Integration of Video Games in Classrooms

Abstract
This literature review will explore the effective ways educational video games enhance student motivation in classrooms and the personalized approach of education through video games. It will also explore the adaptation of educational games in classrooms as well as educator’s concerns. The review is limited to the use of video games designed for educational purposes and does not discuss the educational value of the entertainment video games. The review does not discuss the different effects of video games on diverse groups; it focuses primarily elementary to college level students.

Video games have been around for over thirty years; they are one of the most lucrative and prominent forms of entertainment across cultures. A total of $20.77 billion was spent in 2012 in the game industry (ESA, Essential Facts about the Computor and Video Game Industry, 2013). The Gaming Industry is changing and adapting every year to the new technological changes. Video games have become an important form of entertainment to society. “U.S. consumers play video games on… Sony PlayStation 3 and the Microsoft Xbox 360 and on personal computers (“PCs”)….on mobile video players such as the PlayStation Portable “PSP”, the Game Boy Advance and the Nintendo DS….“on-line” among multiple players who interconnect over the Internet and other proprietary online networks” (Siwek, 2010). The expanding market of video games and its influence on American culture has intrigued many educators. Educators are questioning the educational value of video games and considering the possible integration of video games in classrooms to bring their persuasive influence on students into learning environments. Video games hold the potential to create motivated, personalized and challenging learning environments for students. However they also have their drawbacks in that they may not meet the same standard of education provided by traditional classroom environments. This paper will review the literature to explore how the integration of video games in classrooms may or may not enhance learning.
In order to understand the educational value of video games it is first important to understand what a video game is. A video game is an electronic game that involves interaction through audio visual component to generate visual feedback on a video device (Squire, Video Games and Leaarning, 2005). Video games are played through various platforms; each consisting of distinct features that support particular types of games. The popularity of video games is quite evident among the net generation considering that “97% of U.S teens play some type of digital game” (Dondlinger, 2007). Digital gaming can teach students the necessary skills and knowledge for maximum success in the digital age. The next generation will need the know and understand technology, problem solving and complex communication; which is beyond what traditional classrooms have to offer. In many cases, the educational value of video games may be undermined considering that they are primarily used for entertainment purposes. However, gaming has evolved to consist of a genre known as “edutainment”; an amalgamation of entertainment with education. Edutainment games provide engaging educational support to students through interactive stimulations and games.
Video Games are Effective Learning Tools
The learning experience through video games is more effective than traditional classroom settings. The player immerses himself completely within the environments of video games; that is not the case with traditional classrooms. The student can make mistakes in video games without any real consequences. Hence, he can continue trying until he has mastered a set of skills/ knowledge. Bowman (a researcher in the edutainment field) suggests that “educators could use video games as a model for improving learning environments, by providing clear goals challenging students, allowing for collaboration, using criterion based assessments, giving students more control over the learning process, and incorporating novelty into the environment” (Squire, Video Games in Education, 2003).
Edutainment examples
Many edutainment games, proven to be effective learning tools, are available to educators to purchase. For example, Immune Attack is a “first-person strategy educational game was created as an alternative means to teach complex biology and immunology topics to students. Here, a teenage prodigy with a unique immunodeficiency must teach his immune system how to function properly or die. The human body serves as the playing field and immune cells face off against bacterial and viral infections. Each subsequent level of Immune Attack features a different infection with a new type of immune cell for the player to train, and the player must scan and interact with various objects to train his immune system to fight off the invading pathogens” (Annetta, 2008). Another example is Food Force (www.food-force.com), created by the United Nations World Food Program in 2005, this game “engages users in missions to distribute food in a famine-affected country to help it recover and become self-sufficient again. The player becomes a scientist who has joined a team of United Nations experts, including a nutritionist, a logistics officer, a pilot, an appeals officer, and the director of food purchasing” (Annetta, 2008). These games not only provide students with new perspectives in subjects such as immunology and world hunger but it also engages the student by making them reflect upon their actions. The games force the student to “think outside the box” through facilitated learning. Though video games prove to be an effective educational tools, the advantages of video game learning have been scrutinized by many educators.
Drawbacks of Video games in Education
One concern that educators and parents have expressed about the integration of video games is classrooms is the aggressive and violent nature of some video games. While many video games do employ the plot of “kill or be killed.” However, research has “found no relationship between video game usage and social maladjustment” (Squire, Video Games in Education, 2003). Research in video games shows little to no correlation between video games and violent/aggressive thoughts.
Another concern that educators have is that “the player will concentrate on playing the game rather than on learning from the game” (Egenfeldy-Nielsen, 2006). Students frequently view video games as an entertainment medium instead of recognizing the educational context. However, it may not be necessary for a student to view video games as an educational medium. “Many researchers assume that the learning must be stealth and that it is undetectable by children….It must not give itself away, because children will then shy away from the educational title” (Egenfeldy-Nielsen, 2006). Making the learning component stealth engages students’ attention and interest while enhancing his educational experience. However, this could also have a reverse effect in that “if players are not aware of the learning elements” they will “undermine the learning experience” (Egenfeldy-Nielsen, 2006). Students may focus on achieving the game’s goals while disregarding and neglecting the educational value of the game. For example, in a game like “Math Blaster,” the game’s goal is being fast and shooting down asteroids (which release algebra questions). The student learns algebra in doing so, “but swiftness and shooting skills take up much space and sometimes work against really thinking about algebra” (Egenfeldy-Nielsen, 2006). This conflicts in the transfer value of the knowledge that the game is meant for.
Teachers acting as Facilitators
Research shows that teachers play a vital role in facilitating learning with video games in terms of providing the right assistance in direction and providing debriefings to clear any misconceptions. Instructors play an important role in “fostering collaboration, promoting reflection, and coordinating extension activities” (Squire, Video Games in Education, 2003). Video games may not force a student to reflect upon what they have learned; the instructor has to promote reflection through debriefings and connecting principles presented in the video game to the real world. “ Learning occurs when a teacher, parent peer , or tool guides a student from an actual point of development to a potential point of development- each serves as a mediator for facilitating student; appreciation of a given activity” (Egenfeldy-Nielsen, 2006). It is important for teachers to know the game and its implications before introducing it to the class. By doing so, teachers will be prepared to facilitate the students with debriefings and advise them along the course of the game. In this respect, “game based learning environments might empowers teachers to act as coaches, advisors, and producers rather than as content dispensers and police officers” (Squire, Video Games and Leaarning, 2005).
How students learn Instructors should be “identifying students’ passions and using them as a vehicle for relating academic content” for maximum retention of knowledge. Students have short attention spans and sitting in a classroom listening to a teacher lecture is not the ideal way for them to learn. “Learning requires the ability to follow one’s instincts, engage the senses and test ideas” (Squire, Video Games and Leaarning, 2005). Students do not only learn within the constraints of the classroom; “There’s been this assumption that school is the only place that learning is happening…but the fact is that kinds are doing a lot of interesting learning outside of school…bring that into their learning” (Corbett, 2010).

