Sonic the Hedgehog is like The Odyssey?

This news "Teacher uses video games in English class"is about an eighth-grade English teacher’s creative teaching. He uses video games in the classroom. There is a video clip about the news on the right.

The students think playing the game is just like reading because there are plots and settings and they need to pay attention to a lot of elements in games. They are not just playing. They are reading and writing. The students sometimes just pause to write the details. It is very interesting that the teacher mentioned one student said Sonic the Hedgehog was like The Odyssey, because “Sonic has to get home just like Odyssey.” Obviously, the teacher was very happy that the student could make association between the game and the literature. Connections between playing and learning like this should be what we really want to make when games are introduced in learning. Again, this is an example that the feature of narrative in games can be applied to learning reading.

It should be noted that playing games is not equal to the reading class. Actually, it is just a part of the students’ learning experience. They still read other materials. Two problems of using games in the classroom are exposed: limited equipments and resistance at first.

At the end of the news, it says “Younger teachers have grown up with the games and want to find ways to use them to achieve state standards.” Undoubtedly, innovations are imperative when traditional classrooms encounter creative teachers.