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1.Educational games are those intentionally designed for the purpose of education, or those entertainment games that have incidental or educational values. Educational games are designed to help people understand concepts, learn domain knowledge, and develop problem solving skills as they play games. Learn more in: Designing Engaging Educational Games and Assessing Engagement in Game-Based Learning

2.Are games specifically designed to teach a certain subject, expand concepts, reinforce development, understand an historical event or culture, or learn a skill. Learn more in: Technology Enhanced Learning and Education

3.Refers to games designed with educational purposes in mind. Learn more in: Science Learning Games for Mobile Platforms

4.Games explicitly designed with educational purposes. Learn more in: Using Game Development to Teach Programming

5.An instructional approach that presents educational content in a game format. Learn more in: Motivating By Design: Using Digital-Game Based Learning Techniques to Create an Interesting Problem-Based Learning Environment

6.Computer-based electronic games with high educational value. They usually adhere to the constructivist theory of learning. Learn more in: Motivational Matrix for Educational Games

7.An educational game is a game designed to teach humans about a specific subject and to teach them a skill. Learn more in: Impact of Kinect Exergame on Mental Computation Speed and Achievement

8.Are games designed to aid in learning about specific subjects, in expanding concepts, in stimulating growth, in understanding a historical event or a culture, in developing a skill while playing; educational games can be applied in any educational environment using any gaming approach. Learn more in: Playful Education and Innovative Gamified Learning Approaches

9.Computer games that involve learning of certain knowledge. Learn more in: Computer Games for Algorithm Learning

10.Educational games are a type of computer game with purported educational value. Educational games include such titles as Oregon Trail, Reader Rabbit, and Sim Earth. Unfortunately, a majority of educational games seem to lack the type of addictive engagement quality of recreational games. Though they represent a niche market, they generally do not sell well and thus, interest in creating them is minimal. Learn more in: Computer Games as a New Arena for IST Research

https://www.igi-global.com/dictionary/designing-engaging-educational-games-and-assessing-engagement-in-game-based-learning/9123

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Creating, selecting, and adapting activities for children language learning

Since children’s concentration and attention spans are short, variety is a must. This means variety of activity, variety of pace, variety of organisation. As already mentioned, children have an amazing ability to absorb language through play and other activities which they find enjoyable. That is why games seem to be a challenging and exciting tool to make the young learners motivated and satisfied with making progress in acquiring a language.

Creating activities for children language learning

There are many reasons why creating activities for young children’s language learning is very important. First of all, it is extremely valuable because it allows for meeting pupils’ individual needs. Complete dependence on the textbook is not suitable for all students as they are of different levels and have different interests and diverse learning styles. Furthermore, the textbook being designed for a general audience may not fully match the students’ specific requirements. However, creating materials for learning can be very time consuming and often needs resources, like photocopying facilities. Moreover, the most common barriers can also be the cost involved in realizing some conceptions, lack of handbooks from which to get ideas, lack of skills to design some activities. A good solution to overcome some of the difficulties mentioned above seems to be to involve pupils in preparing activities. They are full of ideas and enthusiasm. They can do some illustrations, they can prepare short stories and dialogues or riddles, and they can also make rhymes, chants, or short poems. It gives them a real reason for using language; and gradually, they can create activities for each other.

Selecting activities for children language learning

Before choosing an activity for use with a class, it is necessary to consider some criteria which should be helpful in making decisions whether to use the particular activity, to reject it or to adapt it.

First of all, it is essential to provide a clear and meaningful purpose for using language which capitalizes on young learners’ desire to communicate, for example, activities which involve a game, puzzling something out, or getting missing information from another person. All these make sense and are meaningful to young learners.

Next important criterion is to challenge the learners and make them think so that they are more engaged and so process the language more deeply. There is sometimes a danger that activities are used because they work well or because learners enjoy them. What is important and should matter most is the language-learning value an activity has.

Another very significant point is providing activities which are enjoyable and interesting and which make children want to continue doing them so they get more practice, for example, creating monsters, guessing, and games with the winner or prize. However, it is important that these all have a clear language-learning purpose so that children are practicing and they are not done just to keep pupils amused.

