Using Online Games to Incentivize Education

Last Updated on December 16, 2023

It’s important that the way we educate our children adapts with current trends. Gone are the days of kids sitting in an uninspiring classrooms attempting to memorize as many facts as possible. The recent boom in online gaming has changed children’s consumption habits. As well as, how they are able to absorb information. Online games stimulate children’s minds in ways that classroom education does not. Therefore, using online games as a learning tool can be hugely beneficial in education.

Traditional classroom learning methods are a passive process. Children have little or no interaction with the subject matter beyond reading books or writing down facts from a whiteboard. Later they may be forced to recall said information for a test. For them, this recalling is done because they have to, not because they want to. Effective education has to go beyond the memorization of facts. Unless students have an opportunity and a desire to apply their knowledge, then most of what they learn will simply be forgotten over time.

Utilizing online games in an educational environment can transform the learning experience. The subject matter can go from a passive and boring chore, into an active and enjoyable pursuit. Children can use online games so they are both engaged and motivated to learn. By using games as a tool alongside traditional learning methods, students can apply what they have learned in a way which is both creative and fun.

All games, both online and offline have one thing in common. The player completes a set of tasks to obtain a reward of some kind. Their incentive for completing the tasks can be anything from being awarded virtual points or collecting badges. Often the reward is simply the opportunity to experience more of the game itself, in the case of moving onto the game’s next level. This is where game-based learning, like the type offered at ReviewGameZone.com really shines. If the reward for answering questions is being able to move on to an additional part of the game, students have an intrinsic motivation for learning the information.

Another area where games are beneficial to learning is in peer-based competition. Online learning games use simple but effective measuring tools to give their players motivation. Items such as leader boards or collecting achievements, give learners another motivational tool to fuel their education.

Games can also have indirect benefits unrelated to the core subject matter. For example, multiple choice games demonstrate to players that their actions have consequences. Gamers are also likely to take more risks. Game based education is a fantastic resource in this respect. Students see the result of getting a question wrong in a game environment as less severe than giving an incorrect answer in a classroom environment. This makes them more likely to commit to an answer, rather than be timid and not make one at all, which is common in a classroom environment.

Online games are a great tool to be used in conjunction with classical learning methods. Games provide a rewarding and most importantly, a fun environment for learners. Elements of problem solving and risk taking, gives games numerous advantages over the classroom. Making them a great addition to a child’s education.

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