Science of Video Games
Neuroscientists have found that dopamine, a neurotransmitter that controls the reward and pleasure aspect of the brain, is released through game play. This encourages the motivational drive of students to learn. Studies have also found that games seem to “trigger greater dopamine releases in men than women, which could meant that game-based learning is more effective with boys than girls” (Corbett, 2010). Paul Howard-Jones, a neuroscientist, says dopamine causes a “ready to learn” signal which prepares one to willingly learn new concepts. “Video games elicit powerful emotional reactions in their players, such as fear, power, aggression, wonder, or joy” (Squire, Video Games in Education, 2003). The pleasure that students feel when playing video games is evident considering the addictive nature of video games. Students would benefit greatly if this addiction could be transferred to edutainment. Pleasure creates interest and motivation which is vital to the learning process.
Motivation
A 2006 study financed by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation examined the reason for high-school dropouts. It found that one third of students dropped out because they were “bored.” The report recommended instructors to “make school more relevant and engaging” (Corbett, 2010). The emotional connection that students generate with video games compels the educational experience to be more motivating and appealing. “Games can motivate learning by challenging and providing curiosity, beauty, fantasy, fun, and social recognition. One example is the game “The Amazing Arcade Adventure” where students earn money for each correct math’s answer, buying them time to play in an arcade. The future reward of playtime motivates the immediate interest and motivation of students to do well in the game. There is no connection between the reward and learning process other that the motivational drive it provides.
Kurt Squire conducted a research on video games with under motivated students. He found that video games allowed those students understand concepts that they otherwise considered irrelevant. They reflected and took a more analytical approach to education through video games. The reward and failure approach in video games motivated the students to master the concept that the game was trying to get across. He concluded that “games provide a playful new way forward” (Squire, Video Games and Leaarning, 2005).
Games allow students to have a hands-on approach to education; learning by doing. Will Right, best known as designer of Sims, believes that “failure-based learning: is important to student motivation and educational value. Facing failure in video games motivates students to keep trying and reach a solution through critical thinking and analysis of situations/problems. Making education fun is how engagement among students is achieved. Video games affect each student differently for each student has a different perspective and creative gene. Many studies show that creativity is enhanced through game play.
Personalized Learning
Learning though video games allows students to work and learn at their own pace without feeling rushed. In the traditional classroom setting an instructor moves on to the next topic even though the previous concept may not have been mastered by the students. However, in video games the different levels in gameplay does not allow students to move on until one concept/level has been mastered. “Goals of different levels help motivate learners to continue playing. “Game designers often seek to keep players engaged by creating three levels if goals…” (Dondlinger, 2007). In this manner, the game adapts to the student’s needs through levels; challenging the student to keep getting better and eventually master the concept being communicated.
Future of Gaming
Video games are getting continuously complex, “incorporating story, character development, and collaboration in the game design” (Squire, Video Games in Education, 2003). Many instructors have started employing edutainment into classrooms with great success. Middle school teacher Al Doyle has incorporated video games into her curriculum to enhance the education that her students experience. Increased motivation and enthusiasm in learning was seen in the students (Corbett, 2010). Many edutainment products such as Gettysburg, SimEarth or Railroad Tycoon have been integrated into K-12 classrooms; allowing students to explore the dynamic structure of micro worlds. The past ten years gaming has experienced a exponential growth and continues to grow. “ Video games are conductive to the development of specific skills: attention, spatial concentration, problem solving, decision-making, collaborative work, creativity , and, of course, ITC skills…Many of these skills are earmarked as necessary to successful participate in the global, knowledge based economy of the 21st century” (Dondlinger, 2007).
Conclusion
The integration of Video games in classrooms is very beneficial to the learning process of students. “What if we blurred the lines between academic subjects and reimagined the typical American classroom so that, at least in theory, it came to resemble a typical American living room or a child’s bedroom or even a child’s pocket, circa 2010 — if, in other words, the slipstream of broadband and always-on technology that fuels our world became the source and organizing principle of our children’s learning? What if, instead of seeing school the way we’ve known it, we saw it for what our children dreamed it might be: a big, delicious video game?” (Corbett, 2010). Video games will help advance student motivation while providing personalized learning which will adapt to a student’s need.