President Obama says games can fuel tech innovations

by Steve Watts, Feb 15, 2013 7:30am PST

President Obama's State of the Union took place this week, but a far less publicized address was his first "Fireside Hangout" using Google Plus. He fielded questions from the more tech-savvy crowd, and at one point suggested that video games can help spur on technical innovations by getting kids interested in the subject.

"Look at Mark Zuckerberg," Obama said (via VentureBeat). "I was sitting next to him at dinner a couple of years ago, and he said he taught himself programming primarily because he was interested in games. If we set programs in high schools that engage kids because they get it, they won’t be just sitting there slouching in back of rooms while someone is lecturing.

"Given how pervasive computers and the internet is now, how integral it is in our economy, and how fascinated kids are with it, I want to make sure they actually know how to produce stuff and not simply consume stuff," he continued.

The President didn't outline any specific plans for these programs. However, it does signal a receptive attitude towards the positive qualities of games at a time when video games are facing increased scrutiny for their violent content.

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Steve Watts posted a new article, President Obama says games can fuel tech innovations.

President Obama suggested at a recent online "Fireside Hangout" that programs in high schools could use tools like video games to get kids engaged in the field of technology.

Feb 15, 2013 7:30am PST

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Steve Watts posted a new article, President Obama says games can fuel tech innovations.

President Obama suggested at a recent online "Fireside Hangout" that programs in high schools could use tools like video games to get kids engaged in the field of technology. : Shacknews
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  wow its like he is trying to encourage more school shootings.. anyone remember dylan klebold's "innocent"... : boring gegtik
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    A guy I went to highschool with built a counterstrike map of the school. He went on to be a software engi... : corey
    - praise be!!! : boring gegtik
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      I started an AD&D campaign with the map of my high school. I don't think I've killed anyone. : cerealSAM2
      
      Are you sure about that? : David Craddock
      
      YET. That Dungeons and Dragons is a gateway, maaaan. /80s : kagath
  - Shooting Game Murder Simulator. : atom519
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    agreed it's not enough to give people free phones free cable hell in some states you now get free marijua : EvilDolemite
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      http://chattypics.com/files/iPhoneUpload_2rix8v1pk1.jpg : riptyde
      
      nice. nice. : boring gegtik
      
      black people amirite? : DewFuel
    - When you went to school did you remember playing games like Oregon Trail, The Where is Carmen Sandiego or... : TheEmissary
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    I am making a map of Shacknews.com but don't know where to place the BFG. : David Craddock
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      Hide it behind the Chatty link : Keefinator
      
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      Good call! Oh, and no offense, but to finish the map, users must clip through a wall and destroy the deca : David Craddock
      
      OK, I can live with that (took me forever to find that area, lol) : Keefinator
      
      Please name the secret boss "Placeholder headline" : Lukiopimp
    - BFG should never be hidden. it should be in plain sight in a large star shaped room, on a high pedestal t... : RikiTiki2
  - ^___________________________^ : Godhatesfatpeople
  - FYI Doom is was a popular murder simulator, not a game. I know this because I saw it in facebook : itsjames
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  He's right. I got into programming and science because of games on that old C64 and Byte magazine. : A10Pilot
  - Case in point: http://www.phillytrib.com/cityandregionarticles/item/7418-first-grader-creates-mobile-app-... : Keefinator
  - Many of the world's best developers learned programming this way. : David Craddock
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  Weird. He doesn't even have to be nice anymore but he still is. : ChromeBallz
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    Pakistani civilians would beg to differ. : EnhancedInterrogator
    - Pakistani civilians, that terrorists hide behind, would beg to differ. : CRasterImage
    - keeping it real. *fistbump* : VoodooThursday
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      DRONES!!! FOR REAL GUYS, DRONES!!!! DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME?!!?! DRONES!!! : bill crystals
      
      the ultimate video game : boring gegtik
    - I've been to Pak. They are not civilized! : pgharavi
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  Oh yeah, TONS of people go into computing science because of video games. : Rice-Rocketeer
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    Actually, I pursued a computer science degree because of my love for video games. Of course, I wasn't ... : OzzieMejia
    - That's what I'm sayin'! : Rice-Rocketeer
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    I haz a CS degree (and a great career) all because we couldn't have a Nintendo. I learned to make my own... : Teirdome
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      I remember my dad playing with GWBasic as I sat on his lap on our old Eagle PC way back in the mid 80's. : Vorlonesque
      
      #36
      
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      By: Vorlonesque x Show Full Post
      
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      He pretty much just wrote "Hello World" but it blew my mind at the time...he was just playing around with some stuff someone showed him at work or something (he worked for the phone company and someone brought in a luggable or something and was playing around with it).
      
      Feb 15, 2013 4:22pm PST
      
      He pretty much just wrote "Hello World" but it blew my mind at the time...he was just playing around with... : Vorlonesque
  - DOOM ended up putting me down the path that resulted in my getting a CS degree and becoming a programmer. : Vorlonesque
- Obama is a c^&*. YAY CISPA, YAY. This guys got balls : sanewave
- "...I want to make sure they actually know how to produce stuff and not simply consume stuff." is such an... : mort
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  One week he says Video Games are the Devil, now they are can spur Technical Innovations. I hate Politicia... : saturn96
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    When did he say video games are the "Devil"? : Prometheus117
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      To name a few, on education, exercise, and gun violence he's taken shots at videogames. : thebigbeefsandwich
      
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      Taken shots? When? : Pneum0
      
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      HE doesn't take shots, he lets his Congressional lackeys do that. His popularity is based entirely on his... : maxwell97
      
      You really don't have any idea how Congress or politics in general work, please stop talking. : camel_jockey

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