Rolling the Dice on Videogames in the Classroom: 4 Reasons Gaming is a Good Way to Teach (with Virginia McArthur)
Virginia McArthur believes that to give our kids the future they deserve, we need to give agency for learning and creation back to the players and make building using the whole body and senses the norm. Presently, as the executive producer for HiDef, she is leading a team to build the studio’s flagship game, a metaverse to connect and entertain people through creative expression, competition, shared content experiences and cultural discovery. Prior to HiDef, Virginia was executive producer at Endless Studios where her team developed platforms for kids to play and build games while teaching them to code.
As the needs of the global workforce change with new technology, teachers are charged with preparing their students with 21st Century Skills, including proficiency in digital literacy, critical thinking, and problem solving. And yet, high-quality coding education games, which are designed to reinforce those skills, still haven’t made it into the mainstream curriculum. The job market is changing: if kids aren’t gamers, they may have critical gaps in the knowledge needed to maintain careers in the modern day.
At Endless, we believe that games--yes, video games--should be integrated into traditional classrooms as a tool to prepare students to be innovators in today’s society. This may sound extraneous to covering subject matter standards, but it doesn’t have to be.
Here are some reasons why all teachers should incorporate those games as a way of teaching:
1. The Power of Play
Play has long been understood as a critical component of child development, one vital for the cognitive, emotional and social well-being of a child. The benefits of childhood play extend beyond academic spheres - they help build imagination, lead to enhanced confidence and resiliency in the face of challenges, and enhance conflict resolution skills. These skills are essential for social-emotional learning (SEL), which is quickly becoming as important – if not more important – than academic skills.
Nobody can deny kids love videogames: 70% of kids under 18 play videogames (ESA). Taking advantage of this inherent excitement about videogames by integrating them regularly into the classroom is an easy way to garner new excitement about learning. And exciting, fun, and engaging games replicate play: children get to be in control of their learning and reap the benefits of playtime while learning relevant curricular material. SEL is increasingly becoming a priority in classrooms, and videogames naturally bolster these skills, letting players overcome challenges without fear of failure.
Play is meaningful because it allows kids to have agency, which is also an important component of making learning impactful for students. Games are already self-paced, and as an added benefit, teachers do not have to worry about dedicating instructional time to monitor student progress. Students are intrinsically motivated to continue learning and can navigate the platforms on their own. Plus, since the games are based on mechanics students are already familiar with, teachers won’t have to step in to problem-solve.
2. Games Can Be Supplemental, Or Core
Sure, games definitely support soft skills, but how can they support learning related to curriculum, standards and assessments? Fundamentally, games arm students with the cognitive tools they need to support learning. Coding games in particular are versatile: they reinforce hard skills, such competence in programming languages, and also build critical skills that typically aren’t included in school curriculum, including data analysis and decision making – skills that have proven essential in the global response to fighting the pandemic, like assessing spread and vaccination planning. Self-led simulations that represent real-world problems give students a safe place to practice important real-world skills that will reinforce their performance in standard curriculum. Those same skills will help students tackle challenging math problems, ask important questions about informational sources, and make scientific discoveries.
Plus, games can be adapted to the needs of the curriculum. A bit more on this in the next point, but games do not just have to be an extracurricular, free choice type activity. The mechanics of games allow teachers to incorporate core learning goals into videogame experiences, while still providing all the added benefits already discussed.
3. Using Real Gaming Experiences
Embracing advanced coding games (beyond Scratch and block-based games) should be prioritized over gamifying education. The trend of gamifying learning - using aspects of game design like timers and rewards to increase motivation – isn’t enough. Plus, there’s insufficient evidence that gamified education actually has long-term benefits. Imagine instead a classroom where kids get to play videogames like the ones they already love, walk through exciting game world surfaces and make discoveries along the way to overcome real obstacles and complete challenges. These game mechanics support skill-building that can be tied into virtually any learning concept goals. For this to happen, we need to commit to building a living list of games that include synopses for teachers to browse to find games that can link up to their content standards. The goal isn’t for teachers to build new games or to source out games that have related content to their curriculum, but instead finding games that touch on concepts that support the curriculum. And take it one step further: after playing the game, students can present on how it applies to learning standards. Kids can figure it out.
4. Social Skill Building
Right now especially, while parks and playgrounds are closed, videogames are playing avital role in maintaining social connections. Games are filling that space, extending their community and experiences beyond what kids are already familiar with. By embracing games, teachers give students a platform to work together as an extension of the classroom in their home. Think of a simulation: assigning a group-led simulated experience allows kids to interact with each other, practice their social skills, and build confidence while working together to solve a problem. Students can help students – a natural occurrence in the games their already playing, and one that builds cooperation skills and supports group dynamics in the classroom.
Take, for example, Radio General, a real-time strategy game where players talk with their units over the radio. Seated in a command tent, players receive verbal reports and then issue orders back – but sometimes the reports are incomplete and confused. Students have to make tough decisions based on them, adapt to different terrains, and make choices based on varying skillsets. There’s a two person co-op mode where students work together to get through real life simulated WW11 campaigns. With real life voice activation, one person is using the radio to send commands and the other person is moving troops on the map. You work together to win the battles and push back the enemy. There is also a campaign generator where the students could work together to build unique campaigns and see how they would play out taking what they learned from historical events portrayed in the core game. The game could be integrated into the classroom in a similar fashion, with two players sharing one screen: one controls the radio and the other uses the mouse to move the troops.
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Granted, we acknowledge there are some challenges to incorporating games into the classroom: access to the proper technology is still not guaranteed and some classrooms still don’t have devices that will run the games. Not every community has access to consistent internet access, which is why Endless is committed to furthering the push for high-quality offline content, including games. It’s expensive to make games and especially to incorporate extra fun aspects like 3D animation.
That said, we truly believe that video games present an opportunity for teachers and students that should not be overlooked, especially when we’re working to prepare kids for modern day careers. Embracing real games in the classroom is worth the discomfort that sometimes comes with diving into new tools: the good part is, gaming can help build that confidence for teachers, too.