Additionally, it is noteworthy to select activities which create a need or pressure for children to use English, for when the game is very exciting, pupils tend to use the mother tongue. Because of the natural urge to win, they may cheat and use their first language. Therefore, the activity should be designed so that it would require children to use English at some stages, for example, by recording their answers or getting them to report back to the class in English. This increases exposure to and use of the language.

Finally, it is meaningful to provide activities which allow children to be creative with the language and give them opportunity to experiment with it. This will help the young learners to test out their hypotheses about the language and assist the development of their internal language system.

It is necessary to remember that no activity can fulfill all the criteria simultaneously. Therefore, it is always vital to decide what the priorities are before choosing the activity.

Adapting activities for children language learning

The process of adapting activities, which are found in the textbooks, is a good way of beginning to create teacher’s own materials. There are many ways of adjusting the language or the task to suit the level of the pupils and teaching situation. For example, we can either simplify the language or the task or make them more difficult and complicated. Moreover, we can use teaching materials from the textbook or prepare our own. In addition, we can make the activity more interesting for the children giving them some space for their own creativity.

Apart from meeting students’ need, the process of adapting an activity is a helpful way of gaining fresh perspectives on our teaching. What is more, it also helps to stand back from our teaching and look at it in order to find out what works and what does not. It is also beneficial to get pupils’ opinion as a check on our own perceptions.

To sum up, the main argument for adapting the materials is not only to ensure a better fit between our teaching and the needs of our students but also to stand back from the routine of our daily teaching and consider it from a different perspective.

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Learning Retention

According to TalentLMS, learners recall:

10% of what they read.

20% of what they hear.

30% of an oral presentation with visuals attached.

50% of an observed action with explanation.

90% of an action if they perform it themselves, even if it’s a simulation.

This information shows that the traditional methods of reading and lecturing are not effective as learning tools when used on their own. Adding games to learning provides support to the learner by rewarding him with instant feedback, visible motivation (like progress mapping), challenging (but achievable) goals, and recognition within a community. The resulting learning environment is one of engagement and positive reinforcement.

Greater Appreciation for Diversity

In a traditional classroom, students’ interactions are limited to other students who attend the same school. When gaming is introduced in the classroom, it opens the doors to players in other cities, states, and even countries. As a result, there is evidence showing more tolerance of other cultures among game players: 62% of gamers hold a favorable view of people from different cultures, while only 50 percent of non-gamers hold this view.

Subject Area Focus

There is an educational game for every subject area from math to ELA to science. These games allow students to work at their own pace and focus on an area of personal improvement while also collaborating with peers. For their part, teachers have the ability to track player progress and monitor student performance.

Gone are the days of mindless video gaming. As the future of education develops, games will become a fixture in any classroom.

https://www.gamification.co/2016/01/20/3-beneficial-impact-games-education-students/

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1.Games are a good way to revisit content that you've already covered

Well-known games such as ‘back to the board’ (in which a student sits with his or her back to the board and has to guess the word written on it from their teammates' clues), the charades-inspired guessing game Pictionary, and ‘board race’ (where students race each other across the classroom to write the answer to your question on the board) can be effective ways to revisit a previous topic. They allow you to remind your students what was covered in the previous lesson, and offer those who were absent a chance to catch up.

Most teachers will agree on the benefits of using these activities at the start of your lesson, but it can be easy to get stuck in a routine. Games that you repeat too often can lose the energy and excitement that they initially generated.

Fortunately, by making slight changes to the rules of a regular game, you can add new challenges and keep students engaged. You can also introduce new games periodically by building your repertoire of ‘go to’ games. For example, here's a game you can play with any collocations.

2. Games can pep up a course book-based lesson

When you are teaching a lesson that follows a course book, you will probably want to adapt it. Why not try incorporating games to add some life to parts of the teaching materials that might seem a little dry?

This isn’t just about adding ‘fun’ to the lesson. Games can help your students engage with course book content in a more meaningful way. Think about how you could use games to encourage students to collaborate, or create a little friendly competition.

You should make sure that this stage is pedagogically sound, just as you would with any section of your lesson plan. Try a few of these game ideas for reading and listening texts in a course book.

