Many people love them, some hate them, and some don’t really care about them at all. Regardless of how you feel about video games, you can’t deny that they have become a huge source of entertainment for many kids, tweens, teens, and adults. Even if you have never picked up a controller or tapped the screen of a smartphone, you’re likely aware that many people spend a lot of time gaming. Today we’re looking at the ways video games impact the brains of those playing them as well as how they can be used as learning tools in the classroom and beyond.
This is Your Brain on Nintendo
There are a number of scientific studies out there looking into how playing video games has influenced players’ behavior and thinking. There are positive benefits to gaming as well as some negative ones. Evidence shows that playing video games increases visuospatial skills, motor skills, and attention in some players over time. Spending time exploring worlds, solving puzzles, managing quests, or learning to defeat enemies can be fun and may increase some real-world abilities.
As for the negative impact, video games can be addictive. Some gamers have brain responses similar to those with addictive disorders and suffer from the inability to stop gaming and suffer real world consequences as a result.
So do video games rot your brain? Not really, but it’s more complicated than that. Some people have an addiction-like response in their brains which can lead to more time spent playing at the expense of relationships or responsibilities. Others are able to play without these effects and have increased some abilities that may be useful in real life. Overall, like with any hobby, a little goes a long way.
Video Games and Learning
Educational video games have been around almost as long as video games themselves. Simulation games can be used to train for some military or aviation careers. There are also a number of games that teach academic skills or offer brain-training to all ages of learners.
The biggest benefit of these games is that they motivate students to practice skills while rewarding them with fun in-game prizes, badges, or character upgrades. Rather than feeling like a stressful chore, homework and quizzes can be a more enjoyable experience. Many educational games also offer targeted, continuous practice to individual students so that they can move through the curriculum at their own pace. The “tests” that these games give students can provide teachers with valuable insight into student strengths and weaknesses, data that can be used to plan mini-lessons to further enrich and support all learners.
Research is still being done to determine how effective these learning games are on students long term. While educational games are not a substitute for instruction by an actual person, they can be a great way to supplement and provide extra practice that learners will actually want to complete.
Further Reading
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