Do video games belong in the classroom?
It may sound counterproductive to learning, but experts say the right games can help students stay engaged and learn about history, science, math and more.
A 2019 study from Carnegie Mellon University found that nearly 75% of teachers have used digital game-based learning in their lesson plans.
Games like "The Oregon Trail" have been teaching students about 19th-century pioneer life since the 1970s in American classrooms, but today, students and teachers have so many more options.
"Games in American society tend to get a bad rap because they get associated with things like violence and addiction. But in fact, games have immense interpersonal possibilities. And so, games are a great way of teaching people things,” said Patrick Jagoda.
Jagoda has a bit of a dream job: at the University of Chicago, he teaches game studies and game design. His lab is filled with board games, and he gets to talk about video games all day.
But as the faculty director of the university's Weston Game Lab, Jagoda emphasizes that video games, board games and role-playing games aren't just for fun, he says they can be valuable for interactive learning.
"You can learn about economies, you can learn about political systems, you can learn about climate change through games, for instance,” Jagoda said.
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"We have a game called 'Infection City' that we produced, and this is a game where you have one player play the infection ... and then the rest of the players are playing as epidemiologists,” said Ashlyn Sparrow, game designer for the University of Chicago.
Jagoda mentioned another.
"Right now, our team is working on 'Haven,' which is a game for all of the incoming students, and the learning objectives are focused on freedom of expression,” he said. “So the idea is, how do you have a debate or how do you have a conversation about something you disagree about?"
Jagoda and Sparrow said games are safe places for students to fail and learn from their mistakes. Interactive puzzles can either be collaborative or competitive, and compelling stories can be played from multiple perspectives.
"There was a game that came out in 2007 called 'Peacemaker' that came out of Carnegie Mellon. And you could play either as the Palestinian or Israeli president or prime minister. And you have to create peace in the region,” Jagoda said.
"There's 'Cytosis,' which is another kind of science game,” said Sparrow. “There's a game on freedom that talks about abolition. There's a new game that's going to come out called 'Chicago 68,' which is talking about protesting."
For teachers curious about getting games into the classroom, Jagoda and Sparrow say students can help lead by talking about what they're playing, connecting it back to lessons, or even by designing their own games for the class.
"Games are their art form in the way that film or novels were for previous generations,” Jagoda said.
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