If you think video games can affect your children’s academic performance, think again. Video games can improve your child’s concentration, creativity, memory and problem-solving, and teamwork skills.
Game-based learning may sound like a new phenomenon to many, but many educational institutes are taking advantage of digital games for educational purposes. The growing acceptance of video games clearly shows that more and more schools are now prioritizing game-based learning and gamification.
According to several studies, integrating video games in educational settings can help increase students’ academic performance and improve their interest in learning. Some other studies have also suggested that using games in teaching can improve the social and emotional learning of students. Game-based learning can also improve the focus and attention of students with mental illnesses, such as ADHD and dyslexia.
It is important to keep in mind that games are not substitutes for other types of learning. They should be integrated only when they are relevant and required. Many teachers are using video games as a valuable teaching tool and integrating game-based learning into their lessons to make learning fun and engaging at the same time.
Let’s discuss how educational video games can enhance classroom learning and what are some famous educational video games to try.
Enhance Learning
Playing games can enhance your learning ability by increasing your focus and attention. Many educators believe that gameplay develops many important skills that can help students become smarter.
Speed up Brain Response Time
Video games are full of visual and audio stimuli that allow players to interpret and react instantly according to the situation. It improves troubleshooting skills by allowing students to instantly make a decision to solve a problem in a set time. In short, it boosts brain functions and prepares students to react more quickly and sensibly with accuracy.
Problem-solving Skills
Video games are packed with many interesting puzzles, challenges and rules. Players need to create a strategy to reach their goals.
Encourage Teamwork
Playing multiplayer games can increase teamwork, allowing students to learn how to work in teams and achieve the same goal. It helps you learn how to participate in healthy competition and cooperate with each other to accomplish the shared objective through teamwork, communication and problem-solving.
Boost Memory
Whether you are a high school student or a university student, remembering important details is important to achieving good marks. With game-based learning, your imagination, creative thinking skills, and memorization will significantly increase. To succeed in games, players need to memorize the rules, controls, characters, and other details about the game plot. This enables students to recall information and strengthen their memory. When you have a sharp memory and retain information for long, you can perform outstandingly in your exams.
Improve Focus
Video games require increased focus to win the game. They are famous for catching gamers’ attention due to the addictive nature of games. For students, it is important to maintain a greater focus on learning the complex topic. Students who are struggling with maintaining focus while studying can try game-based learning. Video games can improve focus and attention among students
Encourage Collaboration and Social Interaction
Okay, it is one of the biggest advantages of promoting game-based learning in educational settings. By playing multiplayer video games, students will learn how to work together, strategize, solve problems, and collaborate. It will develop necessary social skills, such as communication, teamwork and collaboration among students. These social skills are important for their academic as well as professional life.
Educational Video Games for Students
Playing video games is fun and finding the right video games for your kids is important to improve their focus, creativity, memory, and problem-solving skills. Game-based learning in educational settings has a lot of positive effects. Several studies have shown the positive effects of game-based learning, such as developing social skills, communication, collaboration, and sharp memory – to name a few.
Parents can also encourage students to play video games after completing homework and physical activities. Many parents distrust video gaming consoles due to irrelevant game content and are afraid of their negative effects on their children’s performance at school.
When it comes to introducing video games to your children, it is important to carefully check those games that are suitable and recommended for a particular age. You can check the game content to make sure the game is suitable for your children. You can set the time limit and establish rules to follow. Furthermore, you can also check the manufacturer’s recommendations to figure out whether the game is suitable for your child is not.
Here are a few educational video games that you can choose for your children and that are easily available on video game stores at affordable rates.
· Little Mouse’s Encyclopedia
· Super Mario Maker 2
· S.U.M. – Slay Uncool Monsters
· Nintendo Labo
· Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
· Dragon Quest Builders
· Snipperclips Plus
· Calculation Castle
· Letter Quest Remastered
· Numbala
· Island Saver
· Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain
· Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics
Wrapping Up
All in all, video games, if used right, can serve as the best tech and game-based tool that can do wonders in educational settings. Today, more and more educational institutes are incorporating game-based learning into classroom settings. Parents can also find educational video games in video game shops for their children and help them boost their focus, memory collaboration, teamwork, and other important skills.
