birds

Video games and learning

There are many types of video/digital games such as adventure, role-playing, strategy, or the very popular – first person shoot-’em-up action games. Video games have always been thought of as a good pastime but nothing more.

However, there have been many studies done that have shown value of games – social: to meet other players, problem solving – the gamer help solve problems posed by the game, or learning – be it rules or other consequences of working with a complex environment.

They are thus great educational environments but it is really up to the game developer to see how to merge the educational learning with entertainment. Here are some simple rules for game developers as they make educatement environments.

  1. Entertain – it has to have graphics, sound or interaction that is a must, otherwise the audience might has well read a book.

  1. Learning should be experiential. If you have to learn that birds fly as the picture shows, it helps to see the bird, see it flying, control the wings and feathers and see how it behaves.

  2. The educational message can be blatant but it is better disguised as part of the game. If you are learning a language it is probably better to have a native speaker speak in the language and you figure out what it means in context rather than have words presented to you in the midst of game playing as sentences to be memorized

As long as the developers can answer the question on why people play games (especially theirs) then, it will be relatively easy to develop games.

GLS had a conference on this in 2012 but now check out their recent conferences.

GLS Conference – A conference site


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