Photo Credit – Pixabay

Learning Through Play Helps Develop Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking Skills and Meaningful Relationships.

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and Higher Education Video Game Alliance (HEVGA) today released a new report that details how K-12 educators are using video games in classrooms across the U.S. to modernize learning opportunities and help students develop essential 21st century success skills.

The new report, Benefits of Video Games in K-12 Education, finds that video games promote engagement and resilience, stimulate collaboration and encourage student participation, which can improve student attitudes toward learning and promote leadership and cooperation opportunities within the curriculum and through game clubs and esports.

“More than 227 million people in the U.S. play video games, the majority of which believe that video games can be educational and improve both cognitive and creative skills,” ESA President and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis said. “Our new report shows that in addition to the important intrinsic value of play to bring joy, mental stimulation and connection, video games are also being used in the classroom in creative and inventive ways to engage learners and develop pathways toward future success.”

The report reviews academic literature on video games in K-12 education and draws on in-depth interviews with teachers on their use of video games to extend and enhance student learning.

“The educators interviewed for this project work at public, charter, and independent schools in big cities, suburbs, and towns across the country. They teach math, science, language, history and more,” HEVGA President Andrew Phelps said. “The research shows these educators are successfully using games as powerful tools to foster learning, exploration, and connection. We hope the report encourages more teachers to use video games in their classrooms.”

Increasingly, education-based video games are proving useful in advancing learning opportunities for students in the classroom and beyond. As this new report demonstrates, that trend will likely continue as more teachers adopt video games as tools to enhance learning outcomes.

-PR Newswire