Educational Gaming: Learning from Video Games
Volt News
- Video games are conquering classrooms: educational gaming comes with the fun factor of video games and yet generates added value for the education system.
- However, educational games are not just for children and teenagers. Apps like Duolingo show that the concept of learning games is suitable for young and old.
- The potential of educational games highlights just one of the many investment opportunities in the gaming industry.
Even if 2022 proves to be a difficult year due to inflation, the gaming industry is still considered to be a strong growth market, partly because of investments by tech giants. According to a PwC estimate, the global gaming market will be worth around 321 billion USD in 2026. Compared to the USD 214 billion in 2021, a significant increase would be on the horizon. In addition to tech giants, smaller studios are also expanding the world of video games. The commitment of tech giants and the creativity of new players in the gaming market are allowing previously opposite spheres to flourish: Educational gaming harnesses the fun of video games and generates added value for the education sector.
What exactly are educational games?
They are games that are developed specifically for the classroom or deliberately pursue an educational approach. Educational gaming is thus created to teach children about topics and concepts in a playful way. Therefore, these games are suitable for subjects such as history, biology, or languages - although educational games can also be used in an interdisciplinary way. In this way, students can not only develop hard skills, but also strengthen their soft skills. After all, educational games are also intended to teach children how to solve problems and get involved in groups.
Minecraft in the Lead
Many people associate the term "Minecraft" with a computer game that youngsters can't get enough of. With more than 125 million monthly active players and over 235 million copies, it is the best-selling computer game of all time. In Minecraft, players create a three-dimensional world out of cube-shaped elements. The idea behind it is inspired by our natural landscape and offers players the opportunity to collect resources and process the raw materials they find into goods.
Minecraft's potential for its use in educational spaces has been often overlooked. Many people don't even know that a "Minecraft Education Edition" was launched in 2016. The use of video games is a popular tool in educational settings, especially in the US and Sweden. There, Minecraft is used to teach students science and foreign languages. As a Malaysian study from 2020 shows, Minecraft is even suitable for math lessons.
Learning From Our Mistakes
Educational gaming is not only ideal for teaching school subjects and interpersonal skills through play. Quite the opposite, games teach young and old that we can learn from our mistakes and not give up after a setback. The famous family therapist Jesper Juul notes in his essay "The Art of Failure" our own failures make video games so engaging. For example, we find it easier in a game than in real life to press the "try again" button after a failed attempt and immediately demonstrate and improve our skills. This would be a behavior, for example, that could possibly be transferred to our own lives.
Educational Gaming: More Than a Temporary Trend
"Games with a purpose" are not just a trend in schools: Apps like Duolingo also enable adults to learn over 40 languages through play, thus making use of the concept of an educational game. With their idea, Duolingo was able to establish itself as one of the most popular educational apps in a very short time and now has over 300 million users worldwide.
However, the connection between education and video games also earns criticism because the line between escapism and educational teaching tool is barely tangible. But the rapid growth as well as the diversity of the gaming industry indicate that more and more developers are working to connect the gaming world with other areas of society. This should set the stage for educational gaming on a widespread basis.
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