Subsequent to the role of the educator in relation to game-based learning, I was also asked to research and identify emerging trends. Starting with the work of Jane McGonigal and working my way forward, I was able to discover several websites and articles touting the merits of game-based learning. Prevalent amongst them was the following article: The Benefits of Playing Video Games, as published by the American Psychology Association.
This article identified the statistic that 97% of children and teenagers in the United States play video games for at least an hour a day, revealing the unequivocal truth that the upcoming generation, even more so than my own, is a generation of 'gamers'. As a self-identified 'video gamer', this gives me hope that the stigma of the negative aspects of video games is dwindling, and the positive effects of regular 'gaming' are coming to light.
While the focus of study for this article is technically not 'learning' specific, a study on the benefits of playing video games is, consequently, a study on their benefits within the context of learning. Early in the article, the cognitive benefits of playing video games are identified, which include, but are not limited to: increases in attention allocation and spatial reasoning, problem-solving, and enhanced creativity. Further (and surprisingly), contrary to popular opinion, the article went on to cite the positive aspects of first-person shooter games, which were shown in studies to foster an increase in abilities relating to interpersonal communication, similarly to how a competitive team sport increases social skills.
Many of the motivational benefits of video games were also cited, including fostering the development of what is known as an incremental mode of intelligence, where intelligence is seen as something that can be improved upon, rather than something fixed at birth (IE, you are gifted or you are not). Video games foster this through providing 'concrete and immediate feedback regarding specific efforts players have made'.
What I found to be the most interesting aspect to the 'motivational' benefit of video games, and perhaps the most relevant to adult education, is the revelation that video games often push players to struggle through failure, motivating them to continue despite setback, because of their level of engagement and the cross-section of challenge/entertainment/reward they are experiencing.
While the adoption of video games in the classroom is certainly on the rise, as evidenced by the Mindshift Guide to Digital Games and Learning, I found less evidence of video games being used in an adult setting, demonstrating a possible area where video games could help to enrich adult education, especially as the generations of 'native gamers' achieve maturity.
There are those who experience the integration of video games in formal education settings now, such as the use of Minecraft to teach about biological cell structure, or the use of a video game structured specifically for a certain subject, such as Farmtasia from my previous reflection article. Speaking from my own experience as an individual who grew up on video games, I can recall learning mathematics and reading comprehension skills from the 'Super Solvers' series of games by The Learning Company, and honed my keyboarding skills thanks to Mavis Beacon and All the Right Type.
So how could the positive aspects of video games be harnessed for adult education? It is difficult to forecast. Video games, for adults, are seen as means of escapism, similar to a romance novel or a TV show. Game-based learning is often viewed as a means to an end, such as the example of Re-Mission, a video game provided to child cancer patients to help them deal with their symptoms. The challenge identified is that, when the primary purpose of the game is 'serious' or 'educational', and is not designed by a video game company with a view to entertainment, the game itself is not engaging.
To make a game challenging, engaging and rewarding - that is the secret to unlocking its learning potential. As cited in the article, Portal II (which I have played), a commercially successful video game, was discovered to have massively educational properties. As a puzzle-solving video game, Portal II encouraged players to think in creative ways, exploring physics and geometrical dimensions in an obtuse way.
Perhaps, then, that is the only real trick to education and motivation -- when we have fun, we learn effortlessly.
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