3.Games encourage creativity in students' use of language

During a game, students can be creative with the language they are learning. They can tell jokes, create descriptions or construct arguments. In each of these activities, your students will act as a receptive audience for each other. By listening to one another in this context, they are more likely to connect with the language and each other.

Here are a few examples of games where students have to get creative and elicit a reaction from each other in order to win:

Caption competition – Students compete by writing witty and funny captions for an image with the aim of making each other laugh.

Is it true? – Students try to fool each other by telling a story and inviting others to guess whether it is true or made up.

Jobs and personality – Students have to convince the rest of the group that the job card they selected is the best fit for the personality adjective.

These games will give your students the chance to use humour and ingenuity in their answers, giving them a more memorable connection to the language. This principle is not restricted to games, and is the same reason like to use task-based learning and role play in class.

4. Games help you become a more inventive teacher

Adapting and creating games for the classroom is a good way for teachers to come up with new strategies and add more variety into their typical lesson plans. I’ve been making games longer than I’ve been teaching, so I am well aware of my bias in this area, but making games has helped me develop as a thoughtful and reflective teacher.

There is an incredible variety of games out there, but some teachers may be stuck reusing the same activities again and again. If you move outside your comfort zone, you may find, or create, some new imaginative games for your classroom.

https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/why-classroom-games-can-be-much-more-lesson-fillers

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As you work to smoothly implement games into your teaching strategy, it helps to understand the differences between gamification and game-based learning. This is because they are often confused, and each require a separate approach to introduce.

Here are the main differences:

Whereas games have defined rules and objectives, gamification may just be a series of tasks with rewards such as points

There is a chance of losing in a game but, to motivate students, gamification may not present this possibility

Although playing a game may be inherently rewarding, gamification may not offer intrinsic rewards

Whereas building a game can be hard and expensive, gamification is usually easier and cheaper

Content is typically morphed to fit the story and scenes of a game, but you can add game-like features to your content without making changes to it

Keeping these points in mind should ensure your approach falls in the realm of game-based learning.

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1. Determine the Purpose of Game-Based Learning

Deciding how you’ll use a game will narrow your search, helping you find an appropriate one.

Before researching, determine if you want to use a game for:

Intervention — If a student is struggling to demonstrate understanding of core material, you may consider using a game to address his or her trouble spots. The game you choose should therefore deliver content that adjusts itself to player knowledge and learning style. This should help the student gain a better understanding of difficult material.

Enrichment — As students master core material, you may want a game that presents content through different media. For example, it may give questions through text, audio, images and more. This should encourage students to challenge themselves as they explore new ways to process the content.

Reinforcement — Instead of using games to teach and engage individual students, entire classes can play to reinforce curriculum content. This can also make game-based learning a group activity. Some games have multiplayer features and students may naturally compete against each other to earn higher scores.

Keeping these factors in mind will likely hasten the process of finding a game that meets both teacher and student needs.

2. Play the Game Yourself, Making Sure It Is Aligned with Learning Goals
After finding a game you think is appropriate, play it and make note of:

Teacher Control — Many educational games offer teachers the ability to control content and adjust settings for individual students. For example, some let you match questions to in-class material, delivering them to specific players.

Intuitiveness — Whether it’s a physical or video game, it should be easy to use. Students should challenge themselves by processing and demonstrating knowledge of the content — not by stressing over how the game works.

Engagement — Based on the content and how it’s presented, determine if students will enjoy the game. If it’s engaging, students should inherently want to play and, as a result, learn.

Content Types — To accommodate diverse learning styles, the game should offer different types of content. For example, an educational math video game may present questions as graphs, numbers and word problems.

Content Levels — To address diverse trouble spots and aptitudes, the game should use differentiated instruction principles to adapt content to each player. For example, a language video game may focus more on pronouns with one student than another.

Paying attention to these criteria while playing should help you decide if the game properly supports learning goals.

3. Ensure It Meets Expectations from Parents
This opens the door to parent participation which, according to oft-cited research from the National Committee for Citizens in Education, is one of the most accurate predictors of student success:

The family makes critical contributions to student achievement, from earliest childhood through high school … When schools engage parents and students, there are significant effects. When parents are involved at school, not just at home, children do better in school and they stay in school longer.

What’s more, you probably don’t want kids telling unaware parents they played an hour of games in class. They may not think of games with educational value.

