Article

Create “Games for Learning”

Although most games on the market are designed to entertain, the industry is creating a powerful set of capabilities that could also be used for learning.

Part of a Series

America is becoming a nation of game players. Today, the average game player is 30, and one-third of players are women. More than 8 in 10 young people have a video-game console at home. By 2020, 174 million Americans will be between the ages of 5 and 44, and will have grown up with video games in their early childhood and teens.

Although most games on the market are designed to entertain, the industry is creating a powerful set of capabilities that could also be used for learning. Playing a good game can lead to a mental state that University of Chicago psychologist Mihali Csikszentmihalyi calls “flow,” with clear goals, a high degree of concentration on an intrinsically rewarding activity, direct and immediate feedback, and a balance between ability level and challenge.

Games can also teach teamwork and collaboration. Massively multiplayer online role-playing games such as World of Warcraft now have 9 million subscribers, and require the formation of teams of 40 to “work together with the coordination of synchronized swimmers” to reach the top levels. Games are also pushing the state-of-the art in artificial intelligence, graphics, and mobility (with handheld games).

For more on CAP’s policies for increasing innovation in science and technology, please see:

The positions of American Progress, and our policy experts, are independent, and the findings and conclusions presented are those of American Progress alone. American Progress would like to acknowledge the many generous supporters who make our work possible.

Explore The Series

Previous
Next