According to the recent global gaming statistics, over 150 million of Americans play games. Of which, 29% of gamers were under 18 years old and 74% of K-8 teachers used digital games in the classroom. (Lofgren, 2015). So what are the benefits of gaming? To understand its impact, lets start with a game of "Monkey Gems" by clicking on the picture to your left.
How did you approach the game? What was your goal? When you were playing, what were you thinking? Did you stop and take stock? What did you learn from your mistakes? Did you reach your goal?
Games teach us some valuable life lessons especially when they are intertwined with educational content. The same holds true for sports. To be as good as Muhammad Ali, Tiger Woods, Usain Bolt, or any of the sports legends, you have to practice continuously. It requires individual to be consistent and persistence. Obviously it doesn’t hurt when you are talented. However this isn’t enough. To achieve mastery of what you do, it takes personal endurance and mental strength to carry you through every day until you reach your goal.
When you fumble, take full responsibility. However, don’t beat up yourself. Everyone makes mistakes. It is how you recover that matters. Learn from it and move on. There is no point crying over spill milk, as there is always another move waiting for you. Instead spend your time reflecting and analyzing what went wrong and what you need to modify and adjust to make things work for you. Step out of your comfort zone to explore and take risks so as to reach your goal. In the case of "BenBen The Monkey" in the game, his goal was not to be eaten by the snake which was heading his way. If it works, celebrate your success. And if it doesn’t, add it to your experience list and persist again. Most of all, believe in yourself in pursuit of your passion.
The skills you learn in games apply to learners of all age groups in schools, from K12, college, to adult education. Under Finks Taxonomy of Significant Learning (2012), learning goes beyond the cognitive domain. An effective learning environment is one that integrates the six domains as shown in the diagram below.
Learners are not simply doing the task. They are thinking, applying the concepts they learn through an activity and are enjoying the task. They also understand the impact of their actions on other people and their surroundings. Just like "BenBen The Monkey" in the game, he needed to come up with a strategy, as every move he made especially the bad ones resulted in him getting closer to be eaten by the snake. In games or in life, there can be full of surprizes, and some things are beyond your control. As educators, we need to equip the next generation to create an active learning environment and provide them with skills to better cope with the challenges in everyday life, be it at school, work or home.
References
AARP - Strategy. (2017, January 20). Retrieved from http://games.aarp.org/category/strategy
BYUIdaho. (2017, January 20). Dee Fink's Taxonomy of Significant Learning. Retrieved from https://www.byui.edu/outcomes-and-assessment-old/the-basics/step-1-articulate-
outcomes/dee-finks-taxonomy-of-significant-learning
Lofgren, K. (2015, March 3). 2015 Video Game Statistics & Trends Who’s Playing What & Why?
Retrieved from BigFish: http://www.bigfishgames.com/blog/2015-global-video-game-
stats-whos-playing-what-and-why/