There are several negative stereotypes associated with video games and those who play them; some of these may often be true. However, there are many learning opportunities in video games. While the direct purpose of some games is to educate or train, other games that do not directly serve this purpose can still become a learning experience for the player. As Ntiedo Etuk, president of educational video game company Tabula Digital, said, “The traditional view of video games is that they are distractions from the task of learning” (Electronic Education Report 1). Video games are an effective tool for learning and maintaining skills both inside and outside of the school environment. The basic cycle of the game - the introduction to the game, the playing, the collaboration, the improvement of these between each round, and the evaluation at the end of the game (Klievink and Janssen 159) - are almost parallel to traditional classroom learning. cycle of reading a textbook or listening to a lecture, answering a quiz, studying, concentrating on the items missed in the quiz, and passing a test or exam. Within this cycle, there are many opportunities to develop and refine educational, life, and professional skills. The use of computer games as learning tools in the classroom has increased steadily in recent years and is a trend that David Martz, sales vice president of educational software company Muzzy Lane believes will continue into the future. Among the games developed by Muzzy Lane is Making History, in which the player leads a European nation in the years preceding the Second World War (Electronic Education Report 2). Playing a game like this allows the student to immerse themselves in the period they are learning rather than... middle of paper... In the workplace." Computerworld 43.32 (2009): 30. Academic research completed. Web. November 16 2013. Schrader, P. and Michael McCreery “The Acquisition of Skill and Expertise in Massively Multiplayer Online Games” 56.5/6 (2008): 557-. Academic research completed. Web. 16 November 2013. Verdaasdonk, Egg,. et al. “Serious Games and Voluntary Laparoscopic Skills Training: A Multicenter Study and Related Technologies” 18.4 (2009): 232-238 Search Completed. Web. November 17, 2013. Weintraub, Karen older adults' memory, focus." USA Today n.d.: Academic Research Web Nov. 17, 2013. "Interest in gaming grows with concentration On competitiveness, effort and critical thinking. (Cover story)." Electronic Education Report 14.12 (2007): 1-3. Academic research completed. Web. Nov. 16. 2013.