Sending a letter home, explaining the game’s benefits and possibly providing your email address, may alleviate these concerns. Here’s a letter that Prodigy offers to admins and teachers who sign up for our math game.

Providing this sort of clear communication should smooth the implementation process from both a teacher and administrative perspective.

4. Dedicate Time to Consistent In-Class Play

Sporadic game-based learning may not allow students to reach learning goals as effectively as consistent, scheduled play time. What’s more, it may not be as engaging as possible.

For example, a study published in the journal of Educational Technology and Society found a positive correlation between a structured 40-minute period of educational game play and not only faster recall processes, but improved problem-solving skills.

In a classroom with 1:1 device use, make time for game-based learning activities by:

Including game time as a designated activity in your lesson plan, not an afterthought

Using a game as an entry ticket, drawing student attention to the lesson’s topic

Using a game as an exit ticket, allowing students to reflect

In a classroom with limited device use, make time for game-based learning activities by:

Focusing more on non-digital games, such as board games with educational value

Creating learning stations, one of which is playing a device-based game

Playing team games, letting students play in pairs or groups

These options should make it easier to designate time for educational play, seamlessly incorporating game-based instruction into class.

5. Assess Progress Throughout Play, Informing Instruction
Collecting data from the games you implement can uncover student trouble spots and aptitudes, helping you shape in-class instruction.

Data collection will vary depending on the purpose and nature of a game in question.

Usually, it involves a following method:

In-Game Reports — Some educational video games feature in-game reports for teachers, which record student performance. For example, charts will contain each player’s marks for a series of questions, letting you click to see more details.

Self-Reports — For physical games, or video games without reporting features, you can encourage students to take ownership of their progress through self-reporting. Create a Google Forms spreadsheet for each student. Then, ask them to provide updates.

Class Discussions — After playing team games, conducting a class-wide discussion allows each group to share difficulties, progress and accomplishments.

This final step of incorporating game-based learning will give you the information needed to adjust lessons and activities, addressing trouble spots and building on new knowledge.

Infographic

Created by Educational Technology and Mobile Learning, here’s an infographic that summarizes the five steps to introducing and using game-based learning in your class.

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Examples of Game-Based Learning Options for Your Classroom

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Examples of Game-Based Learning Options for Your Classroom

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1. Video Games
As devices become more readily accessible throughout classrooms, many video games offer comprehensive game-based learning experiences.

Students can play some through downloadable programs, whereas others are accessible online.

For example, Prodigy is a free online math game that’s aligned with CCSS, TEKS, MAFS and Ontario curricula for grades 1 to 8. You can change the focus of questions to supplement lessons and homework, running reports to examine each student’s progress.

As well as adjusting questions to address student trouble spots, the game generates math problems that use words, charts, pictures and numbers.

2. Adaptations of Common Games
Preparation time varies, but you can create spins on popular games to supplement lessons and units.

For example, you can transform tic-tac-toe into a math game. Start by dividing a sheet into squares — three vertical by three horizontal. Instead of leaving them blank, put an equation or word problem in each that tests a different ability.

Similarly, you can create your own version of a game that asks fact-based questions, such as Trivial Pursuit.

Introducing this sort of game-based learning in the classroom not only engages students, but doesn’t force you to rely on computers and other digital devices.

3. Original Games

You’re not limited to adaptations and video games. You can create original, interactive content.

This is possible by crafting quiz-, board- and team-based games, as well as using software such as QuoDeck to design and customize simple digital games.

Doing so allows you to completely customize the game-based learning experience.

https://www.prodigygame.com/blog/implementing-game-based-learning-in-the-classroom-examples/

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1. ABCYa.com

This is an exceptional website for school-aged children, offers a selection of games for preschoolers as well and is very easy to navigate. You can select a grade level and then browse through the different types of games—categories include letters, numbers, skills, thinking and even seasonal games that can help keep your kids entertained. While it is free to play, you can also go ad-free by paying for a subscription. Works great on both tablets and PCs.

