Quite honestly, school is boring at times. In those times, students want a way to have fun, and one such outlet is “unblocked games.” Unblocked games are a general term used for websites that provide free games for students. Over the school years, more and more kids have started to use them. Now, the school has fought back and started taking down these websites. What happens now? Keep reading and find out!
What Are “Unblocked” Games?
Unblocked games are free, low-budget games, mostly loaded with ads. They aren’t the kind you get at the store or on an official website. Rather, they are made to entertain and keep you occupied. The longer you’re on the site, the more they get from ad revenue (a small reason why they are free). Instead of doing work, many students spend their time playing these games, which is why the school needs to take action.
School Rules
Arlington Public Schools blocks games because laptops are meant to be borrowed by students and used for school purposes. Administrators block games with blacklists, website bans, and firewalls. However, many students get away with customizing, jailbreaking, and taking away precautions on their school-issued laptops. At the end of the day, though, the laptops we’ve been given belong to the school.
An ITC’s Perspective
Chris Jones, our computer web-design teacher, has given us some ideas to think about. When asked if there was a “one and done” solution to playing games in school, he said, “I think that the world is full of distractions.” And he compares these distractions to whack-a-mole: as in, they are everywhere, and as soon as you deal with one, another pops up. He was also asked to give his opinion on the school’s form of black listing, and he firmly believes that the school goes too far in its efforts. For example, he is frustrated by the blocking of Wikipedia images, “Oh, for sure, Wikipedia images should be unblocked. You should be allowed to go to a Wikipedia page to look for a potato and be able to see a potato.”
Key Takeaway
In my opinion, students will, no matter what, find a way to play games. Blocking helpful websites under the reason of “Games” does more harm than good. What do you think? Thank you for reading.
