Child's Play: How Gaming in Schools can Benefit Students
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IMAGE: Generated by Bing Image Creator, https://www.bing.com/images/create, prompt: "Chucky from Child's Play playing a board game in a library". |
The word “gaming” has had negative social connotations attached to it with the help of the “Satanic Panic” of the 1980s with Dungeons and Dragons, and the debate on whether violent video games increase aggression such as Call of Duty or Fortnite. Yet, these games are more popular than ever. But why is that? By playing games, online or in person, students become connected to each other through collaboration, communication, and shared experiences. “Stripped of its faddish popularity and buzzywordy name, the heart of gamification is just an effective way to design experiences.” (Alter, 316)
Chuck the Lectures
Lectures in a classroom tend to be dry, boring, and uninspiring. But what if lessons could be turned into games? “Gamification doesn’t help much when an experience is already fun; it does its best work when the experience is boring.” (Alter, 308) Students have an easier time learning and retaining information when they are engaged.
"In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun, you find the fun and snap! The job's a game." — Mary Poppins, chucking lectures since 1964.
If lessons could be turned into games where students are not penalized for providing the wrong answer, they will be more motivated and engaged in learning. “Games encourage learners to be actively engaged rather than passively receiving, and with a low price for failure, gameplay allows learners to gain experience by taking more risks at lower cost than in real life (Gee 2008).” (Elkins, 59) Most classes now prize opinions based on understanding the content through evidence instead of memorization. Games allow students to explore their understanding by forming their own ideas in relation to their peers and gameplay. One downside to the gamification of lessons can be compared to the technology created to motivate people to exercise, “... people think about the experience differently as soon as it adopts the hallmarks of fun. Now exercising isn’t about being healthy; it’s about having fun. And soon the fun ends, so will the exercise.” (Alter, 315) The challenge for teachers will be once games are in place, is how to keep educational games encouraging and enticing to have students excited for more.
Seed of Camaraderie
According to the report Teens, Technology and Friendships, “Much more than for girls, boys use video games as a way to spend time and engage in day-to-day interactions with their peers and friends.” (Lenhart et al., 4) Students are already connecting online to play games with their friends, whether in person or separate. They are experiencing shared events within gameplay and working through critical thinking to solve problems within the game. “By accomplishing something that is very hard for us, like solving a puzzle or finishing a race, our brains release a potent cocktail of norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine.” (McGonigal, 47) Completing challenges in the game gives students a feeling of natural happiness. They will continue to exhibit ambition to solve the next challenges in anticipation of repeating the process.
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“Our most pressing problems — depression, helplessness, social alienation, and the sense that nothing we do truly matters — could be effectively addressed by integrating more gameful work into our everyday lives.” (McGonigal, 36) Schools can be a stressful environment with social aspects that can make it hard to focus on learning. By having students collaborate on gameplay in the classroom, they can help each other socially and mentally. By creating an environment of acceptance and support, it allows students to make mistakes and makes it okay to make mistakes. This can develop an optimistic view on learning and social connections with peers. “In fact, studies have shown that optimism makes us more likely to seek out social support and develop strong relationships. When we feel a strong sense of agency and motivation, we draw other people closer into our lives. And that’s why so much of the fun failure we experience in games is increasingly taking place in a social context.” (McGonigal, 76) Even more so, if games in the classroom are geared toward helping others, such as creating games where social problems or issues are worked on, it can develop empathy in students since “... research has shown that people who play games in which they help others are more likely to help other people in real life (McGonigal 2011).” (Elkins, 59)
Library Cult(ure)