2. FunBrain.com

FunBrain offers a wide variety of games and keeps going all the way to eighth grade (whereas many other sites cut off after fifth grade). It is free to play, but a bit heavy with advertisements. It lists each game with a grade-level, type, subject and skills that it addresses. It has a fantastic assortment of games, but you may need to help younger children get set up to avoid navigation problems.
3. PBSKids.org

Easy to navigate, and full of your kid’s favorite characters, PBSKids.org offers not only the academic basics but also devotes a section to social and emotional development. If you’re looking to help your preschooler learn about sharing, friendship and social behavior, this is a great place to help teach some of those “soft skills” your child will need throughout life.

4. Poptropica.com

This is a unique take on the educational website and one that mimics online gaming quite well. Children create a character, and then take it on quests and adventures throughout this fictional island world. While free-to-play, there is a membership that you can buy to unlock other features.

5. Kids.NationalGeographic.com

National Geographic has an excellent reputation for providing top-quality information and some very fascinating subject matter. This is a great option for exploring topics like animals, science, space, ocean life and world cultures, and it is best suited for school-aged children. It also contains videos, photography and other resources that are both educational and entertaining.

6. GameClassroom.com

Game Classroom has a variety of games for Kindergarten through fifth grade aligned with state standard curriculums. One of the best features of this site is that you can sort and filter the game based on skill types such as problem-solving games, reading games, fractions, etc. This makes it easy for parents and educators to find a game that coincides with what the student is working on at the time. Some of the games are linked out to other sites that may require membership to play.

7. Arcademics.com

Arcademics combines arcade-style games with educational concepts. Move your player forward or earn points by answering questions correctly. Just like real arcade games, it allows you to view leaderboards and compete against other players. It is an excellent site for practicing skills, though it doesn’t really get into instruction.

https://www.gettingsmart.com/2016/12/the-7-great-educational-online-games/

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1. Students learn through the process of playing the game.
-By playing a game, students may be able to understand a new concept or idea, take on a different perspective, or experiment with different options or variables.
-For example, teachers can played a card game the first week of school. The students will be divided into groups of 4-5. Each person read through the directions to the card game; then, the game was played in complete silence. After the first round, one student from each group (typically the “winner”) moved to a different group. The game typically played three or four rounds.

2. Games provide a context for engaging practice.
- Students need a lot of practice to internalize important vocabulary and structures. However, for the practice to be meaningful, students must be engaged (and let’s be honest, countless workbook pages or textbook exercises are not always highly engaging!). Through lively games of charades, $25,000 pyramid, or others, students willingly use the vocabulary and structures, repeatedly gaining much-needed practice.

3. Through games, students can learn a variety of important skills. -There are countless skills that students can develop through game playing such as critical thinking skills, creativity, teamwork, and good sportsmanship.
For example, circumlocution is a very important skill. By playing word guessing games, we can see students’ ability to use circumlocution improve dramatically.

4. While playing games, students develop a variety of connections with the content and can form positive memories of learning.
-The fun, silly or interesting moments tend to stand out in students’ memories, and they latch on to the vocabulary or structures we are studying. A positive emotional connection can facilitate learning.
-Furthermore, many games feature a variety of different stimuli; some students might remember the vocabulary words from acting them out, others remember reading the clues, and other students remember hearing classmates call out answers. Games can provide a variety of sensory experiences for students.

5. Games grab students’ attention and actively engage them.
-Students really enjoy playing games, it is a good way to focus their attention and actively immerse them in learning. This can be especially useful in a wide variety of ways.
-For example, after a fire drill students sometimes have trouble settling down and returning to class. A game allows students to quickly engage and transition back to the content we were working on. After hours of state-mandated standardized tests, students are often tired of sitting and full of energy; an energetic game with lots of movement may be just what they need.

https://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/reasons-to-play-games-in-the-classroom.shtml

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1. Hangman Word Game
- A guess-the-word game that can keep the students excited right from the start.

2. Conversation Game
- Conversation is a simple vocabulary game that can be played anywhere and an interactive game that teaches them the art of conversation.

3. Pictionary
- A classic draw-and-guess game
- Let the students explore their drawing and sketching skills.

4. Trivia
-  Players (can be play individually or in a team) are asked about questions about different topics and they have to get as many correct answers as possible.

5. Name That Tune
- Students usually love music. In fact, a study has revealed that teenagers enjoy listening to music even they do their school work.

