Great Video Games With An Educational Value
- by XpatAthens
- Wednesday, 06 April 2022
One of the most common concerns parents have is whether their children spend too much time surfing the net, mindlessly scrolling on social media, watching YouTube videos for hours on end, or playing video games. Indeed, the misuse of technology can have negative effects, but moderate internet use is unlikely to do any harm, while it may also appear to have some benefits.
If you know where to look, you can find video games that are useful for children. Such video games help children develop specific skills, enhance their creativity, teach concepts such as fair play and competition, inspire interest in learning, and can bring parents closer to their children if the parents themselves decide to be part of the game process.
Minecraft
Minecraft is a building game that allows players to go on adventures, raise resources, and create tools. The game has different modes - survival, creativity, adventure, and multiplayer - so players have flexibility on how to approach it. Creative freedom and self-direction are not the only things the game offers. Minecraft teaches teamwork and motivation, while it can improve reading and math skills.
National Geographic Challenge
The National Geographic Challenge is a quiz game for the whole family. The game has a fairly wide range of low, medium, and high difficulty questions that cover different regions - North America, Europe, Asia, South America, Africa, and Australia. Start the game by selecting an avatar, and then you can try to answer 40, 60, or 80 of the game's timed questions. During the game, children will have the opportunity to see stunning photos and videos from the National Geographic archive.
Nancy Drew Interactive Mysteries
This game allows children to play as Nancy and become amateur detectives who solve mysteries. They will interrogate suspects, solve puzzles, and discover clues until they finally catch the culprit. Through play, children learn without even realizing it. They learn about historical figures, discover different cultures, and develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
World Rescue
Developed by ZU Digital in collaboration with UNESCO, the game takes place in Kenya, Norway, Brazil, India, and China. There, children are asked to help five heroes solve problems such as diseases, deforestation, drought, and pollution. In addition to geography, children learn concepts such as sustainability and activism while being informed about global problems and how they can be solved.