Edutainment

The research from the group Teachers Evaluating Educational Multimedia (Teem) is being studied by the Department for Education in the UK. Their study concluded that simulation and adventure games - such as Sim City and Roller Coaster Tycoon, where players create societies or build theme parks, developed children's strategic thinking and planning skills. The study investigated the habits of 700 children aged seven to 16 also found that, far from being a solitary activity, children preferred to play games in pairs or small groups.

The director of Teem, Professor Angela McFarlane, said there was much to learn from the games industry in terms of developing scenarios that really challenged and engaged children, rather than reproducing text books on the screen.

"Adventure, quest and simulation type games have a lot of benefit - they're quite complex and create a context in which children can develop important skills," said Professor McFarlane. "We're not advocating arcade, shot-the-baddie type games," she stressed.

Professor McFarlane believes teachers often found it difficult to justify the use of simulation or adventure computer games during school time because their content did not map the national curriculum, however if educational material could be built in, such games could be used in the classroom legitimately. For example, you could use an historical event like the Battle of Hastings and - knowing the facts are accurate - get pupils to put themselves in the place of one of the soldiers or generals.

Another study by the Federation of American Scientists said a new vision of video games could redefine education and captivate students so they will spend hours learning on their own. They found many video games require players to master skills in demand by today’s employers. The theory is that games teach skills that employers want: analytical thinking, team building, multitasking and problem solving under duress. Unlike humans, the games never lose patience. The idea might stun those who consider games to be the symbol of teenage sloth. This is not about virtual football or skateboarding. Games would have to be created and evaluated with the goal of raising achievement.

In the classroom, video games can be used to make learning more fun. For example, typing games might be a better way to learn the computer keyboard than having a teacher talk to them about it.

The children questioned as part of the research said working in a team was the most important aspect of playing video games. While is contrary to the stereotype of that children play on the computer exclusively on their own.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/1879019.stm#map

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2006/10/19/videogames-education.html?ref=rss

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/education/2003309887_videogames18.html