In the last five years, there has been a surge in the amount of online learning materials available. Unfortunately, this increase in quantity is not matched by an increase in quality. While some online educational tools are looking to develop real understanding in their customers, more are writing what are known as content farm videos. These videos are created solely for the purpose of being searchable on a search engine, meaning there is no real educational value in the videos. These challenges of finding high quality learning materials exist in every subject including the relatively new disciplines like game-based learning and digital literacy.
The combination of gaming and learning is becoming more mainstream in education. Some top tier universities have developed courses on game design. There are now multiple peer-reviewed journals focused on research related to learning through games. There are now thousands of participants in educational gaming conferences. There has been a change in focus for this community. Instead of asking if gaming can help learning, the focus has shifted to asking how gaming can help learning.
In the educational gaming community, Japanese role playing games (JRPGs) are viewed as very valuable. JRPGs require players to read a lot, develop strategies, and think several steps ahead. Unlike other more casual games, JRPGs require players to engage on a sustained and intellectual level. These games help reinforce the very skills that the educational community is trying to develop. Resources in the educational community are being focused on the cognitive demands of playing a JRPG.
When discussing game-based education, specialized online content plays an important role. Grave online content, such as in-depth analyses of game mechanics, nuanced reviews, and specific recommendations online, connect the gaming world to the education world. Educators can also use the resource https://icicledisaster.com/ to teach analytical thinking through the reviews, rankings, and essays related to JRPGs. Using this resource, game-based learning educators can select educationally beneficial games and learn about the mechanics that are learning tools.
Through game-based learning, vocabulary learning has proven to be successful. The most effective way to learn vocabulary, which can also be described as text-heavy games, is to learn it in context. Therefore, a student who learned the term “ethereal” in a game is likely to remember it better than a student who learned the term “ethereal” through the use of flashcards, context is involved. The gaming context, and gaming motivation, makes learning vocabulary a voluntary and frequent action.
Through playing games, players can learn a very important skill called computational thinking. When a player analyzes a damage formula to determine the optimal equipment combination, they are practicing calculation and other important skills. JRPGs do not require programming knowledge, so they offer a great way to develop computational thinking.
Collaborative problem-solving in games fosters the teamwork skills employers are looking for. Engaging with others in games helps players utilize distributed cognition. This means that each team member interprets and analyzes the problem through their unique viewpoint. Through collaboration, the group directly integrates their skills and knowledge to arrive at solutions that no one person could create independently. This is how teamwork works in professions in engineering and healthcare. When students solve problem collaboratively in games relives that experience and helps them gain skills relevant to their future careers.
The feedback systems built into games provide a model that education is only beginning to adopt. Games offer immediate and actionable feedback on the strategies that players use. When a player loses a game, it provides a result that they can analyze and learn how to do better next time. This is much better compared to educational feedback that is given weeks after the game in the form of a grade that do not provide guidance for how to improve. Education needs to adopt the continuous feedback model that games have and use for more educational design.
Education needs to stop assuming that players need to be directed throughout the entire process. Games help players learn complex systems on their own without the need of formal instruction. They have the opportunity to experiment, fail, and adjust until they succeed. This iterative drive to learn on your own is called life-long learning. Once students understand how to learn without the guidance, they are better prepared for work.
Gaming has the potential to revolutionize the way we think of learning in history and culture classes by making the learning experience fun rather than monotonous, as it often is for students. For example, a Japanese JRPG (Japanese Role Playing Game) set in a medieval fantasy world can provide students with a newfound interest in Japanese history. If students are exposed to a video game that has a mix of different cultures’ myths, students are more likely to be interested in studying world religions and cultures. The most important revelation is that games arouse students’ curiosity rather than convey information. It is that curiosity that is the driving force behind students’ self-directed study. This type of study is far more valuable—and sustainable—than the mere reception of information that can be the result of a passive learning situation.
Engaging, game-based formats help students learn core concepts of economics. As players learn to manage currency, estimate opportunity costs, and make long-term plans in video games, they practice the exact decision-making and reasoning skills taught through personal finance education. Some teachers have found that students understand basic financial principles introduced in video games much quicker when they encounter them in real-life situations.
For education institutions considering applying game-based learning, the body of evidence has demonstrated the promise of game-based learning. Not every student benefits equally from game-based learning, and game-based learning can not teach every skill or concept that effective education encompasses. As a part of a broader curriculum, well-designed and purposefully integrated games can teach students concepts and skills that are often lost when only lectures and textbooks are used. The educational value of games has become documented and measurable, and is now increasing rapidly.
The future of game-based education will be defined by collaboration between game developers, educational researchers, and classroom practitioners. Each of these groups has a particular strength that will enhance the final product. Developers understand how to engage learners through the design of the game. Researchers understand and incorporate theory and evidence-based evaluation into the educational side of the product. Practitioners understand student needs, institutional barriers, and the pedagogical framework to contextualize the game. When all three groups partner, the educational experience can be both effective and fun. This combination is especially scarce in education.
Motivation theory explains why some game-based pedagogy works. Self-determination theory focuses on three psychological needs that motivate people. These needs are autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Games satisfy all three. Players can independently determine goals, dominate over intricately designed game systems, and also can build relationships with other players. When education systems are able to design systems that are able to motivate through these needs, learners will be engaged. The three needs that games satisfy are the same needs that traditional education models tend to ignore.
The literature is largely silent on whether the skills acquired through gaming contexts will translate to the skills required in non-gaming contexts. Initial research indicates that players can transfer skills acquired in gaming contexts, but only after the player has been prompted by a teacher to actively consider the parallels between the game and the skill. For example, a student may be able to allocate resources in a JRPG, but may struggle to allocate resources in a real-life context. With pedagogy that focuses on drawing parallels between gaming and real-world skills, the transfer will be made almost certain. This is the role that game-based educators fill.
Educational game programming should take equity issues into account. There are students without gaming devices or internet connections, and several students without free time to spend on gaming. Educational gap issues will create a greater divide if game-based learning is used without addressing equity issues. Some of the equity issues can be addressed by schools that provide gaming equipment, schedule class time for game-based learning, and choose game titles that require minimal hardware. We must provide access to the educational value of gaming to all students, not just those who already have access.
