Today, videos games are not only fun anymore, rather they are strategic tools in various discipline fields or even a new form of art. At present, the sectors of gaming and education are overlapping and are providing a radical outlook to learning. The very nature of how students learn and how they interact with knowledge as their data is changing at an incredible speed whether through educational video games, simulations or even eSports.
In this post, we will look at how gaming develops education in future, how it enhances thinking abilities and why educators are embracing it.
1. A Proposal for: The Educational Benefits of Gaming
For a long time people have said that video games are just a waste of time but new research has shown that they are incredibly useful in more ways than one. Games promote:
Critical thinking: Most activities involve use of strategic thinking, assessment and judgement to make definite and decisive responses. This makes it possible for learners to engage in problem solving skills which is a good thing.
Collaboration: Computer games in general but multiplayer and cooperative in particular foster effective collaboration, therefore students learn how to work with other people.
Creativity: Video games like Minecraft and Roblox let the players design something from scratch, plan and overcome obstacles (which may be a puzzle), all of which enhances creativity and imagination.
Adaptability: From the scenario analysis in gaming, a player will encounter a variety of problems as part of teaching them to become forward looking and to respond to challenge in flexible manners.
2. Different learning games and platforms of learning
As much as educational video games had been around for a few years now, it was only recently that they experienced a rapid growth or rather huge demand among consumers. These games are built on the premises of commonly played games, and they add the attractiveness of education practice into learning processes. Examples of such platforms include Kahoot!, Prodigy, Duolingo and many others provide students with an opportunity to learn such subjects as Math, languages and many others through games.
Games are now being used in teaching and learning processes even complicated topics such as coding. Another video game CodeCombat and Scratch for teaching children programming basics are the proof that the video game can be an effective tool for learning.
3. eSports and Possibilities of Competitive Gaming in Education
As a form of competitive gaming, eSports is slowly finding its place being recognized as a viable teaching aid. Schools and universities around the world are incorporating eSports programs to teach:
Teamwork and leadership: As with any sporting activity, management of eSports involves communication and leadership. It is imperative that individualist and collectivist team members find ways to cooperate on each other’s behalf.
Strategy development: Moba games such as League of Legends, Dota 2, Overwatch are likely to incorporate planning as lesson to teach strategic and anticipation skills to students.
Career opportunities: The market has a lot of options for people that wants to get a job in eSports, ranging from being a player to being a game designer or a marketer or an event organizer. Universities are beginning to see this and equip the learners with tools to seamlessly chase those opportunities.
4. How to integrate Gaming into the Classroom
Today more and more teachers are becoming enthusiasts of video games as part of instruction. The use of games can be applied to many different subjects with the aims of teaching concepts or as a way of revision. For instance:
History: Video games such as Civilization or Assassin’s Creed are kind of historical simulations that present the players with different historical epochs.
Mathematics: Many of the puzzles and strategic games used in class have aspects of math in them, and thus assist the learners in gaining numeracy skills.
Science: Teaching models and exploration models such as Kerbal Space Program can be used to teach concepts in an innovative method.
5. Problems and Difficulties of Applying Games into Learning
Indeed, there are advantages and disadvantages of having games in education. These include:
Screen time: Long hours spent gaming are likely to expose the students too much to screens, which has detrimental effects to their health, as well as their ability to interact and make friends.
Distractions: Not all the games are educational. Children may be stimulated to engage in other non learning games during class time or when they are suppose to be studying.
Cost: While there are free and quite a few low-cost educational games and platforms, some of the best games may be costly, making it difficult for students from poor households or schools to acquire them.
6. A New Dimension to Gaming in Education
Several factors show that ESP can improve the prospects of linking gaming and education: Currently, the correlation between gaming and education is still largely emerging but the further perspectives seem a little more optimistic. We also forecast interaction between technology and education continuing to develop and more educational games that use newer technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) will be developed. These tools might provide the students with differently unfolding subject matter, which would enable them to ‘enter’ into historical events, or engage with phenomena studied in science.
Conclusion
It’s no longer fun and games, it’s ‘game on’ in education. Education has also benefited from video games as it has helped learner’s develop important skills in activities such as critical thinking skills, innovative thinking and group work. The prospect grows even brighter as more young people take to eSports and online educational games.
That’s why as educators try out video games as a tool in the classroom and as developers embrace educational games, expect to see more techniques on using games in learning this shaping the future of our learners.
Furthermore, as eSports is rapidly developing, one can expect that more educational institutions will also increase participation of their student in gaming programs offering related job positions.
For more insights on the role of technology in education, gaming, and beyond, visit our blog section regularly at Science and Tech Info.
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