Does gaming belong on the curriculum?

Computer games - the series, part 3

For many parents, the two terms «computer games» and «learning» don't really go together. The recently deceased paediatrician Remo Largo thought this was a prejudice and misunderstanding. "We adults find computer games useless, children - quite rightly - do not. When playing, they have to react, combine, be quick, faster than others - these are perfectly sensible learning tasks.

Young people don't play because they enjoy violence, but because the computer game challenges them." This is how Remo Largo describes the main thrust of games: the motivation lies solely in the challenge and its conquest.

This is why children stay on the ball when gaming, even after failing several times, and show the kind of determination that some parents would wish for in school. Some teachers are now utilising the potential of the challenge and using digital games in lessons. The keyword here is gamification.

Game elements have long since established themselves in professional life

Roughly summarised, the term gamification stands for the combination of playful components with a non-game environment. The use of typical game elements increases motivation through positively experienced feelings. This gamification has long since established itself in professional life and is used in areas such as marketing, product development and recruitment. Or even in school lessons.

«Gamification can add value to lessons,» writes the Solothurn University of Teacher Education on its website. «Clearly defining the objectives, adapting the level to the students' prior knowledge and abilities, continuously and individually increasing the level of challenge and tackling complex problems: All principles that come into play in many games, but are also established in schools and are considered to have an above-average effect on academic learning success.»

Whether games are used in the classroom depends heavily on the respective teaching staff, the technical equipment and the games. Serious games, which are not just for entertainment but familiarise their players with serious content, are particularly suitable. This may be a lot less cool than «SuperMario» and «Fortnite», but that doesn't matter. In this genre, there is a diverse selection on science, culture, politics and much more.

Meaningful content

Some offers, such as the wonderful app «The Unstoppables», sensitise people to dealing with physically impaired people. Many programmes provide a good starting point for discussions. The spectrum can also include aspects of media skills or focus on professions such as game designer, programmer and level designer. But I have another idea.

How about pupils occasionally presenting their favourite games to the class like a book? The game presentation must follow a logical structure, state the most important facts, describe the plot and challenges, show an extract from the game and then make their own opinion clear. This learning effect benefits not only those who are otherwise less able to read. Teachers also gain an insight into the world of their class and can ask questions about content or moral issues in an uninhibited manner. And finally: integrating computer games into lessons in this way would be a sign of appreciation towards children.

«Knowing about games is part of the general knowledge of media education»

Peter Suter, lecturer in media education and computer science at the Zurich University of Teacher Education, on video games in teacher training and everyday school life.

Mr Suter, what role do games play in the training and further education of teachers?

As computer games are part of society, it is important that teachers are given an idea of the everyday lives of their pupils. Being familiar with it is part of the general knowledge of media education. We are also following the topic with great interest ourselves in order to find out what potential a game could harbour for schools.

Can you learn with games?

The subject of games is far too broad a field with very different genres to give a clear answer. The skills learnt include coordination, movement, dexterity, stamina, concentration and social skills such as the ability to lose. In my opinion, the quality lies in learning something that is value-free and that you do on your own initiative. It's about enjoying the game and not about achieving a specific learning objective. We are therefore less concerned with the level of specialised skills and more with interdisciplinary skills.

What are serious games good for?

There is often a big dilemma with serious games. In short: the more «serious», the less «game». Of course, pupils quickly realise that it's not primarily about playing, but about maths, for example. Of course, it can also be fun, even if only in the short term.

Are you experiencing great popularity with the topic of games?

Interest in it is very mixed and depends on the teacher. However, programming has given the subject a new boost in Switzerland. In German-speaking Switzerland, computer science as a science has become an integral part of integrated lessons from kindergarten onwards. From Year 5 onwards, there is a weekly lesson dedicated to it. Programming with Scratch or robots and therefore also the gaming aspect are therefore becoming more and more accepted in schools.

The series:

Hardly anything has such a strong pull on young people as computer games. What is the fascination and what are the opportunities? What are the dangers of gaming on the computer and how can we protect our children from them? Everything parents need to know about gaming in a six-part series.

Part 1 What we need to know about gaming

Teil 2 Welche Chancen bieten Games?

Part 3 Learning with games
Part 4 How dangerous are games?
Part 5 What protective measures are there for games?
Part 6 Good games, bad games - we can recommend these games

Read all articles in the series here

To the author