In most homes, parents limit their kids’ screen time believing it does more harm than good. But believe it or not, your kids can learn a lot from playing video games, according to some studies.
A body of research has revealed that playing video games offers psychological as well as physical benefits. Playing digital games can increase player’s brain flexibility and improve their eyesight. Moroever, some studies have shown that when parents play video games with their children, kids learn important social skills.
According to Galxyz founder and CEO Osman Rashid, good screen time refers to playing games that allow players to think, strategize, and analyse quickly. On the other hand, bad screen time involves doing something passive such as watching a video.
Rashid decided to create Galxyz games after discovering that most educational games have fake gaming,badly made graphics, and poorly developed interfaces. Galxyz games teach players about science including physical, life, Earth and space science. His company has worked with the New York Academy of Sciences to help come up with a new educational product.
However, educational gaming is still a relatively new concept so there are not enough studies on the effects of educational screen time on children and learning outcomes.
Speaking to Huffington Post, American Academy of Pedriatics spokesperson Dr. Vic Strasburger said: “There’s little data on the long-term effects of using education games, and scientists who research gaming don’t have a consistent working definition of educational games.”
Still, Strasburger is encouraging educators to look for new methods to engage students.
“Teachers need to use new technology to amuse, entertain and educate their students, because their students are used to being amused and entertained, ” he explained.
