“If Pac-Man had affected us as kids, we’d all be running around in dark rooms, munching pills and listening to repetitive electronic music.”

― Marcus Brigstocke

Learning through how things work

Despite their commercial success games are often still seen, by some as trivial and lacking in legitimacy, compared to more traditional media. Video games have often been dismissed as mindless fun, but they’re so much more than that. In fact, they could be the perfect teaching tool you didn’t know you needed. Bogost, (2007, 2021) states that videogames legitimacy as a medium requires a more robust analysis than comparisons to other media and bidding for time until it has acceptance. In fact, Bogost suggests that “videogames open a new domain for persuasion, thanks to their core representational mode, procedurality. “Procedural rhetoric” in video games involves designing the rules, mechanics, and interactions of a game to create specific experiences and foster types of thinking. By engaging with these systems, players don’t just passively receive information; they actively learn by doing (an embodied experience). This makes video games uniquely suited to teach complex, dynamic concepts that are difficult to convey through static media. Games break down abstract concepts and give students the freedom to experiment—fail, try again, and succeed, while developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills (Tannahill, Tissington, and Senior, 2012).

It’s About Immersive Learning

Imagine taking your students from passively reading about history to actively experiencing it. Games like Massira, which takes players through the refugee experience, allow students to engage with content on a deeper emotional level. This “embodied learning,” is where students learn, by doing (Gee, 2008). They don’t just read about problems; they live them in a safe, simulated environment, making the experience much more impactful. Whether it’s exploring complex problems in economics, tackling ethical dilemmas in healthcare, or even diving into the physics of space travel, video games offer an interactive and engaging approach to learning (Bogost, 2007).

Students can attempt to better understand the cause and effects of ideas and contexts by throwing them into a game where their actions have consequences and watch them learn through experimentation. This learning method makes video games especially useful for teaching complex systems, where students actively explore and manipulate. Cram A., Hedberg J. G., Gosper M., & Dick G. (2011) state that “when social actors experience a higher level of embodied interaction, they more effectively encode, convey, and decode individual and collective communicative acts”. Video games involving complex scenarios require strategic thinking and problem-solving, which are skills to be fostered in Higher Education.

Building Empathy Through Gameplay

In a classroom, you can explain concepts like empathy, but how do you make students feel it? Video games have the potential to evoke emotional responses that help players develop empathy. Procedures and processes that govern our experiences can feel too abstract or distant for us to truly understand and empathize with. The makers of the game ‘The Walking Dead’ studied the impact of activating mirror neurons – those responsible for understanding others’ emotions (Madigan, 2012). They were inspired by a study looking at chimpanzees and how they reacted to facial expressions. This led them to focus on the detail expressed on the character’s faces in their game design. Attention to detail from those facial cues paid off as players reported higher levels of empathy and emotional reaction to the plight of the characters. The game’s success in this area is attributed to the success of triggering mirror neurons. This suggests that by stepping into someone else’s shoes, or being exposed to people’s experiences and feelings, students learn to see and feel the world from new perspectives.

Problems, solutions & reflection

Videogames offer a playground for people to experiment in a situational context and take on ‘roles’ and simulate solutions from different perspectives leading to better understanding and empathetic approach to effective problem-solving (Cram A., Hedberg J. G., Gosper M., & Dick G. 2011). Not all problems are created equally and some of them have solutions that are correct and knowable; therefore, processes can be followed to a solution, objectively. At the other end of the spectrum, we have conflicting evidence, opinions and assumptions which leave us with different solutions. Our different attitudes, emotions, and values may impact our ideas. A game may offer you the chance to play with those conflicting solutions and challenge your own assumptions and biases. This intention does not always go to plan as Bogost (2021) describes in a scenario where a tutor used a game where students assumed the role of running a McDonalds franchise “a scathing critique of the multinational fast-food industry”. The tutor hoped that students would reflect on the corruption, environmental impact, and questionable employment practices a large multi-national organisation adopts in the name of profit. Instead, students reported an increase empathy for the challenges faced by CEOs.
Effective use of video games in education doesn’t stop at just playing them. The most effective learning happens when students reflect on what they’ve done. After a game session, set aside time for discussions, problem-solving exercises, or even debates. What strategies worked? What didn’t? Reflection helps students solidify their understanding and apply it to real-world situations (Doney, 2019).

Takeaways for Your Teaching

Is it time to start thinking about or even rethink that video games are a serious educational tool? They offer immediate feedback, encourage critical thinking, and make learning fun. Games provide a risk-free environment where students can explore, fail, and try again perfect for subjects where practical experience is key but real-world stakes are high. Next time you’re planning a lesson, why not consider a video game? Whether you’re teaching economics, history, healthcare, or physics, video games have something to offer. Give them a try and watch your students level up their learning!

Places to go to get started

Test Tube Games “Bringing Science to life”.

Games 4 Change

Minecraft Education – The university has access to the library of pre-made (adaptable) Minecraft lessons covering a range of disciplines.

References

Ahn, S. J., Bessarabova, E., Bogost, I., Burgoon, J., Deen, M., Dunbar, N. E. (Norah E., Elizondo, J., Ferri, G., Flanagan, M., Grace, L. D., Hera, T. de la, Jacobs, R., Jansz, J., Jensen, M., Kaufman, G., Ketel, C., Kors, M., Lee, Y.-H., Miller, C. H., … Wilson, S. (2021). Persuasive gaming in context (J. Raessens, B. Schouten, J. Jansz, & T. de la Hera, Eds.). Amsterdam University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9789048543939

Bogost, I. (2007) Persuasive Games: The Expressive Power of Videogames. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Cram A., Hedberg J. G., Gosper M., & Dick G. (2011). Situated, embodied and social problem-solving in virtual worlds. Research in Learning Technology, 19(3). https://doi.org/10.3402/rlt.v19i3.17114

Doney, I. (2019) ‘Research into effective gamification features to inform e-learning design’, Research in Learning Technology, 27. Available at: https://doi.org/10.25304/rlt.v27.2093 (Accessed: 4 October 2024).

Gee, E., & Gee, J. P. (2017). Games as Distributed Teaching and Learning Systems. Teachers College Record (1970), 119(12), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1177/016146811711901202

Gee, J. P. (2008) What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. 2nd edn. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Gene Carolan. (2021). ‘Papers, Please’ – Using a Video Game to explore Experiential Learning and Authentic Assessment in Immigration and Asylum Law. Irish Journal of Academic Practice, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.21427/PC79-AN45

Madigan, J. (2012) ‘The Walking Dead, mirror neurons, and empathy’, Psychology of Games, 7 November. Available at: https://www.psychologyofgames.com/2012/11/the-walking-dead-mirror-neurons-and-empathy/ (Accessed: 4 October 2024).

Tannahill, N., Tissington, P. and Senior, C. (2012) ‘Video Games and Higher Education: What Can “Call of Duty” Teach Our Students?’, Frontiers in Psychology, 3, pp. 1–10. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00210 (Accessed: 4 October 2024).