Unlocking Creativity: The Role of Educational Games and Apps in Fostering Imagination

Game-Based Learning Solutions Promote Cognitive Flexibility

When students are having fun, research shows that the brain becomes more flexible thanks to the release of specific neurons. Moreover, when students are involved in experiential learning, as offered by game-based e-learning, the brain also becomes more flexible.   

Known as cognitive flexibility, this relaxed, open state allows students to consider solutions, strategies, and answers to problems they may not consider when learning through a less enjoyable method. To that end, it is fair to say that problem-solving and creativity in facilitating learning through game-based learning education offer significant benefits to both students and educators.

Irrespective of the subject matter students are actively engaging with, game-based learning in education helps bolster critical thinking skills, innovation, and problem-solving, specifically because they are enjoying themselves. 

Moreover, game-based learning in education offers a dynamic and collaborative approach to learning, by integrating entertainment with educational content. While game-based learning in education may cover a wide range of subjects, one notable benefit they provide is the promotion of creativity and problem-solving skills among students. By fostering critical thinking, innovation, and the ability to overcome challenges, educational games create an environment where students can develop these important skills independently or as part of a team while having fun.

Benefits of Incorporating Educational Games: Boosting Creativity

Educational games for students online have unique advantages that contribute to the development of creativity and problem-solving skills in students. Firstly, game-based learning in education offers a safe and engaging space for students to explore, evaluate, examine,  and experiment with ideas without the fear of failure. 

Game-based learning encourages students to think critically and find innovative solutions to challenges presented within the game. The interactive nature of games also helps students develop problem-solving strategies by allowing them to make decisions, face consequences, and adapt their approaches based on the outcomes.

Creative Problem-Solving Examples for Students

Consider that game-based e-learning often involves open-ended scenarios that promote creativity and imagination. Games in subjects such as Science and History often present students with complex problems that require thinking outside the box and encourage them to explore different possibilities and perspectives. 

Some educational games for students online encourage players to find unconventional solutions to challenges. Other game-based learning solutions provide open-ended gameplay or puzzles that require creative thinking to overcome. By exercising creativity and exploring alternative approaches in games, players can develop robust problem-solving skills. 

Creative problem-solving examples for students may include things like:

• What Happens When You Play a History Game from Different Historical Perspectives?
• What Are the Moral Dilemmas To Consider When Choosing Option A versus Option B?
• How Do You Get From Point A to Point B With As Little Risk As Possible?
• How Many People Will Benefit if You Choose Option A?
• How Will the Environment Be Affected By the Choice You Make?
• Are There Better Ways to Accomplish a Goal?
• What Choice is Safest?
• What Choice is Riskiest?

There are endless other creative problem-solving examples that will force students to use critical thinking skills to advance in the game, or conversely to fail, and to learn from it.