So I don’t know if I’ve explained exactly what I’m doing here in France. Basically, I’m teaching English as a second language to students in “technical” high schools–which means they’re training to be cooks or receptionists or moped mechanics. As you might expect, it’s challenging work. What do I have common with a 50 Cent-loving, seventeen-year-old moped mechanic? Pretty much nothing.
Nothing, that is, except video games. I have this “Getting to Know You” worksheet that lists things I like to do, and once we hit “play video games” the whole class goes from irritated and French to super excited. Granted, I can’t imagine the aforementioned 50 Center lover and I have much in common in terms of game taste, but still, it’s something…
Then there was the time this week when one of my fellow English teachers asked me what I write about. Um, sex and gender in video games? “And you work with children?” Actually, her response was more like, “Well, that’s unique. I should look you up online. How is your squishy cheese?” We were eating lunch. I should probably mention that. Anyways, cybersexpert-dom is probably one part of “Getting to Know You” that I probably won’t bring up with my students…
Bonnie Ruberg is a sex, technology, and video games journalist who contributes regularly to publications like The Economist, Forbes, and The Village Voice. By day she's also a comparative literature PhD student at UC Berkeley, where she studies French, English, gender, sexuality, surrealism and perversion. You can reach her at [her first name and last name, all one big word] AT gmail DOT com.
February 7th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Video games are one of those things that can allow almost anyone to get along. So many people, especially kids under 18, play video games online or have a Wii or an Xbox or a Playstation 3. It is something that interests people and makes them want to talk to each other. Video games, as strange as it sounds, can actually unite people who would otherwise not get along.
March 24th, 2008 at 10:37 am
i like video games much :)
May 19th, 2010 at 4:34 am
[...] myself up to assistant teach an 8:00 a.m. class next semester (my first teaching endeavor since my French hooligans), which will mean being up in the city bright and early Why? Why!? I’ve always said getting [...]