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The language in this article about knowledge you "feel in your body" is only briefly mentioned is the concept of "tacit" knowledge, further developed here: Tac

by platz 6y ago

The language in this article about knowledge you "feel in your body" is only briefly mentioned is the concept of "tacit" knowledge, further developed here: Tacit knowledge is more important than deliberate practice https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23465862 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23465862 The article rightly prizes tacit knowlege, but does not lay any argument for why games would give us tacit knowledge. Tacit knowledge is primarily gained only by experience, and I don't see how games give us that in ways that the majority of folks would can say they had unambiguously helped us in the kinds of real world tasks we care about.

invalidOrTaken 6y ago
Games have certain advantages over real life in terms of providing experience: --- shorter feedback loops: you can play through a game of Civilization in a few hours/days. There is no analogous real-life experience. --- non-severe failure consequences: If you fail in Kerbal Space Program, there is no Challenger explosion --- repetition: Real life usually doesn't provide similar conditions to make for valid experiments. Games can do exactly that --- breadth of experience: In the same way books transport us, and let us visit other places and situations, games can do the same.
- platz 6y ago
  > you can play through a game of Civilization in a few hours/days. There is no analogous real-life experience. If it's not analogous to real-life experience, you haven't gained any tacit knowledge that useful for real life. > If you fail in Kerbal Space Program, there is no Challenger explosion If you're involved in launching Challenger, you don't (and wouldn't) learn how to do so by playing Kerbal Space Program. > In the same way books transport us, and let us visit other places and situations, games can do the same. Yes, just like music - but that is a different thing than gaining tacit knowledge that can be used in a real-life situation. Lets not confuse arts with professional development.

by platz 6y ago

invalidOrTaken 6y ago

Games have certain advantages over real life in terms of providing experience: --- shorter feedback loops: you can play through a game of Civilization in a few hours/days. There is no analogous real-life experience. --- non-severe failure consequences: If you fail in Kerbal Space Program, there is no Challenger explosion --- repetition: Real life usually doesn't provide similar conditions to make for valid experiments. Games can do exactly that --- breadth of experience: In the same way books transport us, and let us visit other places and situations, games can do the same.

platz 6y ago
> you can play through a game of Civilization in a few hours/days. There is no analogous real-life experience. If it's not analogous to real-life experience, you haven't gained any tacit knowledge that useful for real life. > If you fail in Kerbal Space Program, there is no Challenger explosion If you're involved in launching Challenger, you don't (and wouldn't) learn how to do so by playing Kerbal Space Program. > In the same way books transport us, and let us visit other places and situations, games can do the same. Yes, just like music - but that is a different thing than gaining tacit knowledge that can be used in a real-life situation. Lets not confuse arts with professional development.