• A fun fact inspired by another amazing newsletter

• Answers to last week's games

• Game and community updates

• Player showcase

TIL: Video games help students perform better on standardised tests

The 2021 report from the Higher Education Video Game Alliance (HEVGA) and the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) examines the role of video games as educational tools in American schools. Benefits of Video Games in K-12 Education underscores the growing acceptance among Americans that video games can bolster cognitive and creative skills in students. Numerous surveyed teachers share how video games in classrooms support engaging, discovery-based learning, enhance problem-solving abilities, and allow them to address the diverse learning needs and paces of students.

Interestingly, the report notes that while teachers often prefer to focus on materials specifically designed to promote higher standardised test scores, video games can be a part of that training. According to the report, “students show greater resilience when facing obstacles and implementing strategies to overcome those obstacles. In turn, increased engagement and positive learning attitudes can translate into measurable results in standardised assessments.”

Of course, not all video games are ideal for classroom learning. The report recommends starting with relevant games, securing administrative and parental support, adopting flexible teaching methods, building learning scaffolds, and ensuring equitable access to resources. Are you a teacher trying to find relevant games for your classroom? Check out some awesome games about geography, history, art, and science from Trainwreck Labs!

This fun fact was inspired by another fantastic games newsletter called Game On.

Entertainment Software Association. (2021). Benefits of Video Games in K-12 Education. Retrieved from https://www.theesa.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/102621BenefitsofVideoGamesinK-12Education.pdf

Answers to last week's games

Monday, November 27 to Sunday, December 3.

Forgeous

Play Forgeous for Dec 4.

Cézanne, P. (1866).Antoine Dominique Sauveur Aubert (born 1817), the Artist's Uncle, as a Monk, Portrait d'un moine (l'Oncle Dominique) [Oil on canvas]. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435869 

Game and Community Updates

Last week, the Trainwreck Labs Discord server reached 3,000 members! I owe a huge thank you to everyone who goes to Discord to share their scores and joins in the conversation. If you haven’t joined yet, it’s a great place to ask questions, share tips, and build community around daily educational games (not just our games, there’s a #non-twl-games channel too!)

Also, a bunch of new plants and animals were added to the Meta games last week, including sea sponge, pawpaw, skink, and nettle. Not sure which of those are animals and which are plants? You might need to try a couple practice rounds!

Player showcase

Another great meme about Bird Hell (trademark pending) showed up in the Discord server that I want to share with you all. Some context: while the plants and animals of the Meta games are handpicked, their taxonomic classifications all come from the NCBI. So when there’s an issue with the classifications, like how Neognathae doesn’t have enough divisions below it, I cannot directly to fix that. However, back in August, Metazooa players successfully petitioned the NCBI to add the Pinnipedia classification, so Bird Hell may one day be a thing of the past. Until then, don’t make me tap the sign!

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