Can Video Games Help With Education?

 

Photo by Chuck Fortner on Unsplash

Gamification is everywhere - we even see it in the office, and for onboarding. But one of the places where it is having the biggest impact is in the education sector. Many people viewed gaming as a waste of time, or as a hobby that children would grow out of. 

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While there is a balance to be found with both adults and children to make sure that they aren’t spending too much time gaming - there are benefits when it comes to learning. 

So can gaming help with education and if so, how? 

Skills

Do you remember the first time you read a map? Well, there are plenty of games that are packed with skills that you might not need on a daily basis, but that comes in handy. Like the story of a boy that saved his sister because of skills, he learned playing World of Warcraft - while that might be an extreme example, things like map reading, researching and even managing finances are in many games. 

Hand-eye coordination 

When playing a game you are required to see information, process it, and react. The hand-eye coordination has to be fast and accurate. Of course not all games require you to play at speed, others give you the chance to play slowly. 

But for many games, hand-eye coordination is a must, and gamers have a firm grasp on that. 

Spelling

Almost all games have some level of reading required, and that can help a great deal with spelling everyday words. One of the biggest trends at the moment is fun word games like the doddle game. If your child doesn’t love sitting with spelling books, then word games can have a huge impact on nailing those spellings, and increasing the size of their vocabulary. 

Problem-solving 

While on the outside it might look like your child is simply freeing a dog from a tricky situation - the how and why are one of the most important things here. Games can help to increase the pace at which children are able to activate their problem-solving and strategic thinking. Most games require logical steps to increase skills, and eventually complete tasks. 

It’s not just that though, some games require people to think outside the box, and create interesting solutions to problems. This means your child can apply those same things to real life. 

Computer skills

Computers are everywhere now, and since they are a modern part of society it is important that your children have the skills to be able to use a computer efficiently. While playing the game itself doesn’t always focus on computer skills there are coding games and apps that can help your child learn that language. And, learning that inputting commands on the computer will have an outcome in the game shows children that there is a relationship between the hardware and software. 

It doesn’t stop there though, both computer games and board games all have a place when it comes to learning and education. The best part is that you can take part in both: Guilt Free Gaming: The World Of Word And Puzzle Games.