VIDEO GAMES
Gaming in Schools There are multiple petitions for gaming in schools, including petitions to make video games a compulsory part of the curriculum and petitions to incorporate educational games into teaching methods. From UC Advanced ’s brief research, the last time the Department for Education responded to public petitions was on 18 November 2022, with:
“The Department has no plans to introduce video games into the National Curriculum, nor make any changes to the National Curriculum for the remainder of this Parliament.” However, the government does require schools to teach online safety as part of the curriculum, and does encourage parents to use parental controls on video games. “Video Games” is such an all- encompassing word, that it would be exceptionally difficult to pass an opinion without a more specific definition: are we judging the interactions of a 5 year-old learning to count with bright colourful “video games” in the same breath as the somewhat age-restricted, play-for-money, button mashing competitive ESport “video games” we find teens have a penchant for? Esports could help students develop skills like teamwork, communication, and critical thinking. It can also be a way for
students to develop technical skills and pursue a career in gaming. Enter Pearson into the fray, a global learning company, in their 2023 Strategic Report, stating: “When expanding our Esports BTECs into Higher Nationals, we worked closely with the British Esports Federation to ensure that the qualifications offer students progression to entry-level jobs in the sector.” It appears as if the tail is wagging the dog here, because if educational institutions are progressively recognising career opportunities and working closing with the video game industry and digital media markets, why is the UK Department for Education lagging? Should schools integrate video games into the curriculum, offer it as an extracurricular activity, or ignore it all together? We’re off to BETT 2025 (22 to 24 January 2025, ExCeL London) to find out what the industry thoughts are on the subject. Watch this space…
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