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What are the top 3 benefits of educational gaming for students?

Randal Paragreen

For many students, gaming is a fun way to spend their free time, but did you know that it can also be an amazing educational tool? Educational gaming has recently gained a lot of attention due to its positive impact on students learning. In this article, I will dive deeper into the top 3 benefits of educational gaming for students.

1. Engagement and Motivation

The first benefit of educational gaming is that it enhances student engagement and motivation. Traditional learning methods may fail to engage students and they may lose interest quickly, making them feel bored and uninspired. However, educational games offer an immersive experience that students find fun and exciting. They are motivated to keep playing and learning, which helps them to retain information better. Fun educational gaming has the ability to reward students with points, badges, and certificates, which increases their motivation to keep playing. For instance, Duolingo, an app that teaches students a new language, uses a fun and engaging method of learning through gamification, where students earn points and rewards for completing certain tasks. This builds both their confidence and enthusiasm for language learning!

2. Improves Key Skills

The second benefit of educational gaming is that it improves key skills. Students gain important life skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, decision-making, and strategic planning while playing games. They learn how to analyze and interpret information, think creatively, and make important decisions in a safe and controlled environment. Educational games offer different levels of challenges, making it easier for students to learn and improve their skills. For example, the game, Minecraft, is an open-world building game that allows students to problem-solve and make decisions in a fun environment of their own creation. Students learn how to build structures, gather materials, and survive in a virtual world, all while improving their creativity and critical thinking skills.

3. Provides Immediate Feedback

Lastly, the third benefit of educational gaming is that it provides immediate feedback to students, something traditional learning methods often lack. Educational games have a built-in feedback system that helps learners to know how they are progressing. This feedback could be in the form of scores, progress bars, or badges, which motivates students to work hard and achieve better results. With immediate feedback, students can quickly identify their strengths and weaknesses, enabling them to focus on improving their performance in areas that need attention. For example, the game Lumosity, is an app that provides its users with personalized cognitive training programs to improve their memory, attention, and problem-solving skills. This app gives immediate feedback to its users on their progress and areas they need to work on to improve their performance.

In conclusion, educational gaming offers multiple benefits beyond entertainment. From enhancing engagement and motivation, to improving key skills and providing immediate feedback, educational gaming is an excellent tool for students to learn and have fun at the same time. As a user of these apps, I believe that educational gaming should be an integral part of the curriculum for students, as it can revolutionize the way we learn.