Game-Based Learning: Pros, Cons, and How It Helps Students Retain Basic Knowledge

What Is Game-Based Learning?

Game-based learning is, simply put, studying a subject or receiving an education through various games.

Since the use of computers — whether tablets, desktops, or phones — is so widespread, there is no doubt that companies and parents will leverage technology to teach various subjects. This did not begin only with our current modern technology: learning through games is actually a centuries-old practice.

Games have been used as teaching tools hundreds of years ago. Think of chess and how it stimulates mental activity. It makes you think strategically and critically. In my opinion, it sounds too ancient, but it worked! It was a revolutionary way of learning even in the 19th century.

Can You Really Learn by Playing Games?

The short answer? Yes, absolutely you can. Surprisingly, game-based learning can be structured just like a school lesson plan. It is becoming an increasingly popular trend where teachers build the foundation of their classes around educational games. Game-based learning can easily help a user retain basic knowledge used for studying and passing tests. It not only helps users preserve valuable knowledge but also motivates students to continue learning.

"97% of surveyed teachers said that a gamified reading platform motivates their students to read more... 70% of teachers reported seeing increased student engagement when using educational video games." Even this statistic alone is a great trend. Encouraging further learning is key to a student's overall success in a school environment. Even if a student is not the best at reading, the desire to read more will benefit them and improve comprehension levels.

Advantages

One of the first potential benefits of game-based learning is that children find it much more engaging to participate in an activity like a game. At first glance, it's just a game, but underneath lies the potential to capture children's imaginations, helping them learn subjects that might have been boring or difficult in a traditional classroom.

Game-based learning has been proven to improve retention, i.e., keeping information in your brain. This is ideal because different learning styles are accommodated within a game, and different games help students identify their strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, games are quite versatile: you can combine various subjects into a single game, creating a wonderful little learning package.

The main goal of a game is retention. The challenge is to remember what you learned while playing the game. This is a great opportunity to incorporate subjects that are more difficult for students into a friendly, more accessible environment where they can engage with the material. Imagine a student who is afraid of math, but a game designed for that subject is very fun and helps them retain knowledge. Again, this is not surprising.

It is a much more engaging way to learn than outdated activities at the kitchen table and obsolete textbooks in the hope of passing a test.

Game-based learning, along with teaching critical thinking skills, is a teaching strategy. I played Age of Empires late into the night during Thanksgiving break in fifth grade. The game challenges you to gather resources, build armies, and defeat the enemy. Beneath the surface of this game lie detailed lessons in history and strategic thinking for the player, because you cannot defeat the enemy using brute force alone.

You need to plan: Do I have enough wood to upgrade buildings so they can withstand an enemy attack? Do I have enough archers to storm the enemy's city center? All these questions shape your attack plan and help you think more critically. To create such engaging educational games, you need to hire the ideal game development team.

Of course, it's not all sunshine and roses. Game-based learning, while a fun alternative to text-based learning, has not been fully tested in our modern technological landscape. Some consider it a "fad" and are hesitant to fully integrate it into the curriculum that students can engage with.

I think many games can be misused. Imagine a student in a classroom playing an educational game. The teacher has moved on from the topic the game covers and returned to a more traditional classroom setting.

Some students may linger in the game, distracting themselves from other subjects, limiting the learning process and ignoring new incoming information. Just imagine playing an engaging game until the early morning: you abandon your responsibilities in favor of game mechanics. Sometimes they can be too good.

Game-Based Learning vs. Text-Based Learning

As a veteran of many dusty, outdated textbooks on various subjects, I welcome the new trend of learning through games. What I wouldn't give to have a more inclusive, fun, and easier-to-absorb medium of information. Of course, textbooks have their merits and have been a staple of education for what seems like an eternity.

However, different people learn differently. While I love reading, I am a visual learner at heart, and seeing things like charts or pictures is inherently easier for me. I can process information better and retain it more effectively if I can visualize what I am studying.

Honestly, there is something downright addictive about seeing progress bars, badges, and icons that mark your mastery of a subject.

Game-based learning provides exactly that and even more. It engages the player in an interactive arena where they can both visualize and read. Going back to the example of The Oregon Trail, I learned different vocabulary I had never heard before while hunting wild animals and gathering plants.

These engaging moments not only teach you to remember unfamiliar words but also help visually, while simultaneously testing your comprehensive reading skills.

A great example is a simulation of the Solar System. We are all familiar with space, but the material associated with it can be a bit dry for some students. It would be a dream to participate in a game that simulated the universe and all the billions of celestial objects.

As gamers, we love making our own decisions. Remember being a child? Wouldn't it be great to have some autonomy, which we weren't familiar with?

Let's go back to the chess example for a second. You could play chess your entire life, from birth to death, and never master it completely. That constant improvement and play motivate many people to keep moving forward and getting better. Games and learning seem like perfect companions.

When playing a developed game, you realize you are not yourself: you are Kratos, the vengeful God of War, Master Chief, the space hero. This also stimulates children's imagination and makes them think creatively.

Trends

The possibilities of imagination are another positive aspect of this trend. In college, I took Spanish classes, and there was a very interactive game where you had to match Spanish words to their corresponding English forms — it was addictive.

And it helped a lot. It's not always a game like those encountered by younger students; I found it has also penetrated higher education. We see that game-based learning is becoming more popular and more engaging than simply memorizing historical dates from a textbook.

Another trend of this phenomenon is that they take advantage of mobile games. There are many games in app stores that do not require a computer at school to study.

Apps like Edmodo, BrainPOP, and Reading Eggs allow anyone of any age to access learning through games. Social media platforms like Facebook even contain many games for your educational needs. There is no reason not to use these games if you are looking for an educational game for yourself or your student.

The future of game-based learning looks very bright. Augmented reality and virtual reality are becoming innovators in the gaming industry as a whole, and they could potentially also be used in game-based learning. Returning to the universe example: what if a student could put on a VR headset and instantly be transported into a fully formed universe?

You would no longer have to visit a planetarium with a boring narrator's voice explaining the different planets; perhaps you could visit them yourself and fly around the galaxy.

Platforms

It seems that the main platforms for game-based learning are apps on devices and web browsers. Developing such solutions requires quality software development. Of course, there are games installed on computers for school environments, but otherwise, for most users, these games can simply be downloaded.

Some users may even use existing games like EVE Online for PC, where gamers undergo an informal economics course. You have to manage a thriving space corporation, and all the details are meticulously thought out. Goodbye economics textbooks and hello to the brutal online world of space economics!

The Verdict

Since games are an integral part of most of our lives, game-based learning is the logical next step beyond entertainment purposes. As we have seen, game-based learning helps users retain knowledge much better than memorizing passages and terms from textbooks.

It proves to be an invaluable tool not only for younger students but also for those in college. Above all, I believe this trend toward game-based learning will ultimately prove very beneficial for educators and teachers.

It will allow them to conduct lessons more engagingly and creatively, and perhaps they will see a fantastic payoff as students thrive and develop a desire to learn more and better.