Are video games educational?

I was asked to play a video game about misinformation and how it spreads. Fake it to Make it is a very educational tool for why misinformation spreads so fast. It was a very fun game and with the correct audience it can be educational.

How to play:

Step 1: The goal of the game is to earn enough money for a music set, apartment or car. After setting a goal you are asked to set up a disinformation site. There are certain levels of credibility to reach when establishing the site.

Step 2: After the site is established, the player will copy or write articles with political biases. The base of the article is neutral, the player will pick tags that have a political lean. The player has four spots to balance credibility and drama tags or facts. These can be true, slightly true or complete lies.

Step 3: Using online profiles within political groups, the player will plant articles in them to spread the information and generate views. The goal is to target specific emotions to go viral. The more views it gets, the more money is earned.

Educational Effectiveness:

The game teaches how to identify trending topics to start conversations, how to walk the line between drama and credibility of articles and how rumors can spread online with a few clicks. The game is set up to be simple and straightforward in game play.

While this game is great for teaching how to target trending topics and easy misinformation, it would not be an effective tool for all. This game would be most effective with middle schoolers. This is the age where children are starting to become more aware online and using online sources for school projects. This would be a fun way to show how money is a driving factor for content and how to be careful.

I don't think this game would be effective with high schoolers or children younger than middle school. Teenagers have already formed their opinions about where they get news or starting to find their political biases. While this game is fun to identify trending topics as weapons, teens already know how and taught the dangers of social media.

Children younger than middle school, this game can be played. However, I think the message would not be comprehended. I think the children would be more caught up in the goals than learning how emotions being targeted is a tool. In addition while the vocabulary in the game is simple, I think there are few words or topics that aren't easy for younger children.

Video games in general:

Games whether online or physical always have a place in education. Having fun while learning allows for easier comprehension of material. In addition, it helps to build life skills as well as academic. As the world moves more online, so does education.

Video games can be beneficial for children. It is a new way to experience all sorts of environments without travel costs. Video games have been linked to higher cognitive performance. Games are included in classrooms already in all ages. I grew up with Kahoot as a class review game. It was a fun easy way to have the whole class involved with review material.

Video games are beneficial if they are for the right age groups. I don't think a preschooler needs to be playing Fake it to Make it, but a middle schooler would love it. Like most things in life, there has to be a certain level of comprehension available to get full benefits. Overall, video games are a great educational tool.