Video Games and Learning

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Video Games and Learning
Introduction
Education is one of the professional fields in that technology is revolutionizing its processes and means of engagement. Video games’ popularity has surged with an estimated $61 billion in sales globally in 2015 (Ault 145). The most common video games “Candy Crush” and “Call of Duty” have been most played by most Americans. The popularity of video gaming has compelled teachers to embrace video games, using them to teach various subjects, including history, geography, and math. From a developer’s perspective, video gaming practice helps mediate stroke conditions, improve attention skills among children, and boost cognitive capability in adults. On the other end, teachers feel that video gaming allows students to understand learning activities and changes the perception about certain subjects perceived to be challenging, such as mathematics. However, despite the positive gains highlighted, some group is skeptic about video gaming in schools anchoring on the notion that this culture will leave out the majority of female later negatively affecting education as video gaming is steadily being adopted in schools. I believe video games and gaming in the classroom can be beneficial to students because video games can enhance critical thinking, lead to a better interest in learning and subject area, and improve students’ social skills.
Video Gaming as Tool for Enhancing Critical Thinking
Students are presented with different information in school that some need creativity to complete. Video games have come in handy as a tool that makes students think outside the box and come up with appropriate solutions. Ault concedes that “games give children autonomy and agency, helping them design their solutions, collaborate with friends and create natural affinity group that helps bring learning alive outside the classroom” (148). In essence, games provide massive information to a student. The information can then be used to build on the existing information. In turn, it stimulates a student to try to imitate what has been relayed in the video. For example, a student may decide to develop an idea, such as coming up with a program similar to the video.
Further, critical thinking is advanced by students’ desire to put skills into action. Vault argues that watching games compel students to “…frequently modify the game’s code to make “Minecraft” whatever they want it to be” (154). For example, a programming student is more likely to borrow ideas from video games and try to replicate some program or generally develop a new program slightly different from the one seen but with the same functions. A perfect example of this creativity from watching video games is a student developing a program similar to a calculator or a timer that can be used to simplify activities in school and home environments. The main force driving a student to develop innovations is thinking about how best to ease and streamline processes for a better future.
Video Gaming in bettering interest in Learning and Subject Areas
Video games’ role in the education sector is significantly ...