Video games in class!?

Video games. They’ve become a huge part of how we spend our school day. Everyone is playing something, whether it’s Drive Mad, Roblox, or Minecraft. But how is all this gaming really affecting our grades… and our future?

Studies show that some video games can improve skills like attention and focus. According to “Can Video Games Make You Smarter?”, they can even help kids with dyslexia read better by strengthening their ability to concentrate. Because games train the brain to focus, switching from playing games one period to listening the next can make it easier to hyperfocus. This hyperfocus helps students block out distractions and pay closer attention in class.

In one study, participants played Super Mario 64 for 30 minutes a day over more than two months outside of school hours. The results showed that people who played regularly were able to remember things better during that time. Video games can even benefit your future career, depending on your path. For example, surgeons with video game experience may perform robotic surgery faster and make fewer errors, since controlling surgical robots is similar to using a controller and screen in a video game.

I had the opportunity to interview Nilay Patel, from Team 6-1, to ask him about sneaking in gaming during class instruction. “I would get away with it, saying that it (the gaming tab) was open from a different class.”

I asked him when he usually plays. He said, “I usually don’t play it in the middle of instruction.” Well, that’s good at least. Students really shouldn’t be gaming while a teacher is instructing. He went on to explain, “I usually play, and I really don’t play games that much, but I usually play when the teacher is done with instructions, and I have all my iReady lessons and classwork done. Mostly when there’s really nothing more to do.” Again, this seems more reasonable than playing during instruction, but should we really be doing this in school?

I also asked him how he would feel if everything was blocked. His response: “I would probably be very bored.” This shows that students enjoy having free time and playing video games, but should that freedom be taken away?

But what about our grades? What happens if we play too much? If we play every period, we might start thinking more about the game than the work we’re supposed to do. Gaming too often can bring our grades down, especially if we choose playing over studying. You might think studying isn’t that important, but one study showed that studying regularly can raise your grade by 38%. This is a key factor in success, which is why it’s really important to take the time to study instead of playing video games.

We can also manage this gaming urge at home. By choosing to spend our free time on other activities, like playing chess or sports such as biking, basketball, football, or ping pong, we can change our habits. If gaming isn’t a big part of our regular routine, we’re less likely to play during class. This can help improve our grades and make teachers a lot happier.

Speaking of teachers, I asked Mrs. Olson, Wredling’s 6-4 Science teacher, some questions about students and gaming in class. She said that although she tries not to use Chromebooks too much, when she does, there are always some students who play games. When we asked how she can see everyone’s screens, she said, “I use Hapara, which is the district monitoring site we use. I can clearly see who’s not on what they’re supposed to be on.”

At any point, students can face consequences. They might get closed out of a tab, receive a message from Hapara, or even have their Chromebook taken for the class. We also asked what happens to a student during a test if they’re gaming, and she said, “They might not do as well as they could because they’re on that game instead of doing an academic task.” So the question becomes: do we choose video games over education?

Our last question for her was how she feels when students aren’t listening to her and playing video games instead. She shared that it is frustrating, especially since students have been told over and over to stop. She also mentioned that students’ batteries dying early causes major disruptions in class, all because of gaming. She told us that gaming is allowed during Free Choice Friday and prefers students to wait until then. While it may seem fun, gaming during class can hurt our grades and frustrate our teachers.

Video games are addictive and a lot of fun. We can learn a lot from playing them, but there are also plenty of downsides. If we play too much in class, we risk losing our A’s/B’s and earning more C’s, D’s, and F’s, and we frustrate our teachers. So what’s the point? Why not just save the games for home?