Games in the library can look a little different to games in the classroom. Games in the library could include computer games, video games, or board games that students could play in the library or check out. “A variety of different options could be offered to your patrons, from simply providing space for game enthusiasts to meeting and discussing games to organizing and hosting gaming tournaments. As with any other element of your library program, what you may choose to offer will depend upon the resources at your disposal and the needs and interests of your patrons.” (Elkins, 62) By providing games in the library librarians are able to offer students ways to relax but keep their minds active, create social connections, and develop experiences that build relationships. “By playing games, school librarians can share common experiences with some of their patrons, and use this shared experience to develop stronger relationships with them.” (Elkins, 63)
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IMAGE: Photo by me! A selection of games available at Wellesley High School. The most popular games played are Chess, Apple to Apples, Settlers of Catan, Battleship, and Uno. |
A library does not need to buy a Playstation or Nintendo to create a gaming community, but it can offer access to educational online games, possibly on the library website, for students to access in the library or at home. Either purchased or donated physical games can bring groups of students together who may not naturally have connected. Having space for games forms a positive connection between students and the library. Those feelings of happiness formed by association build upon each other and can encourage students to participate in more library offerings. "Community games have important benefits to our real lives. They may lead us to new interests — public spaces or public institutions we discover we care about more than we’d thought, or activities like storytelling and art that we want to pursue with others. Even when the game ends, we may find ourselves participating more in these spaces, institutions, and activities than before." (McGonigal, 181) The great thing about games is that games can take many forms and be played numerous times whether physical or digital because, “We can play games endlessly, no matter how limited our resources.” (McGonigal, 350)
Breaking the Stigma Curse
"This is cursed. That is cursed." — The Mummy Returns (2001). But is gamification cursed?
The most important takeaway to remember is “Gamers, emphatically, are not gaming alone.” (McGonigal, 94) Gaming is a social event that breaks from the everyday which provides stimulation, challenges, and satisfaction. “Instead of fixing reality, we’ve simply created more and more attractive alternatives to the boredom, anxiety, alienation, and meaninglessness we run up against so often in everyday life.” (McGonigal, 115) Whether tied to a lesson or available on a shelf, gameplay builds confidence, connections, and positive interactions that directly affect learning, relationships, and self-worth. “We gain confidence that we can connect with others when we want to, and when we need to. And with that confidence, there is no reason to ever feel alone in the world — virtual, real, or otherwise.” (McGonigal, 182) The stigma against games with children and young adults should not be the concern as they are founded in panic and misinformation. The concern with students and games should be how gameplay can be incorporated into schools — both in classroom and library settings — as they can help students achieve higher academic potential. “Games don’t distract us from our real lives. They fill our real lives: with positive emotions, positive activity, positive experiences, and positive strengths.” (McGonigal, 354)
Works Cited:
Alter, Adam L. Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked. New York, Penguin Books, 2017.
El-Tayib, Bebarce. “Bring Tabletop Role-Playing Games into the Library and Classroom for Educational Opportunities across Curricula.” School Library Journal, Media Source, Inc., 24 Jan. 2020, www.slj.com/story/bring-tabletop-role-playing-games-into-classroom-for-cross-curricular-educational-opportunities. Accessed 8 Mar. 2025.
Elkins, Aaron J. “Let’s Play: Why School Librarians Should Embrace Gaming in the Library.” Knowledge Quest, vol. 43, no. 5, May 2015, pp. 58–63.
Lenhart, Amanda, et al. “Teens, Technology and Friendships: Video Games, Social Media and Mobile Phones Play an Integral Role in How Teens Meet and Interact with Friends.” Pew Research Center, 6 Aug. 2015.
Levine, Jenny. “Libraries, Videogames, and Civic Engagement.” Library Technology Reports, July 2009, pp. 11–18. ALA Techsource.
Mardell, Ben, et al. A Pedagogy of Play: Supporting Playful Learning in Classrooms and Schools. Cambridge, MA, Project Zero, 2023, pz.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/PoP%20Book%203.27.23.pdf. Accessed 8 Mar. 2025.
McGonigal, Jane. Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World. London, Vintage, 2011.
Ross, Elizabeth. “Embracing Learning through Play | Harvard Graduate School of Education.” Www.gse.harvard.edu, Harvard Graduate School of Education, 17 May 2023, www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/usable-knowledge/23/05/embracing-learning-through-play. Accessed 8 Mar. 2025.
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