History

Technology has changed the way we live our day to day lives. It only makes sense that it has changed the way that we learn. "The topic of 'game-based learning' is gaining considerable attention as more and more young people are learning from games outside of school and more and more teachers are leveraging the power of games to engage students in school" (Metz, 2012). The internet and the development of tablets and handheld devices with downloading capabilities have open our instructional doors to a whole new world of engagement. Studies are showing that games have the potential to benefit our students in the educational process. 

Games provide students with a unique form of interactivity. Many games allow students to compete against one another and earn points, badges, or rankings. Games "are designed to create a compelling complex problem space or world, which players come to understand through self-directed exploration. They are scaffolded to deliver just-in-time learning and to use data to help players understand how they are doing, what they need to work on and where to go next. Games create a compelling need to know, a need to ask, examine, assimilate and master certain skills and content areas" (Institute of Play, 2015). Through games, students enter a stage of play - where they are free to make mistakes and tend to not be afraid to fail. In games, we understand that achievement of a goal does not happen in one step. Games encourage us to continue striving and therefore, learning!

The following video contains some thoughts on the future of games in the classroom as shared by renowned professors of education. 

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