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Showing posts from June, 2017

Why having fun deserves to be taken seriously

Gaming is often blamed as a source of distraction, putting our children (and us) off doing something more productive or educational. But, according to numerous studies and experts in the emerging field of ‘edutainment’, what actually makes games enjoyable is the built-in learning process . The theory is that when we are actively engaging with a game, our minds are grappling with its parameters – and that this is true of everything from Angry Birds , through World of Warcraft and FAA-approved flight simulators. You don’t have to look far to see this principle in action. I was helping my son – then eight years old – with his homework one day. The weather was glorious and he was struggling to focus on his work, protesting that he wanted to go and play outside instead. And that was it: the gap between learning and play; the divide between what seems unengaging and laborious and what’s fun and engaging. That really started us on our journey to creating simulations that aid pro