Viz prof links video game learning with student success
Video games should be a more integral part of education at all levels because they can excel at teaching students creative problem solving, improve their educational engagement, and stay in science, tech, engineering and math programs, said André Thomas, a Texas A&M visualization associate professor of the practice.
Thomas’ expressed his support for expanding video games’ role in education in “5 Reasons Video Games Should be More Widely Used in School,” an article he penned in The Conversation, an academic journalism website. Thomas heads the LIVE Lab, where Texas A&M students collaborate with faculty across campus and the videogame industry to create innovative, interactive educational software.
“From my standpoint as a video game designer and scholar who specializes in game-based learning, I don’t see a need to limit video game play among students during the school week,” said Thomas in the article. “Instead, I see a need to expand it – and to do so during the regular school day.”
He then lists five evidence-based reasons for his statement:
• videogames can help students stay in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs;
• they provide experiential learning;
• players learn from failure, and games help students keep trying until they succeed;
• students stay engaged in content, and
• games make complex knowledge fun.
