Learning with computer games

Game-based Learning is the process of incorporating playful elements into a learning context in the form of educational and serious Games in order to impart knowledge. There are now countless publications and studies that clearly prove that video games are suitable as a learning tool. Researchers at the University of Toronto, for example, were able to prove that first-person shooters can significantly improve sensorimotor learning. Other studies show that the use of video games can promote the ability to think spatially. In the following, however, we will deliberately focus on games from the entertainment software sector and how they can be used for learning.

The “Point & Click” adventure game “Grim Fandango" was first published in 1997 and has absolute cult status among fans of the genre. The story is about travel agent Manny Calavera, who sells travel packages through the realm of the dead to the newly deceased and uncovers a conspiracy in the course of the game. The players move through the world of the Mexican cult of the dead and solve puzzles. The renowned child psychologist Wolfgang Bergmann conducted research on this video game in 2000. Bergmann wanted to find out whether computer games could be suitable for behavioral training with hyperactive children. The results showed that the virtual world of “Grim Fandango” can be used as a platform on which new behaviors can be practiced. He also came to the conclusion that games without educational intentions appear to be significantly beneficial for intelligence.

The “sandbox” computer game “Minecraft” from 2009 is the most successful computer game of all time with over 230 million units sold and is particularly popular with young people of school age. There are two different modes in the game: survival mode, in which you have to collect resources and look after your health, and creative mode, which provides the user with unlimited resources. In January 2016, the so-called “Minecraft: Education Edition” was released, which is especially suitable for educational and school use. A license for this only costs €5 per student for one year. Teachers and educators were specifically involved in the development of the game. The game is now being used in thousands of schools in over 40 countries. In one Swedish school, “Minecraft” has even been made a compulsory subject.

In “Portal 2”, the player moves through a parkour-like experimental laboratory using a so-called “portal gun” and solves puzzles that advance the story.

In 2012, the developer “Valve” released the “Teach with Portals”” package. This package expands the main game with the “Puzzle Maker”, a type of level editor for pupils and teachers. A dedicated website was created for the project, where ready-made designs for the subjects of physics, mathematics and literature can be downloaded. In 2014, researchers at Florida State University even found that “Portal 2” can keep up with professional brain training software in terms of learning effect and the promotion of spatial thinking.

The potential of digital learning content is far from being fully exploited and will continue to develop significantly in the near future. The problematic history of video games in Germany makes it difficult for games to be accepted as a fully-fledged learning medium. Other countries are much more open in this area. In conclusion, it can be said that computer games offer more possibilities than traditional learning media, as they not only combine their functions, but also add an interactive component. The educational use of computer games is therefore the next level of learning.