Edutainment and the Benefits of Video Games in Education

Traditionally, teaching has been focused on conventional teaching practices, where learners depended on the classroom instruction process to acquire knowledge. In essence, knowledge acquisition was founded on the interaction between students and teachers within the teacher and the student.

In this article, we look at some of the benefits of properly designed video games in the field of academia.

What Are the Benefits of Video Games in Education?

Video games have an immense potential in addition to their entertainment value. Research shows, for instance, that when games are designed to address a particular problem or teach a specific skill, the success is significant.

Here are some areas where video games are important:

Video Games Serve as Educational Research Tools

In the past, video games were blamed for taking much of students’ learning time and attention. In recent years, however, studies have shown that games help in fostering student motivation during the learning process. The result has been a rise in the edutainment philosophy. Please understand that very few games on the commercial market have educational benefits.

Nonetheless, an area where video games affect education relates to researching individuals. they can be used as tools for measuring how students acquire and retain information since they have greater diversity. The tools also attract participants from various demographic backgrounds, such as age, ethnicity, gender, and educational status.

Educational researchers can measure performance on various tasks, which can be easily standardized, changed, and understood. Indeed, past studies have used video games to examine student individual characteristics like self-concept, self-esteem, and goal setting. They are fun, and most participants find them stimulating.

Video Games Enhance Cognitive Skills

One reason why video games have become so popular in education is their role in enhancing cognitive skills. In the past, it was believed that games made students lazy and wasted time meant for assignments. Things have changed these days, and students can easily buy essays online.

Games, in essence, have been shown to promote skills like spatial resolution, wide attention allocation, and visual processing. The result is that learners are better able to gain skills that can be applied in the classroom. The effectiveness is more pronounced when games that include role-playing are used.

The bottom line is that video games play an important role in encouraging student learning, particularly concerning math and science subjects. In other words, technology does more than just entertain.

Video Games Improve Interpersonal Relations

Video games help students to encounter challenges in safe environments. They can enhance curiosity and collaboration, thereby improving their interpersonal relationship attributes that help in group discussions and presentations.

In other words, educators can use such games as the model to improve the learning environment, allowing students to set and accomplish clear goals. After all, when students have more control over their learning, they demonstrate more novelty and become more creative.

Video Games Improve Test Scores

The debate on the possible impact of video games on short and long-term memory has been ongoing for some time. It has been argued that such games prompt learners to obtain higher scores in tests when compared to text-based learning. This is particularly true when the learners have some difficulties or impairments.

According to a recent study, computer-assisted games can improve learning performance, enhancing recall, and factor differentiation in students. The learners can also create real-life experiences using the simulations allowed by the games. When used in fields such as healthcare, such platforms allow students to master their skills in practical scenarios. Please understand; however, video games can only have positive implications when properly developed and implemented.

So, Why Are Video Games Not Yet Popular?

With so many possible benefits to students and teachers, one would expect video games to be a mainstream element in instruction. However, in reality, this useful strategy is yet to be adequately adopted in education. This can be attributed to several reasons, including curriculum challenges, development and integration costs, and personal issues.

Currently, the available learning games appear simple and even boring, while entertainment games lack educational value. Teachers and policymakers also have negative perceptions regarding the role of video games, which has to change if the potential is to be fully realized.

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