Can Video Games be Helpful as Educational Tools?

Video games- A new tool in our education system
It has been reported time and again that video games cause increased aggressiveness and violence in children. They are seen as a medium of enticing hostility and antagonism in children. However, many studies have proven that apart from their negative effects, video games can be quite beneficial as learning tools.

Studies dating back to 1980’s have very clearly indicated that video games do have a positive impact on the player. Some of the positive effects discovered were better coordination and reaction time plus a highly raised self-esteem in the player.

Keeping in mind these advantages, many schools have started using this new tool in their classrooms.

Benefits of video games as a learning aid:
It has been proven that video games, when designed appropriately, can be quite beneficial as a learning aid in classrooms. Here are some benefits of utilizing this new tool in classrooms:
•    Video games can be used to monitor and check various personality traits in individuals like self- esteem and self- concept.
•    Video games can instruct students to learn how to master goal setting abilities and how to check their performance.
•    Video games enhance creative problem solving skills in the students as they have to plan, strategize and execute various moves.
•    Video gaming can be a social activity where children can engage in group activities. This can help them to learn to work as a team towards the same goal.
•    Video games enhance basic math skills too. As the player has to keep tabs on the score chart, it makes it easier to apply basic mathematics skills.
•    Video games certainly have the ability to engage and capture the attention of children. So it is not very hard to entice students to learn via this tool.

Gamification of education/ learning system
Given the numerous benefits of video games as a learning aid, it is not very hard to imagine that instructors are leaning towards the gamification of their curriculum. However, it is believed that there are dire needs of educational video games as only a handful of such games exist in the market presently.

Furthermore, instructors are aware of potential negative effects of this tool too. So, they are presently working to strike a balance in the curriculum that will maximize the potential benefits while keeping the negative effects to a minimum.

Limitation:

Video games, although with proven benefits, do have some apparent limitations. The first of those being that schools with limited budgets cannot afford high end computers or other special tablets. This requires hundreds of thousands of dollar budget that an average school with limited money cannot afford. Also, a full curriculum based on gaming techniques requires professional personnel and training which costs an additional thousand of dollars to an already inflated budget. So, introducing a curriculum based entirely on video games may be a cost effective decision.

It remains to be seen how video games will affect our education system in the future, but for now instructors all over the world are embracing this method of teaching over traditional methods to inspire and motivate students.

Author Bio: Melody Wilson is a highly distinguished and renowned academic writer with various article publications to her credit. She has expertly written on diverse topics ranging from English Literature to Management with finesse and proficiency, displaying her adeptness. Nowadays, she is working as an academic writer and content manager with a highly reputed online academic writing firm namely Get Homework Online.