Educacional Video Games

In recent years the video game market has been rising. With the new advancements with technology the limitations are slowly disappearing, what was once unimaginable is now possible.

Today’s youth is playing video games for enjoyment more than ever before. The market has even started making its way into classrooms, in the form of instructional mediums. These games are specifically made to increase knowledge and skills, some are even meant for enjoyment but double as educational. The marketers of video games have picked up on this fact and have been working on making more suitable games. There are many different aspects of this new technique of teaching that still needs to be discovered.

There are many different reasons as to why educators are supplementing games into their classrooms. Simpson & Clem (2008) stated that the reason as to why this generation learns differently is because they have grown up in a digital world. This has influenced students to learn and think differently than the previous generations. Simpson (2006) stated that 92% of children between 2 and 17 play video games. Also stated is that video games are used on a daily basis in children’s lives. Gordon (2010) wrote that students are lacking motivation to learn, causing them to fail state tests. Also stated by Gordon students were more engaged in class, practiced more skills, and completed their homework. As stated before students use video games in their daily lives, which is related to the way they learn. Simpson (2008) stated that students lean more if they are actively engaged. This in fact has been proven through an increase of test scores. According to Din & Calao (2001) wrote that students who had low focus were less focused when a teacher was teaching, and more focus when computers were used. Rice (2007) wrote that educational video games increase team building, experiential learning, and understanding of abstract concepts. As society, education, and technology change video games for educational purposes will be more prevalent in classrooms.

The key to using video games in the classroom is proper implementation. Gordon (2010) gave tips as of how to properly implement games into a school environment. Also stated was that the right game must enforce what students need to learn and should be parallel to the state standards. According to Gordon (2010) there are many questions that need to be answered for proper implementation; these questions are who, what, when, and where.