Educational Games Promote Learning

As we all know, kids and teens love to play games after school. There are many types of games which may capture their interests; RPG games, video games, Xbox, internet games. Young people are attracted to games because they are fun, offer an escape and teens tend to enjoy technology.

Since teens are going to play games anyways, why not develop games that can teach them things and hone their life skills? Many corporations are actually engineering games that aren’t just entertaining but also very educational.

Capital One and Junior Achievement just announced the launching of a new website that features a game that teaches kids how to manage money and gives them the ability to role play different careers and jobs. This game is based on a Junior Achievement program called “JA Finance Park Virtual” and designed for kids in junior high and high school.

Each player takes on an identity with a job, family, career and a financial budget. The player then must work through real life issues such as doing well at work and managing the household and finances. This game shows kids what it’s like in the real world and teaches them real life skills.

In order to provide support for the idea that online education in form of games can be educational and useful, Junior Achievement and Capital One commissioned Brain Research to conduct a survey. Results show that two thirds of teens play video games with their parents at least once a month. This means that the parents can also play along these educational games with their kids.

There is even a game that can home math and reading and comprehension skills.

As we all know, math can be tedious and difficult for lots of young folks. If a game can make math actually more fun then it’s definitely a useful tool. The website was launched during the same week that Capital One and Junior Achievement’s site was started. Fun Brain manages the site. The firm has been developing educational online videos since around ten years ago.

Academic Skill Builders is another website that is trying to make learning fun. Subjects they teach include English, vocabulary, critical thinking and arithmetic. The site also includes testimonials from teachers who encourage their students to visit the site and play the games. One teacher wrote, “Aligning the joy of gaming with practicing math facts clearly helps transform the experience and invites students to learn in an environment they are not only comfortable with but would seek out given the choice.”

Games are a tool that can be used to encourage and motivate students to learn. Any tool that can make the learning process more attractive and fun should be taken seriously.

Written by Jacqueline Star – Trident University provides Accredited Online College offers Bachelor, Master and PhD degrees. We offer Online Degrees and military education including online Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD degree programs. We provide the online education tools to help you succeed no matter where you are. Our distance learning platform is supported by faculty and staff to help you each step of the way. TUI provides a unique opportunity to earn an accredited university degree online in Business Administration, Health Sciences, Information Systems, or Education.

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged , . Bookmark the permalink.