Educational video game
Educational video games play a significant role in the school curriculum for teachers who seek to deliver core lessons, reading and new skills.
Gamification of education allows learners to take active roles in learning and develop technological skills that are needed for their academic and professional careers.
Several recent studies have shown that video games, whether violent or not can help children in the development of intellectual and emotional skills that support their academic achievement (Chang et al., 2009).
For the most part, these games provide simulations of different kinds of human activities, allowing players to explore a variety of social, historical and economic processes.
[7][8] In September 1983 the Boston Phoenix reported that "edutainment" games were a new focus area for companies after end of growth of the Atari 2600 software market.
[11] He is critical of the research that has been done on the educational use of computer games, citing their biases and weaknesses in method, which cause their findings to lack scientific validity.
This allows a player to "fail up", meaning that with the combination of challenging and fun and identity-building, the student will want to continue to persist on that problem until it is solved.
[citation needed] A nationwide study of 488 K–12 teachers in the United States found that, as of 2013, over half were using digital games in the classroom weekly.
As we move forward into the digital age, most schools provide lessons on computer literacy to ensure students are fluent when it comes to technology.
Initial research also indicated the importance of electronic games for children who proved to have difficulty learning basic subjects and skills.
These simulations are meant to prepare the training pilot for real-world flight conditions while at the same time preventing any damage or loss of life in the process.
Attempts have been made to show that arcade-style action and platforming games can be used to develop motor co-ordination, manual skills, and reflexes.
Many authors have noted the educational potential of games like The Sims (for its social simulation) or the Civilization series (for its historical and strategy elements), concluding that video games as a whole promote intellectual development, and suggest that players can use them to develop knowledge strategies, practice problem-solving, and can improve spatial skills.
In one study, fifty-three Swedish ESL teachers were surveyed; the outcome determined was that video games in the classroom were barely utilized.
[28] Video games are inherently incentive-based systems with the player being rewarded for solving a problem or completing a mission, while meeting certain criteria.
[28] Multiple research articles have suggested that this mode of learning can be more enjoyable and show positive outcomes on student motivation, finding game was equal or more effective than conventional instruction.
[30] A 2017 study found that games including Portal 2, Borderlands 2, Gone Home and Papers, Please may be used to develop a range of skills in undergraduate students, such as communication, resourcefulness and adaptability.
Instructors assigned groups of students to play the video game SPORE in a freshman undergraduate biology course on evolution.
[citation needed] Students who have played Europa Barbarorum had knowledge of historical geography beyond the scope taught during the basic ancient history course.
[36] According to journal article, simulation video games makes the player to learn to think critically while gaining knowledge of the environment.
In addition, researchers were interested in whether factors such as age and gender may have an influence on the results, which has already been found to play a role in the context of video games in a leisure setting as opposed to educational.
[43] While there were no indicators that gender and age had an effect, this study introduces the claim that training programs for teachers in higher education should not focus on the fact that using video games in the classroom is simple and uncomplicated.
Players may experience an increase in comprehension, evaluation, and deliberate skills that are gained from playing this animated game that sends out messages about cultural, social, or political practices.
[45] One study suggests that commercial video games can help players to improve in certain skills such as communication, resourcefulness, and adaptability.
One study conducted by Professor Standen of University of Nottingham concluded that adolescent students with severe intellectual disabilities who practiced shopping in a virtual supermarket were both quicker and more precise than those who had not.
[49] This showed that students could acquire important life skills through a video game and could then transfer that knowledge into the real environment, making them a valuable tool in education.
[citation needed] Educational video games help learners in the development of reading comprehension and cognitive skills.
Therefore, video games can be used as an immersive learning system that provides for a combination of digital technology, rich narrative, and real world gameplay.
[50] By introducing them to educational video games, parents and teachers can make children interested in technology and technical skills from an early age.
In comparison to the traditional classroom setting, one study found that students who played an educational game that forced a certain extent of physical activity felt an increase in the amount of attention needed.
