http://www.ted.com/talks/tom_chatfield_7_ways_games_reward_the_brain.html

Evan Sterk: On Tom Chatfield

The TED Talk that I chose was given by Tom Chatfield, a British freelance author, consultant, and theorist. The subject of his talk is the ways in which video games reward and thus intrigue the participants of the games. The topic of his presentation was interesting to me because I not only enjoy playing video games, as do many people of my age, but because I am also deeply interested in the field of psychology as an academic pursuit of interest. The role of rewards in motivating behavior in an individual has been extensively covered in the behavior department of psychology. In psychology, rewards or positive consequences for previous actions help to reinforce such behaviors and allow for the learning of newer responses or actions that are primarily helpful to one's self and others. In the case of video games, Chatfield has found that people are most drawn to and motivated to play video games based on aspects of gaming such as a wide variety of both long and short-term goals to be achieved, rewards for nearly every bit of effort given, and the motivation brought by interaction with other gamers in the virtual worlds of games. The evidence of such modes of motivation being effective in intriguing gamers opens the possibility of using similar methods of behavior reinforcement in environments such as the educational field, the work place, governments, and others. What really fascinated my about this video was its expert analysis of the effects of a modern experience, video gaming, that happens in such a casual context that such beneficial possibilities, such as using the technology for education, are not obvious upon initial examination.

Chatfield's educational time beyond high school was spent at St. John's College in Oxford University, where he received a doctorate in English literature and philosophy. He has taught at this school temporarily, but most of his work now is spent in writing. His most famous book is “Fun Inc.,” in which he writes more extensively on the subject of video games and their positive effects and capabilities in modern culture. He has also written several contributions for the national press, including for the Observer, Independent, Sunday Times, Wired, New Statesman, Evening Standard, and Times Literary Supplement. His writings are not all necessarily about video games, but focus on the more general topic of technology interacting with culture. This, he says, encompasses both sides of his interests: in the arts, and in “geekiness.” His messages about technology, and especially about video games, are popular for considering what used to be seen as mere entertainment as being potentially practical for modern application in other fields. This view becomes popular, then, for being both optimistic, and for also being very new and creative. His speech is given with a matter of intelligence, as one well acquainted with the use of language through higher education, yet also easy to understand.

In my college and graduate education, I plan to study psychology. As to the career paths that I will choose, I am undecided at the moment, although, similar to Chatfield, who looked for careers that incorporated his abilities and his interests, I would like a job in the psychology field, but that is also interesting to me as an individual. For example, I enjoy spending time with children, as well as with music and philosophy. Some examples of jobs include being a developmental psychologist who specializes in children, or perhaps studying the effects of music on the human brain. This talk, if anything, has taught me how many creative and insightful ways of thinking can be achieved by questioning the long-held and traditional views of the past. In Chatfield's case, he was skeptical of people who dismissed the technology of video games as simply being entertainment for mass consumption, without giving credibility to the creative design of the makers of the technology. With my interests, abilities, open-mindedness, eagerness to learn, and aspiration for societal progress, I believe that I, like Chatfield, can find a practical application of myself for the well-being and mutual success of myself and the people around me.