The Internet has been a huge part of generation Z’s life and a majority of their learning comes from technology. So, instead of separating children from tech and gadgets, it’s best to incorporate them into everyday learning methods. The concept of blended learning has encouraged many developers to come up with a variety of educational video games intended to entertain as well as educate.
Not so surprisingly, video games are now dominating the audio-visual sector vastly and giving strong competition to other content streaming fields. Despite the growing popularity of video games, many continue to argue that playing these games has a negative impact on children’s minds and diminishes their learning abilities. However, in reality, this is not true. Playing engaging and exciting games can help individuals develop spatial, hand-eye coordination, and problem-solving skills.
Just like there’s no age limit for learning, anyone can play video games for recreational purposes. The video game industry has evolved significantly over the past years and is now admired for its innovative capacity and entrepreneurial vision. Most of these games are developed to engage the players in a range of cognitive tasks.
For instance, a restaurant or farm game follows a role-playing and strategy-based format that challenges the player’s intellect and problem-solving abilities. Typically, these games offer a set of tasks that should be completed following specific instructions. Such games aim to teach timing and organization skills to the players. Players are given limited resources that should be rationed to complete the game which also encourages resource management skills in them. Participants also learn how to use the controls of the device and get familiar with modern software and technologies.
Video games for learning: What is it?
Game-based learning has gained much popularity in recent times with more and more educational video games being launched in the market. These games do not necessarily have to be intended for classroom teaching only. Regular games in the cooking, adventure, science, and number categories also give valuable insights and learning whilst ensuring great fun and entertainment.
The scope of video games has reached the education aspect as well which aims to keep the participants entertained while helping them improve their creativity, memory, and concentration skills. A majority of video games intended for education and learning are based on the following three factors:
- Informative content – Games that are developed to educate as well as entertain the players feature engaging and informative content. For example, a farm game or any cooking game should offer relevant culinary insights during the gameplay to assure that the players are not only enjoying the playing experience but also learning about the diverse culinary world.
- Challenges & Boosts skills – Modern video gameplays challenge participants by making them play as the main character responsible for all the activities. This captures the mind and interests of the players while forcing them to use their skills and perform for better scores. In this way, players develop a wide array of skills subconsciously as they enjoy leisure time.
- Encourage tech literacy – Owing to the influence of technology in our daily lives, it is important for all of us to get used to technology and gadgets. And what’s best than doing this by playing games? Instead of shielding young minds from video games, learning-based video games can help them become tech-savvy and self-reliant. Such games put the ‘fun’ in the fundamentals of varied educational topics.
Do educational video games help in learning?
Sure, they do! There are multiple ways in which educational video games help in learning. Some obvious benefits of playing such video games are listed as follows:
- Video games encourage technology exploration in people of all age groups
- Develop a variety of skills such as creativity, problem-solving, critical thinking, and other cognitive skills
- Improve hand-eye coordination
- Expands memory capacity
- Encourage teamwork and other social skills
- Make complex knowledge fun & easy to grasp
- Improves mental clarity and collaboration skills
- Introduces players to new ideas and concepts
- Relieve stress while inspiring out-of-the-box thinking
Final Thoughts
Games that encourage critical thinking and problem-solving abilities while nurturing other cognitive skills can be termed educational games. Such games are a perfect example of blended learning that feeds informative content while not boring the participants. So, we can certainly conclude that the concept of educational video games is booming and is expected to take over the video gaming industry in the coming years.
However, it is important to segregate and pick the games that are educational in the real sense. StarChef is one such game that follows engaging gameplay while offering insightful content on varied topics in the culinary world. Just like this game is specific to food and cooking, there are multiple other games related to different fields. It is on you to find games relevant to your interests that feature learning-based gameplay.
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