Cpetruz1’s Weblog

In his essay, Penny begins by addressing the way we learn in today’s society, specifically when it comes to a physical action. He claims that repetition is vitally important, and that “physical imitation is a key component in social development”, particularly in the establishment of gender roles. As children, we may never be specifically told what boys do and what girls do, but it is demonstrated to us on a daily basis. I played with dolls, while my brother played baseball-I didn’t ask questions, I just accepted this as the way the world worked. Penny states that there are two ways for an activity to be introduced: either verbally and methodically, or through discipline and repetition. I think it’s fairly obvious that virtual reality simulations have become a prevalent way to obtain information and learn particular behaviors due to the discipline and repetition aspect of this model. People will sit down and play video games for hours on end (I’ve never been able to understand this, but I’ve witnessed it on multiple occasions). Isn’t the repetition of playing a video game the same as the repetition required in practicing a sport in order to master it? This is exactly the argument Penny makes in his essay. Specifically, he cites the influence of virtual reality on the United States government in training the army, marines, etc. I think Penny makes a valid argument in claiming that, “the fact that the US military have invested millions in Simnet, STOW, and other simulation training systems is proof enough that simulation is an effective tool for such training”. While I don’t necessarily agree with all decisions made by the government, I don’t think you can argue that individuals must be learning something from these simulations, or they wouldn’t be a viable recruiting option for the millitary.