Have you ever heard of the term “gamification”? Probably, everyone knows that it means combining learning and games as one. And no wonder why so many people decide to apply this approach in their education. Any experienced teacher would confirm that there is nothing more effective to engage students than games. Why does it work so? Because they create an ideal space for interactive and immersive experiences that are so much needed by young people who lack intrinsic motivation for learning. Just imagine that beautiful mix of fun, challenge, and immediate feedback in your study journey. Can merging computer games with student learning make students more enthusiastic? Let’s find out.
Help for Student Learning
However, sometimes, gamification is not enough to achieve academic success. Modern schools can be extremely demanding because of the huge amounts of cognitive load. All those materials, including facts, dates, and names, take a lot of effort to memorize. And often, there are no resources left to complete numerous urgent assignments. When you recognize yourself in such a situation, you can ask professional writers: do my assignment for me as soon as possible. Today, the Internet is flooded with content services that solve any type of academic problem. The point is to study smart, not hard. You don’t have to complete each paper given to you by yourself. Instead, you can delegate some of them to professionals and focus on something that resonates with your deep interests.
Computer Games Are Not Evil
People from the older generation usually perceive computer games as harmful distractions. But in fact, it’s a common bias that doesn’t make any sense in the modern world. If we look closer at their role in our lives, we will see that games are actually powerful tools in educational settings. ANd here is how they can come in handy.
Computer games, often perceived as distractions or even harmful, can actually be powerful tools in educational settings.
Supporting Differentiated Learning
Games are not purely evil because of many reasons, one of which is that they support personalized learning. No matter how unique your learning pace and style, computer games can adapt to those in no time. They are basically programmed to do so and cater to diverse learning needs. So, when you feel that you are falling behind, turn to computer games and you will not regret it. For sure, the combination of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning styles offered by games will bring you to the next level of academic success.
Fostering Collaboration and Social Skills
Let’s keep in mind that education is not just about memorizing facts. It’s supposed to teach us so many other things. For example, students should learn how to be part of a study group. The point is to learn how to communicate effectively and organize successful collaboration. But how is it possible to learn in an isolated environment? Of course, it doesn’t work like that. That’s where gamification can help you out.
If you give it a thought, you’ll realize that many educational games are designed for multiplayer interaction. This concept promotes teamwork and communication. This collaborative aspect helps build social skills that largely define our success in life. Without this collective learning experience, it’s hard to succeed in other aspects of life, including a career and relationship.
Enhancing Memory and Retention
If you look at the statistics of ADHD cases, you’ll see how many young people struggle with this disorder. One of the symptoms of that is the inability to memorize and retain new information. That’s why those abilities must be developed through repetition and reinforcement. And what’s the best way to access those two? Again, it’s playing games. Those often involve repeated exposure to content, which is the key here. Why? Because it reinforces learning and aids in memory retention. Plus, the interactive nature of games helps students remember information better than passive learning methods. Just reading or listening to a lecture are already outdated methods of learning. So why not keep up with the time?
Providing Safe Environments for Experimentation
People say that no learning is possible without making mistakes. And it’s really true! By trying to avoid trials and errors, you won’t go far in your education. So, what’s really beautiful about games is that they allow us to experiment and learn from mistakes in a low-stakes environment. That means even if you fail, nothing terrible will happen to you because it’s a natural part of the learning process through games. Such an attitude also encourages a growth mindset that we all strive to develop. Plus, it builds resilience and allows you to be more emotionally stable in challenging situations. So, feel free to use game simulations that mimic real-world scenarios and give a safe space to practice and apply your knowledge without real-world consequences.
Encouraging Emotional and Psychological Development
This point is also very important when it comes to education. Unfortunately, most young people are extremely stressed out because of their studies. Consequently, they experience anxiety and stress that may become too overwhelming. In essence, they might make learning just impossible. But what are the ways to calm down and reduce psychological pressure? One of them is games. They can largely reduce the stress that comes with traditional learning and assessments. By the way, gamification also affects self-efficacy. Here is how: success in games can boost your confidence and self-efficacy because it encourages you to take on new challenges and believe in your abilities.
How to Use Computer Games Properly for Learning
Sadly, playing computer games alone will help you achieve your educational goals. To reap all the benefits of this method, you should use computer games effectively. That’s why we find it important to give common tips for incorporating games into the study routine in the right way.
1. Select Appropriate Games
First of all, you should choose not just random games but those that align with certain educational goals and curriculum standards. Otherwise, it will just be a waste of time or a way to relax. Make sure that the content is relevant to the subjects being taught. Basically, the games you are playing should reinforce key concepts that you are trying to understand.
On top of that, age appropriateness also should be considered. If you are playing a game that is not suitable for your age, you won’t get the results you are expecting to receive. It can be very demotivating if the content of the game is too complex or too easy for you.
2. Integrate Games into the Curriculum
Of course, games can’t totally replace all the learning materials. They should be just a complementary tool that you apply alongside other methods. Similarly to the previous point, games should reinforce and enhance the material taught in lectures, textbooks, and other instructional resources. In case there are no clear learning objectives for each gaming session, it’s better to avoid playing games as there is no purpose for that activity. And don’t forget that you shouldn’t just get absorbed in gaming, it’s better to have a balanced amount of time for this activity so that it doesn’t overshadow other instructional methods.
3. Facilitate Guided Play
It might be a bit counter-productive if the game is not facilitated by teachers. In fact, students might get lost in their gaming activity if there is nobody to provide instructions, offer tips and answer questions. All this helps learners stay on track and assimilate new knowledge. Besides, it’s really great when there is a chance for students to discuss their experiences, share what they learned, and reflect on the challenges they faced.
5. Assess Learning Outcomes
Gamification doesn’t mean that there is no assessment involved. Basically, there should be formative assessments to gauge students’ progress and understanding throughout the gaming sessions. It’s only through the assessment that we can see the progress. Hence, games must necessarily include quizzes, reflective journals, and group discussions. On top of that, you should implement summative assessments to evaluate the overall impact of games on specific knowledge and skills.
Conclusion
Using games on a PC or smartphone for learning requires so many factors to be considered. To demonstrate great results at school or college, one should take into account careful planning, integration, and evaluation in gaming activities. However, if you are able to combine all those factors listed above, gamification can bring just amazing results. So why not give it a try?
Author’s BIO
Vanessa Keller is an educator and study coach. Her mission is to help students achieve amazing results in their studies and demonstrate top performance at school. She believes that gamification can be a great tool to achieve her goal.
