became much more attached to them now that they have access to the internet and are not connected to wires. 

Vikaros and Degand (2010) point out that there are social aspects that are developed through video games. They mention that technology has helped mediate social interaction as top-selling video games have been multiplayer games. (Vikaros and Degand, 2010, pp. 206) Video games allow for social interactions with people we already know and they help to form large communities online. Players further learn about laws and norms depending on their environment. (Vikaros and Degand, 2010, pp. 206) In Animal Crossing, players learn to respect others’ islands when visiting. In Sports players learn about friendly competition, and how we don't always win in everything. Each game comes with its own set of rules and norms and children will learn how to adapt to each game to enhance their own playing experience.