With the vacation soon to be over and many schools opening next week, the topic of education comes again into focus. According to various sources, educators are starting to see digital games as a language that they students can intuitively understand and a useful tool to make playing facilitate learning.
This kind of mindset has opened the door into classrooms in recent years to popular mainstream games like Minecraft or World of Warcraft. Some teachers have started to craft curricula that ensure children keep engaged by playing.
The same mindset has also pushed the video game developer companies to design other new games designed to teach subjects such as English vocabulary, AP history or math. The educational video games allow a brand new teaching method without relying solely on pencils, notebooks and textbooks.
Some game developers in Miami are even exploring some new possibilities outside the classroom. They are designing so-called "serious games" that teach players about social issues. This is still a small niche of the booming games industry, but it keeps growing. It seems that digital game developers aspire to show that video games industry isn't all about sports simulations like NFL Madden series or first-person shooting like in "Call of Duty".
An assistant professor at the University of Miami's School of Communications, Clay Ewing, designs serious digital games together with his students. For instance, "Zoo Rush" is a smartphone game that explains to schoolchildren what it's like to live with sickle cell disease.
According to Ewing, besides the learning that comes with playing the game developed by him, his student participating in designing the game can also learn the subject matter themselves. He found that his students usually respond better when he tries to connect with them through gaming. Ewing added that and teachers at all levels can also capitalize on that.
According to Ewing, teachers are starting to realize that games are the modern cultural medium that guarantees the best response from the current generation. Today's students are not relating anymore to movies seen in theaters but rather to video games played. Educators can leverage this and tap into that connection.
A survey conducted by scientists at the Sesame Workshop show in 2014 also proves Ewing is right. The survey has shown that almost 74 percent of teachers are already using digital games in the teaching process. A number of 694 K-8 teachers from across the United States participated to the survey.
Scientists continue to study how video games can be used in teaching with the best educational advantages. Many studies have proved already that digital games are a tool to increase student achievement.