6. Casino

Divide students into groups and give each a budget of, say, 100€ of mythical money. Explain that they are going to bet their money to try to win more (establish a minimum bet). Write an incorrect sentence on the board, adapting the gravity of the error for your class’s level, and ask each group to identify the error, write it down, and make a bet. The groups who identify the error win, while those who didn’t, lose their bet. Repeat several times.

7. Pictionary, charades, and celebrity heads

Always classic, these games are super versatile, let students practice specific vocabulary and expressions, and have the added bonus of encouraging a gleeful sort of atmosphere. Create a stack of words, phrases, concepts, or historical figures that your class has recently studied and try to mix levels amongst teams. You might like to experiment with playing as a whole class (where half competes against the other half) or in smaller groups with time limits.

8. Taboo

This is a great way to get students speaking and practice your unit’s vocabulary. In Taboo, one student must communicate a concept or word to their partner without using a specific list of related words. For example, they must make their partner say “forest”, yet they are not allowed to use the words “tree,” “woods,” “Sherwood,” or “Black”. Once their partner says the word, the students switch roles.

9. Twenty objects
Put 20 objects on a table and give students a minute to memorize them. Cover the objects with a cloth and ask the students to write down as many as they can remember. You might choose to use objects related to your current module of study or that are connected in some other way.

10. Categories
Put up a simple table on the whiteboard with a different category in each column, for example: United States presidents, rivers, fruit, movie titles, boy’s names, emotions, animals, cities. (Alter the categories for difficulty according to your class’s level.) Randomly select a letter of the alphabet. Now, within a time limit groups or pairs of students must identify one example per category. The first group to correctly do so wins.

11. Bingo
This classic game is often forgotten and can easily be adapted to suit your class’s needs. Besides classic bingo, you might create play boards where students cross off pictures, antonyms, synonyms, or T1 words.

12. Tongue twisters
Tongue twisters are great for lightening the mood, as an ice-breaker, or way to begin each class. Search for more difficult phrases for advanced classes – you’ll see that it’s a rare student who doesn’t crack a smile! Start with this quirky list of tongue twisters – some easy peasy, some very twisted!

13. A twist on Twister
Put a twist on Twister by hiding colored discs with words, phrases, expressions, and target language written on them. Students must scramble to find them with a time limit. Add to the challenge by hiding scrambled messages, texts with grammatical errors, or descriptions that need to be corrected or put together.

14. “First to the front” and “Have you ever?”
This is a winner with kids and adults alike. Students start in a line at the back of the classroom and take one step forward for each question they answer correctly, sentence finished, or word guessed. The first to the front wins. You can also play a version of “Have you ever?” where students take a step forward for each thing they have done. (“Have you ever been to Africa, seen a dolphin, stayed awake all night, failed an exam, broken something valuable, etc.”)

15. I messed up
In this activity, advanced students tell stories of their mistakes with language in the “real world.” (Perhaps they used a word incorrectly and accidentally said something rude, received a completely incorrect meal when ordering, or just couldn’t for the life of them understand their native speaker in-laws.) Telling these stories creates a humorous atmosphere and encourages lightheartedness and self-reflection in learning.

16. Dictionary
Upper intermediate to advanced students will get a kick out of inventing definitions for uncommon words found at random in a dictionary. Each group reads out three definitions for a bizarre or obscure word and the rest of the class votes on which they think is correct. Points are scored for fooling your classmates with a made up definition – or for silliness and originality.

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1. Physical Strain
2. Mental Effects
3. Wasted Time
4. Negative Behaviors
5. Decreases Student Attention Span
6. High Cost
7.  Student Assessment
8.  Game Logistics

https://itstillworks.com/12328164/the-disadvantages-of-using-games-as-a-learning-tool

https://tophat.com/blog/gamified-learning/

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1. It Helps with Hand-Eye Coordination
2. It Improves Problem-Solving & Strategic Thinking
3. It Expands Memory Capacity
4. It Helps Kids Who Struggle with Attention Disorders
5. It Helps Kids Become More Computer-Literate

https://gamelearning.co/why-educational-video-games-are-so-helpful-to-parents-teachers-and-students-5-reasons-to-embrace-game-based-learning/