To choose or not to choose Digital Educational Gaming is the QUESTION ... Reviewing the Good and Bad of Digital Educational Gaming

What is Educational Gaming? 

Hwang & Chen ( 2016) indicated that educational gaming is a competitive activity with specified principles and rules that lead to the obtainment of educational goals. In particular, students log on to a device that allows them to engage in a game. The game allows students to compete while incorporating educational material.

Possible Benefits of Educational Gaming

Current research indicates that utilizing Digital Educational Gaming has many benefits. These benefits include: an increase in intrinsic motivation to learn educational material, learning across time and space that supports learning in real world contexts, meaningful learning in contexts and environments that encourage meaningful learning, the support of sensory and motor skills, encourages constructing their own learning within the game, encourages and increases problem solving skills, and encourages students' being active in the learning process (Hwang & Chen, 2016). 

Possible Disadvantages of Educational Gaming

 In the past, some research has indicated that digital gaming can cause students to lose time with real life social interactions, therefore creating and perpetuating poor social skills (Van Petegem et al., 2019). Not only has there been mention of a creation of poor social skills, but also that students who engage in digital gaming may become comfortable with isolation and develop social anxiety (Van Petegem et al., 2019). 

While these issues are important to consider before choosing to utilize digital educational gaming, the list of benefits and educating oneself of the improvement of educational performance is so key. Any time an educator or educational professional can increase learning/close educational gaps and engage meaningful learning, is a step in the right direction to the ultimate goal of student success. It is now time to choose, digital educational gaming or not!!! 

If you are like some and need to read and hear a video that explains digital educational gaming and the benefits, please view the video below!! Remember before deciding Game or No game... weigh the rewards and issues, with the goal of active student engagement and an increase in student achievement and meaningful learning.

References 

Hwang, G.-J., & Chen, C.-H. (2016). Influences of an inquiry-based ubiquitous gaming design on students’ learning achievements, motivation, behavioral patterns, and tendency towards critical thinking and problem solving. British Journal of Educational Technology, 48(4), 950–971. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12464

Van Petegem, S., de Ferrerre, E., Soenens, B., van Rooij, A. J., & Van Looy, J. (2019). Parents’ Degree and Style of Restrictive Mediation of Young Children’s Digital Gaming: Associations with Parental Attitudes and Perceived Child Adjustment. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 28(5), 1379–1391. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01368-x