West Dundee student wins video game contest

Tearing children away from video games like "Grand Theft Auto" and "Guitar Hero" to finish homework assignments is a constant battle for parents. But a college senior from West Dundee has come up with one idea that blends education and gaming.

Ed Domich, a 22-year-old English major at Northern Illinois University, won first place in a national video contest asking entrants to demonstrate how video game play can lead to serious learning.

The contest, sponsored by computer chip maker AMD in conjunction with Learning Games Network, was open to students in middle school, high school and postsecondary school. Entrants submitted videos in two categories: the "A-ha Moment," which asked students to explain how a video game helped them understand something they had learned previously, and the "My Dream Assignment" category, asking how a game could become "required playing" in a classroom.

In his winning entry for "My Dream Assignment," Domich proposed using speech recognition technology to teach foreign languages. Domich said characters in the games would only recognize or respond to the particular language the student was learning.

"I've had years of playing games and years of learning different languages," said Domich, who has taken classes in French, German, Indonesian and Spanish. "I have studied four different languages and I have always tried to figure out ways to learn them."

Other winners included a middle school student who connected playing "Guitar Hero" with her ambition to learn to read music and play the guitar, and a high school student discussing how games have helped him develop strategies for tackling class assignments.

"Through their videos, the contestants demonstrated how gaming and game development can enhance education, especially in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math," said Allyson Peerman, vice president of public affairs for AMD and president of the AMD Foundation, in a news release. "Inspiring youth to learn through social issue game development is the mission behind AMD Changing the Game, and these contest winners represent this new breed of learners."

Domich's three-minute video also earned the People's Choice award.

"I was very surprised (to win), to be honest," said Domich, who received a notebook computer and an iPod for his efforts. "I thought the video was dull."

You can watch Domich's video at learninggamesnetwork.org/content/contest.