Almost every student has been berated by their parents for playing games when they were supposed to be studying. Most parents still believe that games are a distraction and sure recipe for disaster. And we all believed this theory too - until recently.
In 2021, the universities of Serbia, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia have been summoned to create a collaborative study that would shake the very foundations of everything we've ever believed. According to the buy thesis paper service, the study aimed to find out the impact of video games on students' educational outcomes. However, the results were nothing like we expected. At the end of the study, it was discovered that students with high grades typically spent as much time playing video games as they spent on learning activities.
This disproves the stigma on games in the academic world and consolidates the saying, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." Thus, whether you're studying to become essay writer or a medical doctor, playing games can actually help boost your academic performance as long as it's done in moderation.
This brings us to the big question: what educational games can college students play? Well, let's find that out, shall we?
Quizlet
Everyone loves quizzes - well, almost everyone. Quizzes are fun, engaging, and a great way to test your knowledge in any subject or topic. Fortunately, with apps like Quizlet, you can test your knowledge and have fun on the go.
Quizlet is a web-based application designed specifically to help students study through interactive tools and games. Basically, all you have to do is log in and choose an appropriate study set.
What we love the most about this app is that it helps students prepare adequately for actual quizzes and tests. Instead of looking through tons of notes, textbooks, and flashcards, you can take a break from the conventional mode of studying and play interactive quizzes to test your knowledge and review information.
Pictionary
Pictionary is a classic game that almost everyone remembers playing on Family Game Nights. However, this game is also an interactive way for college students to unwind and test their knowledge of basic concepts that they learned in class.
For instance, during study sessions with your friends, you can divide yourselves into small groups. One student is chosen from each group and must draw the concept related to the concept they're talking about. The rest of the group must then guess the concept in question. The first group to guess correctly gets points and wins the round.
With Pictionary, you can use some concepts you already learned in class to test how well you and your friends remember it or how well you can recreate it. If possible, you could also suggest it as a new class activity to your professor, as this will certainly make classes more fun and interactive.
Words with Friends
If you've ever played Scrabble, then Words with Friends will be a breeze for you. Words with Friends is a fun online game that works in the same way as Scrabble. In this multiplayer word game, players take turns building words in a crossword puzzle style.
This interactive game tests your vocabulary, as well as your strategic thinking skills. This means that your active vocabulary isn't enough to win this game; you'd also need to think critically.
Whether you're looking for personal challenges, a social game, or just an avenue to unwind, Words with Friends certainly fits the bill. The best part is that you can connect and play with other students and strangers across the globe. All you need is an internet connection and your thinking cap, and you're all set to play this fun game.
Court Quest
Whether you're a law student or not, you'll definitely enjoy learning all about the justice system with Court Quest. Court Quest is a fun game that offers users more information and knowledge of the American judicial system. Although this game is more common among high schoolers, it's perfect for college students as well.
Here, you explore both state and federal courts while helping passengers navigate through the American judicial system. As a player, all you have to do is pick up passengers with legal cases and drop them off at the best courts for their needs. This will help to widen your knowledge of the uses of state and federal courts. The game also comes with a decision support tool that can provide guidance.
Betwixt Folly and Fate
Ever imagined what life looked like in 1774? Let your imaginations come to life with Betwixt Folly and Fate, a 3D game that explores life in eighteenth-century Williamsburg, Virginia.
In this game, you can play as one of four characters: a free black carpenter, an enslaved house servant, a midwife's assistant, and a young gentleman. With each role, you get to explore the daily challenges of life in early Virginia while learning how social classes and customs worked in 18th century Virginia.
But that's not all. This game also helps you build your problem-solving, sequence learning, and deductive reasoning strategies. Here, you'll bargain for goods with several shopkeepers and play a wide range of colonial games.
At the end of the day, you'll increase your knowledge of social class systems, history, and social injustice while improving your deductive reasoning skills and having fun at the same time. What a great way to learn!
Final Thoughts
As stated earlier, game-based learning can be beneficial to any student's academic performance. Video games can stimulate creativity and visual memory and improve students' critical thinking skills simultaneously.
If you were wondering about some of the best educational games you could play as a college student, the games listed above are interesting starters. Although this is in no way an exhaustive list, it should set you on the right track to learning interactively and creatively. In the unlikely event that you don't like any of the games listed above, many alternative options are available on the web. You'll certainly be spoilt for choice
Have fun!
So how does one find these games? Or were they listed here to taunt us? Betwixt Folly and Fate seems to be defunct?
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