Video Games, Piano, and Motivation

Today I read about motivation in details. For me motivation is the action, which helps me to attain my desired goals. It is a physiological feature of every human.

My children are enjoying their vacation. When I present the latest video games, their motivation was to play up to the end of that game. That makes them to wake up early, compromise each other about the time allotted, help each other, and utilize every seconds they play to get maximum credits from the game. Most of the times they forget to have their lunch. They are highly motivated!

In this contest, I cannot agree with Weiner who says motivation is “a work-related rather than a play-related concept” (Weiner, 1990, p. 621). I think, What ever we do, there can be motivation, to be successful.

In the process of playing the games, my children activate and sustain cognitions, behaviors, and affects, which are systematically oriented towered the attainment of their goal.

I promised my children to make them members of an online game with one condition. My elder son, who is an excellent Piano player need to teach the younger few songs. They agreed the deal to train and learn, but half-heartedly. They agreed the deal just to get their external reward of becoming members of the online game.

Within a week’s time, the small one learned to play the songs and they become members. After that incident, my children are ready to do more songs in exchange of buying new games or toys. Rewarding a response automatically increased the probability of is reoccurrence. After reading about motivation, I was observing my children playing in their room. They play the game full heartedly.

It was my small son’s birthday last week. All his and our friends were there for the get together. At one time, my elder son asked to perform his piano skills in front of every body. He performed greatly. Everybody likes that.

After the party, I saw my small son playing the piano; this time not for an exchange of reward.

He is learning more and more now because he needs to get the piano playing skills like his brother. He may be wishing to perform this piano playing skills at the next party!

Reference: Driscoll, M (2005). Psychology of Learning For Instruction. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.