Taking video games to the classroom

Milliam Murigi @millymur1

“Put down that controller!” “Stop fiddling with your phone!” “You can’t play that video game right now, you’ve got homework to do”.

These are some of the refrains that you have probably heard many times in your lives. 

It’s no surprise that for a lot of people, video games are for entertainment and nothing more.

But do you know that gaming has charted new and exciting territories in recent years?

Militaries are using video games for training exercises; surgeons and doctors are using them to better access training, and improve how they do their jobs; and schools have also not been left behind. Teachers are using video games as a tool for teaching.

However, the sad reality is that there are very few game developers creating edutainment games to help students improve their learning skills.

This is why Usiku Games, a Kenyan mobile games company, is working hard to bridge this gap.

The company has unveiled edutainment games to help primary school-aged children improve their learning skills, especially in math, science, and the English language.

As per the company, their aim  is to turn the smartphone into a fun classroom for the children. 

“Our collection of interactive and educational games gives them another fun way of understanding the most important concepts taught in school,” says Shapiro, CEO, Usiku Games.

The mobile web-based platform dubbed “Tizi Games” is designed to be fun and entertaining as they help educate pupils.

Each game is designed around a particular subject based on the new Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) developed by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development.

“Tizi Games help improve children’s skills in memory, concentration, and development of knowledge: enhance what your children learn in school and act as revision for the week’s schoolwork.

Our games are adapted to be handled easily and specifically designed as an educational tool for interface of preschoolers and up,” says Shapiro.

He adds that they create, design, and produce edutainment content to help today’s children learn in ways that is fun and resonates with them.

They have also specialised in developing games that will improve skills, focus, and cognitive reasoning.

How it works

He reveals that each week children are presented with a collection of fun games, tailored to match their grade level and what they learned in school that week.

The words, math, and lessons taught through each game directly support and reinforce what the students have been taught in class that week.

“Each game dynamically pulls in content to match the grade level and classroom curriculum based on what week of the year it is.

In this way, studying and improving class scores need no longer be a chore, but something fun that children enjoy playing without even realising they are actually doing school work,” he adds.

Targeting the eight million primary school pupils in Kenya, Tizi Games mirror the CBC, which encourages imagination, creativity, and critical thinking among children.

Tizi’s interactive games create opportunities for problem solving, reinforcing the cognitive abilities of the student.

“The games also help with sensory integration, which is critical in implementation of the curriculum. 

This new approach puts a strong emphasis on the importance of science, technology, and innovation.

The games build hand-eye coordination, special awareness, and fast reflexes,” he says.

According to the Basic Education Curriculum Framework 2017, critical thinking and problem solving are useful for learners of all ages and in all the subjects and disciplines offered in the basic education curriculum.

For example, in the sciences learners need to think critically about observations and patterns to develop ideas on how to solve problems.

Edutainment-based games help in attaining that subtly, while the children focus on having fun.

UNESCO indicates that the use of games for teaching mathematics, sciences, and the humanities is becoming a core part of the educational landscape.

There has been a surge in game development for teaching social and emotional learning skills. Further, games are being used in assessments and evaluations of student learning.

 “With the advent of fast internet connectivity and availability of affordable devices, there are infinite possibilities for leveraging educational technology, —including games- for deeper, engaging, active, and immersive learning experiences for learning,” he says.