Technology is intertwined with everyone’s lives so deeply. And it evolves constantly, creating new job opportunities, but also solutions that make our lives easier. Solutions that protect the environment. Today’s society is described by green cars, social media, video platforms, online books and e-readers, 3D technology, machine learning and artificial intelligence, and many more. We should not forget about video games either, an industry that is slowly but steadily boosting. 

Not only students in college are playing video games, but everyone. Research shows that more than 90% of kids play video games, which is huge. And if some might think that only children play video games, they are wrong. More than half of Americans play video games. Almost half of adults aged over 50 play video games, so we can say that they are pretty popular among all age groups. 

But as more and more people start immersing themselves in the virtual world created by these games, parents and educators are worried that their effects are not positive. Let’s discuss the video games effects on education and students’ academic performance. 

Improving Teamwork Skills

Teamwork is one of the skills that are very important for academic progress and school life. Any student who gets an education will be involved in group projects. Apart from participating in the right course and paying attention to the lesson, they will need to deliver powerful projects that will get them a good grade. 

Studies have shown that students who play video games cooperatively scored higher on tests than those who played alone. There is a group of students who emphasize the competition more than the cooperation between teammates. Their test results are lower than those of students who value teamwork. 

Teamwork is essential, not only during school years but in your career and adult life too. In college, for example, students have to solve college statistics math problems. But not all of them have the skills they need to accomplish these tasks. Fellow peers and colleagues can help those in need. Which will foster better academic outcomes. There are college statistics problems to solve and teamwork can help the group or the team advance even more. 

Efficiently Paying Attention 

Since video games have entered our lives, we have been fascinated by them. There are so many game genres to choose from and immerse into. There are good video games and good learning, but many parents point to the negative effects of playing video games. Well, studies show that those who play video games train their attention. 

During the game, they have to pay attention to visual cues and not only to complete the game mission. They need to focus only on those stimuli that matter and could make a difference, so their attention is trained to be selective. This has a positive effect on the academic progress of students and it can help them achieve better outcomes. Attention is involved in any academic progress. 

But it is mostly put at work during classes and writing tasks when students need to select the relevant information. This will help them focus on the important details rather than trivial ones. 

Higher Motivation

The effects of video games on the academic outcomes of students are not fully understood in society. Even though playing video games non-stop prevents you from developing other parts of you and keeping your body active, they come with benefits too. Video games in education research can be used, especially as there are a lot of game genres to choose from. 

When you think about video games, most people imagine shooter ones. However, recent research has demonstrated that children who play video games have higher motivational levels. Choosing educational games for them that foster learning while having fun will make them more motivated to pursue their academic goals. 

Schools and colleges mostly emphasized extrinsic motivation or external rewards such as a good grade, bonus points for the exam, and so on. But research from psychology shows that intrinsic motivation is more powerful and leads to better academic outcomes. 

This draws attention to how the curriculum is built and the teaching methods used by professors to deliver the information. It seems that educational video games are a nice method to create interesting materials and help students learn. 

Final Thoughts

There is a negative preconception that surrounds the video game industry. Even though it is constantly developing, a lot of people say that playing video games affects your academic performance. Well, studies have shown that it is not like this. Students who engage actively in playing video games improve their skills. 

They learn to work in a team and cooperate with their teammates. They train their attention to pay to the relevant cues and information. Which will help them select the information when they do research or write their essays. And educational video games offer a nice, funny, and engaging opportunity to learn. Which will nurture their love for learning.