The Motivational and Educational aspects of Digital video game: A Theoretical Study Santanu Sarkar* and Anuradha Choudry
Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, West Bengal, India
*santanus383[at]gmail.com
Abstract
In the past decades, research, as well as industry practice, have increasingly expanded their focus from pragmatic issues of human-computer interaction - like utility or usability - to include aspects like emotion, the joy of use, user experience, or motivation. In this context, Video games have become not only increasingly attractive for players of both genders various ethnicities, and ages but are also utilized more and more for educational purposes. Thus, studying the educational potential for this new and controversial medium is of tremendous importance. Videogames can be used to improve the learning process since they are very attractive for most of today^s children, adolescents, and a growing number of adults. In this way, pupils increase their cognitive skills, their motivation for learning, and their attention while they are working/playing. If we also consider the increasing presence of new technologies in society in general and in classrooms in particular, we encounter a new way of teaching/learning. One of the most important factors in enabling students to learn through educational video games is maintaining high levels of motivation throughout the game. For several years, the use of new technologies in classrooms and the introduction of video games into learning processes have been proposed as suitable mechanisms to achieve these levels of motivation. The game process also allows abstract reasoning to develop in a stress-free environment unlike other more formal social or curricular situations. This study focuses on the motivational potential of video game playing to facilitate developmental processes through the unique combination of entertainment and learning, We also discuss by providing research-based areas of awareness and a discussion of factors that can facilitate understanding related to choosing and using video games. Furthermore, we emphasis on how educational games can be conceptualized from different theoretical perspectives on learning.
Keywords: Video game, motivation, education, learning, cognition
