Transforming the Way We Learn: Why Kids Should Play Video Games

What place should games have in education? Can a game foster true learning or is it at best a supplement? And how much game time should kids have? The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents limit screen time (TV and video games) to no more than two hours, and that exceeding these recommendations can be a contributing factor to attention problems like ADHD. New research suggests however, that games can actually be beneficial to both children and adults, and that kids should spend more time playing, not less.

 Interestingly, the educational benefits of video games are not limited only to those titles labeled “educational”, but also include mainstream games. Research conducted by Cheryl Olson, ScD of Harvard Medical School found that playing games like Legend of Zelda and Bakugan can encourage planning, problem-solving, decision-making, creativity and self-expression. Games like Age of Empires and Civilization can encourage a child’s interest in history, geography, and international relations, especially if a parent assists in expanding on the themes of the game with related resources like museums, books, and websites.

While past studies have linked video games to the childhood obesity epidemic, new research says otherwise, that gaming can in fact encourage kids to get off the couch and exercise. These benefits aren’t limited to motion-sensing games like PBS’s educational movement games, or exercise games like Wii Fit and Dance Central 2. Olson’s research found that simply playing a realistic sports game, like football, basketball, or skateboarding, can actually lead to “increased time spent playing sports and exercising in real life.”

While many parents may consider gaming a solitary activity, Olson’s research found that games are highly interactive and social and can help kids to make friends, encourage normal and healthy competition, foster leadership and teaching skills, and help to bring parents and kids together.

Ultimately, it comes down to parental involvement. According to Venturebeat’s article Kids and video games: Why children should play more, “the best way to make games a safe, fun, and enriching part of everyday life is for parents to take an active interest and involvement in the hobby.”

Some other educational benefits of gaming researchers have found, courtesy of Venturebeat:

“…video games can help adults to process information much faster and improve their fundamental abilities to reason and solve problems in novel contexts.”

“…surgeons who regularly play video games are generally more skilled at performing laparoscopic surgery.”

“…video gamers show real-world improvements on tests of attention, accuracy, vision, and multitasking after playing certain titles.”

 “…experts say serious games and virtual environments may be the future of education. Not only do students find gaming more approachable and engaging than lectures and PowerPoint presentations, they insist on them. Simulations also provide a more inviting and lifelike context in which to make choices, see results, and apply learning in real-time. The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) states that kids actually need more, not less, video game play as a result. Citing games’ ability to prepare workers for the increasingly competitive global job market, the organization says that games promote strategic thinking, interpretative analysis, plan formulation, and ability to respond to change.” read more…

As with all things, the key is moderation. The AAP’s screen time recommendation lumps video games in with television viewing, a passive activity with none of the benefits of video gaming. Games can, and research says, should be a part of a child’s educational and media experience, and when balanced with other activities can be healthy and beneficial. I wonder if perhaps gaming time should be given its own recommendations, separate from television, and what that appropriate time would be.

What do you think? Do you see the educational benefits of gaming in your kids? What do you think is an appropriate time limit for gaming? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Related Links:

Transforming the Way We Learn - Game Based Learning

Mindshift: How Games Can Influence Learning

Knewton: The Gamification of Education [Infographic]

Pew Internet: The Games Kids Play…  May Do Some Good After All