This infographic explains the importance of games in the educational system, and it also explains how games can help children in learning effectively. The reason behind the continuous demand for including games in the educational syllabi is that, nowadays, children are grown up in an environment in which they see the continuous flux of technological gadgets. It cannot be denied that children start playing games at a very early age. Thus the inclusion of games in education has something to do with the familiarity that the children develop towards the game as they grow up. It would be better to give them a learning material to which they are accustomed – games in this instance – and not the traditional educational books which they have no idea about.
Educational System & ICT
When asked, different teachers in various schools responded positively that when digital media is used in the class, the attention of the class increases by up to 74%. This is because of these technological gadgets that children feel at home. There are different opinions on whether games should be included in the syllabus or not; some people say that as games are associated with fun activities, children will waste too much of their time if they keep on playing games. On the other hand, some people believe that if games are filled with educational content, it will be far easier for them to learn. The infographic also contains the research of famous doctor Paul Howard Jones to explain the creative and the learning process.
According to Paul, the main contribution of playing games is that they increase the dopamine level in the brains. Now, this dopamine level is good for different things: for instance, its most effective function is that it promotes creativity. You might be wondering how a certain element can improve creativity, here is how. Our memory works on the basis of association, that is to say, whenever we read or study something, it gets connected to the familiar information that is already present in our brains. “As dopamine allows neurons to make more and more connections, we retain more and more information, and most importantly, we are able to recall it on the proper time,” says Kyle Ward who works at Game Period. Thus once there is more strength and ability in our brains, there is a strong physical basis for learning.
Another thing that is very important in the learning process is the motivational level of the students. For instance, if a student likes a subject, he is more likely to get maximum marks in that subject than that which he doesn’t like at all. Thus we can say that the things we like most are the motivational factors for us. In a similar manner, when this is applied to games, we know that children love playing games and keep their motivation high in this regard. Thus, different people argue that we can use this motivational level for educational and creative purposes. Apart from games, there are also different apps being developed these days, which also help a lot in educational pursuits.
Co-produced by: Game Period & TechPrevue