– Anand Achyut, Founder and CEO, Wonderslate
Learning has so far remained boring, tedious and effort taking. Till now, not much attention has been paid to the factors that play an important role in learning. The focus so far has remained on memorizing the concept; however, numerous scientific studies today show a direct relationship between memory and emotions. Any emotional connection with what we learn directly affects how much we remember. The pandemic has shown the world how to turn adversaries into opportunities and with the growth in an online learning culture, there is now an opportunity to rekindle the emotional connection in learning by gaming. Learning can be made fun with games which everybody enjoys. They evoke happiness, excitement and various other emotions in us. Games enhance grasping power, skills and learning abilities. We play games at our own will and this will make learning effortless. The exciting and interactive nature of games is a great way to learn outside the classroom. With technology and the internet becoming more accessible, students can now crack competitive exams, improve current affairs, read news and engage in competitions with leaders to earn points with gaming. The addition of gaming elements in learning apps makes the learning process enjoyable for students of all age groups.
How learning with gaming helps students?
Better memory and retention abilities: Combining emotions and practices can work towards enhancing memory. Games create a positive effect on motivational levels, determining what we learn and how much we can retain. Learning isn’t a one-off event. It requires repetition and dedication. If the experience is fun, learners will stay curious and keep coming back for more. Gaming apps for learning allow a high degree of engagement and make users engage with content in an effective, informal learning environment. If learners get excited about learning, they are more likely to retain information.
Overcome language barriers- Language has always remained a barrier in learning especially for learners who aren’t comfortable with English or even in Hindi. The gaming apps for learning today support all regional languages like Kannada, Tamil, Telugu etc.
Users can choose any of these languages at their convenience to study, play and practice. Moreover, in gaming apps, the content is more visual and easier to understand or comprehend. The audio-visual learning style greatly enhances the imagination and is also an excellent channel for communicating ideas and concepts. These features encourage learners to take action and learn.
Socialize with like-minded users: Online learning apps give a platform to learn and play games with another participant learning the same course. This not only creates a healthy competitive environment to practice and learn but also offers a place to socialize with like-minded people, chat, share and make friends. This gives a great opportunity to interact with people with common interests to solve doubts, ask questions, problem solving and community building.
Develop competitive spirit: The apps allow users to challenge anybody across the country in games where they can earn points, badges. They can also track their progress through the leaderboard and flaunt success by sharing the progress. This competitive spirit enhances the drive to compete, improve, and outperform others, which is greatly beneficial especially while preparing for competitive or entrance exams. These challenges help learners by pushing them to practice more and more till they win. Moreover, every learner looks for some kind of encouragement/recognition and gamification makes it possible and more effective through leaderboards, badges and other gamified indicators of achievements.
Real-time assessment and feedback: The gaming apps give real-time assessment and feedback to learners to practice and excel towards measurable, meaningful goals. Daily quizzes and tests in the form of challenging games. These apps provide daily, weekly & monthly tests and also curated questions that are relevant to respective exams. A simple yet powerful user experience based on gaming that is easy to read, watch and prepare can significantly boost exam preparations and learning for users.
Also read: Learning math the gaming way
