Guzzle Guzzle

This week started out with a video game called Root Beer Tapper. I was captivated instantly! The aim of the game is to give all the customers root beer before they get to the end of the counter. You also have to catch all the empty glasses that get sent back before they fall on the floor. After you clear all the customers from the bars you move on to the next level. Sometimes satisfied customers leave tips. You have to run down the bar to get the tip. When the tip is received it brings entertainment. This buys you time because some of the customers stop traveling down the bar to watch the show. You don't really need any intense video game experience. I got better and better every time I played the game.

This game created some interesting analysis. I was playing this game at a male friend's house with my husband and brother-in-law. As I played I improved with each leve and each attempt. I filled up the top ten score sheet by myself. The boys got into the action and they seemed surprised that I was as good as I was at this game. They commented to each other that they had never gotten the high scores I got. This sparked some interesting thoughts in my head.

After reading the video game article that I found it was interesting to see the gender gap in video games. The boys were surprised that a girl could do so well. I grew up with three brothers so I had plenty of exposure to video games. I think what was most interesting is that boys typically think that video games just aren't girls' "thing." They are definitely justified in thinking this way. I usually don't get into video games but this one caught my interest. I was pleased with myself that I could surprise the boys like I did but at the same time I didn't feel the need to prove anything.

I think this could be a good classroom discussion about why boys and girls like (or don't like) certain things. I think a good introduction could be the book that Amy showed us for the gender section. The teacher could briefly explain and give a definition of gender roles and then ask the class what they think separates boys from girls. The teacher could also take time to discuss how gender roles have changed over the years. I think it would be fun to have the boys and girls make a list about the things they think the other likes. After they compile their lists, the class could go through them together and see how accurate each view is. I think it would be interesting to see what the boys and girls actually like.